Israel Kills Palestinian Refugees Waiting in Line for Food

On Thursday, Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al Qudra confirmed that Israel killed at least 20 Palestinians and injured around 150 people waiting in line for food.

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"The Israeli occupation committed a new massacre against thousands of hungry mouths awaiting humanitarian aid at Kuwait Roundabout in the city of Gaza," Al Qudra said, alerting that the death toll would increase in the coming hours.

"The dozens of seriously injured were taken to Al Shifa hospital," he said, pointing out that this health center lacks sufficient medical capabilities to treat them due to the Israeli troops' siege.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) also reported that two people died on Thursday, increasing the death toll to 12, following yesterday's tank projectile attack on a UN refugee shelter in southern Gaza, where over 75 people were injured.

Thomas White, a senior UNRWA official, said that 15 injured people are in "critical condition." The shelter housed around 800 displaced Palestinians in the city of Khan Younis, a scene of intense fighting in recent days, especially in its western area, where the Israeli Army has concentrated its offensive.

"Yesterday afternoon, the UN finally managed to reach the affected areas to treat the injured patients, deliver medical supplies, and evacuate the wounded to Rafah," said White, who denounced the blockade of previous missions to assess the situation.

On Thursday, Health Ministry undersecretary Youssef Abu Al Rish coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross to supply medicines, food, and fuel to the hospitals in Khan Younis, as well as visits to the medical personnel detained by Israel.

The projectile firing and the center's fire occurred two days after an initial attack on UNRWA facilities that left at least six displaced people dead.

The text reads, "The UN notes a strong Israeli offensive in Khan Younis with attacks on hospitals and schools. Intense bombings by land, sea, and air affected Gaza, especially Khan Younis this week, causing at least 163 deaths and 350 injuries. In the surroundings of a school located west of the city, seven people died, while bombings in different residential areas caused at least 23 deaths."

"The intense fighting near the remaining hospitals in Khan Younis, including the hospitals of Nasser and Al Amal, has surrounded these facilities, leaving the staff, patients, and displaced people trapped inside and terrified," White reported.

Al Khair hospital had to close its operations after patients, "including women who had just undergone a cesarean section," were evacuated in the middle of the night.

The WAFA news agency also reported Israeli bombings in the Bureij refugee camp, where at least two people died in a "deliberate attack against a gathering of residents."

Since October 7, 2023, Israeli occupation forces have killed over 25,700 Palestinians, including over 10,000 children. The bombings have also left 63,740 injured and an indeterminate number of people missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings.