Israeli forces killed 62 Palestinians seeking aid

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 62 Palestinians—most of them seeking humanitarian aid—have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, a media report said on Sunday.

Al Jazeera, citing hospital sources in the besieged enclave, reported that the deaths occurred since dawn on Saturday.

Among the victims were 38 Palestinians killed near aid distribution sites operated by the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

These incidents mark the latest in a series of deadly attacks near GHF-operated areas, despite Israel’s recent announcement of “tactical pauses” in fighting to facilitate humanitarian access.

Israel introduced the daily pauses in military operations on July 27. However, the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory said on Friday that 105 Palestinians were killed while trying to access food on Wednesday and Thursday alone.

As of Friday, at least 1,373 Palestinians have died while attempting to access aid, according to the UN.

Additionally, 169 others—including 93 children—have died from starvation or malnutrition since the war began in October 2023, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Amid mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian crisis, Israel has recently permitted airdrops of aid into Gaza by countries including Jordan, the UAE, Egypt, Spain, Germany, and France.

Still, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that only 36 aid trucks entered the enclave on Saturday—far below the 600 trucks needed daily to meet the population’s basic needs.

sa