52 Palestinians killed in Gaza from Israeli airstrikes and shootings near an aid site
DEIR AL-BALAH Gaza Strip AP Israeli airstrikes killed at least Palestinians in the Gaza Strip including four children while others were fatally shot on their way to aid distribution sites Palestinian hospital representatives and bystanders declared on Saturday The children and two women were among at least people who were killed in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late Friday executives in Al-Aqsa Martyr s Hospital explained Fifteen others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis in southern Gaza according to Nasser Hospital The military did not right away respond to The Associated Press request for comment on the civilian deaths At least people were killed on their way to a food distribution site near Rafah run by an Israeli-backed American organization noted hospital personnel and observers including those wounded The Israeli military revealed it had fired warning shots toward people it mentioned were behaving suspiciously to prevent them from approaching It added it was not aware of any casualties from the case The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation explained no situation occurred near its sites Israel s offensive sparked by Hamas attack on October has killed over Palestinians more than half of them women and children according to Gaza s Physical condition Ministry The ministry which is under Gaza s Hamas-run governing body doesn t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count The U N and other international organizations see its figures as the the majority reliable statistics on war casualties U S President Donald Trump has stated that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages disclosed and potentially wind down the war But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough Hamas continues to hold selected hostages at least of whom are concluded to still be alive More killings near an American-run aid site The Israeli military noted it fired warning shots to disperse a group of people it maintained were posing a threat to the troops The happening occurred in the Rafah area hundreds of meters yards from the food distribution site it stated The military revealed it was not aware of any casualties A GHF spokesperson who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with the group s policies disclosed We checked with our extended company and this circumstance didn t happen near our sites Onlookers there stated they were on their way to the site seeking food and were shot at Abdullah al-Haddad declared he was meters feet away from an aid distribution site run by the GHF close to the Shakoush area west of Rafah when an Israeli tank started firing at crowds of Palestinians We were together and they shot us at once he announced writhing in pain from a leg wound at Nasser Hospital Mohammed Jamal al-Sahloo another witness reported the Israeli military had ordered them to proceed to the site when the shooting started Sumaya al-Sha er s year-old son Nasir was killed in the shooting near the site hospital representatives declared He disclosed to me Mom you don t have flour and nowadays I ll go and bring you flour even if I die I ll go and get it she reported But he never came back home Up until then she noted she had prevented the teenager from going to GHF sites because she thought it was too dangerous But with food supplies running out she had no choice but to relent The GHF denies there has been any violence in or around its sites in the past But two of its contractors informed The Associated Press that their colleagues have fired live ammunition and stun grenades as Palestinians scramble for food statements denied by the foundation Onlookers healthcare personnel and U N executives say hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while heading toward the GHF distribution points through military zones off limits to independent media The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at Palestinians who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner The U N and aid groups say they are struggling to distribute humanitarian aid because of continued Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown of law and order that has led to widespread looting Military operations in Gaza continue The Israeli military disclosed that over the past hours troops struck approximately targets in the Gaza Strip including militants booby-trapped structures weapons storage facilities anti-tank missile launch posts sniper posts tunnels and additional Hamas sites Also on Saturday the Israeli military disclosed stated there were strict restrictions along the Mediterranean coast and called on fishermen swimmers and divers from going to the sea Hamas-led militants killed a few people in their Oct attack on Israel and abducted They still hold hostages less than half of them deduced to be alive after majority of the rest were circulated in ceasefire agreements or other deals Follow AP s war coverage at https apnews com hub israel-hamas-war Source
