GAZA — At least 58 starving civilians were killed on Wednesday while seeking aid in northern Gaza after being targeted by Israeli forces as the “worst-case scenario of famine” is unfolding in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli blockade.
At least 58 people were killed and more than 579 others were wounded by Israeli forces within three hours as they were heading towards the Zikim crossing point for aid trucks entering northern Gaza, according to the Gaza Government Media Office on Thursday.
Another 20 people seeking aid were killed near the so-called Morag Corridor near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Nasser Medical Complex reported, as they were seeking food near the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
More than 1,000 Palestinians seeking aid have been killed by Israeli forces and American mercenaries near aid distribution sites run by the GHF, which launched operations in late May.
Palestinians in Gaza and the UN described these sites as “mass death traps” and “slaughterhouses”.
Mass killings of aid seekers have become a grim daily reality, as chaotic scenes unfold with desperate Palestinians rushing for food, often at the risk of being targeted by Israeli forces.
Wednesday’s massacre came as the “worst-case scenario of famine” is unfolding in Gaza, according to a warning issued on Tuesday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), as Israel continues to block aid from entering the enclave for about five months.
“Amid relentless conflict, mass displacement, severely restricted humanitarian access, and the collapse of essential services, including healthcare, the crisis has reached an alarming and deadly turning point.”
The warning came as at least 154 Palestinians, including 89 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since Israel’s assault on Gaza in October 2023. — QNN
