GAZA CITY: At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and airstrikes in Gaza on Monday (Aug 4), including 10 who died while seeking humanitarian aid, health authorities in the enclave said. Another five reportedly died of starvation as hunger and chaos mount across the territory.
The 10 aid-seekers were killed in two separate incidents near aid distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), local medics said.
More than 1,000 people have been killed trying to access GHF aid since the group began operating in May, according to the United Nations.
Most deaths were reportedly caused by Israeli forces firing near the sites. However, the GHF said there were no incidents at or near their sites on Monday. Reuters was unable to verify the location of the incidents.
“Everyone who goes there, comes back either with a bag of flour or carried back as a martyr or injured. No one comes back safe,” said Bilal Thari, a 40-year-old Palestinian mourner at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where bodies of those killed while seeking aid were being collected.
AID ACCESS REMAINS LIMITED
On Sunday, Gaza health officials said at least 13 Palestinians were killed at the Zikim crossing while waiting for UN aid trucks near the northern border with Israel.
Due to shortages of burial materials, bodies were wrapped in blankets instead of traditional Islamic shrouds, which Palestinians said had become scarce because of Israeli border restrictions and rising casualties.
“We don’t want war, we want peace … women are out there on the streets, we have nothing available for us to live a normal life like all human beings,” Thari said.
The Israeli military said it had not fired earlier on Monday in the vicinity of the southern Gaza aid distribution centre but did not address Sunday’s incident directly.
Israel says it is taking steps to improve aid flow, including pausing military operations in some areas during parts of the day, conducting air drops, and setting up protected routes for aid convoys.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would convene his security cabinet this week to discuss how to instruct the military to meet Israel’s war goals in Gaza.
“We must continue to stand together and fight together to achieve all our war objectives: the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages, and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said at the outset of a regular cabinet meeting.
Israel’s Channel 12 cited an official from his office as saying Netanyahu was leaning toward expanding the offensive and seizing the entire Palestinian enclave. The security cabinet is expected to meet on Tuesday to decide on the next steps.
STARVATION DEATHS MOUNT
Gaza’s health ministry reported five additional deaths from starvation or malnutrition in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 180 since the conflict began, including 93 children.
UN agencies warn that air drops are insufficient to prevent a potential famine and stress that Israel must accelerate land access for aid.
Israel’s military agency COGAT said over the past week, more than 23,000 tonnes of aid in 1,200 trucks entered Gaza, though hundreds of those trucks remain undelivered due to logistical and security issues faced by UN and international partners.
Later on Monday, Israel’s military reported that 120 food aid packages were dropped into Gaza “over the past few hours” by six different countries, in coordination with COGAT.
The Hamas-run Gaza government said more than 600 aid trucks have entered since Israel eased restrictions in late July. However, many have reportedly been looted by desperate civilians and armed groups, according to witnesses and Hamas sources.
Palestinian and UN officials estimate Gaza needs around 600 trucks of aid per day, matching pre-war levels, to meet basic humanitarian needs.
The war began on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Gaza’s health authorities say more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent offensive. Health officials in Gaza do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants in their casualty figures.
Israel says 50 hostages remain in Gaza, though only 20 are believed to still be alive.
