At least 33 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday, including 11 people who had gathered outside food distribution centres in central Gaza, according to local civil defence authorities. The latest Gaza food centre deaths add to a growing toll of civilians killed while seeking humanitarian aid in the besieged territory.
The Hamas-run civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire and launched shells at crowds gathered along Salah al-Din Road near Nuseirat between 02:30 and 06:00. “The victims were only trying to get food and flour,” said spokesperson Mahmoud Basal, noting more than 100 others were injured.
The Israeli military said its troops fired “warning shots” at a group that approached in a threatening manner but claimed it was unaware of any casualties.
Another 19 people were killed in separate Israeli air strikes, including eight in a home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun area. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 140 people were killed in the previous 24 hours alone.
The Gaza food centre deaths have drawn international condemnation. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), described the situation as “medieval and lethal,” accusing a new US- and Israel-backed aid scheme of luring starving civilians into deadly traps. “Inviting starving people to their death is a war crime,” he wrote on X, urging accountability.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that Israeli tanks and drones opened fire near a charity centre and a UN World Food Programme warehouse. In a separate incident Tuesday, another seven people were killed on Rashid Street northwest of Gaza City while also waiting for food.
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues to escalate, with fuel, water, and food shortages reaching critical levels. The UN warns that only a massive scale-up in aid distribution can stabilise the situation. Nearly 400 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid since late May, local health officials say.
The Gaza food centre deaths now symbolise the growing desperation- and the deadly risks- of survival under blockade.
Source: BBC
Also read: Israeli tank fire kills 51 people in Gaza crowd trying to get food
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