In one of the deadliest incidents this week, Israeli warplanes bombed a crowd of civilians waiting for food assistance near the Tayara roundabout in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, killing at least 16 Palestinians, including 10 children, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.

The victims had gathered outside a UN-run medical facility distributing nutritional supplements for children and women, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Aid workers described the scene as “a massacre of the hungry”, with bodies scattered across the street and donkey carts used to transport the wounded due to fuel shortages grounding ambulances.

Hours earlier, eight more Palestinians, including a young girl, were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis. One strike near the Salah al-Din mosque claimed four lives, while another hit a residential apartment, killing three. A separate shooting incident in southwest Khan Younis left one dead and several injured.

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that since October 7, 2023, Israeli military operations have killed at least 57,860 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured over 137,400 others.

The Israeli military stated that the Deir al-Balah strike targeted a Hamas operative allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks, but acknowledged awareness of civilian casualties and said the incident is under investigation.

Human rights organizations condemned the bombing as a violation of international law, with the Gaza Government Media Office calling it a deliberate attack on civilians and accusing Israel of using hunger as a weapon.

The strike comes amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Doha, where Hamas has expressed flexibility, agreeing to release 10 Israeli prisoners in exchange for a 60-day truce and humanitarian access. However, Israeli leaders have refused to commit to a permanent ceasefire, insisting on continued military pressure.

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