At least 42 people were killed in Israeli attacks through Gaza against Eid-Al-Adha, Tel Aviv Tribune told Tel Aviv Tribune, while the United States group distributing aid in Palestinian territory said that all of its centers had been closed until further notice.
Friday, the corpses of 16 people arrived at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, the local health authorities announced, while 16 others were brought to Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, five to Al-Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza City, and five others at the Al-Aqsa Martyrrs hospital in Deir El-Balah.
“This is what Eid here in Gaza looks like,” said Tareq Abu-Azoum d’Tel Aviv Tribune, postponing Deir El-Balah on the first day of the Holy Muslim Saint Festival generally marked by joy. This year, the day “is a very dark reminder of what they have lost and how they are forced to face unimaginable circumstances” in the middle of bombing, displacement and loss, he added.
Meanwhile, a journalist who was injured in an Israeli strike at AHLI hospital succumbed to their injuries Thursday, increasing the number of journalists killed in Gaza since the start of the war at 226, the government office of the Gaza government said on Friday.
The office called “all journalistic organizations in all countries in the world to condemn these systematic crimes against Palestinian journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip”.
“We also call them to exert serious and effective pressure to stop the crime of genocide, protect journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip and stop their murder,” he added.
Friday, separately in Gaza, four Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in Khan Younis when a trapped building in which they were exploded, according to a preliminary investigation of the Israeli army quoted by the local media. This leads to the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the week in Gaza in Eight, Hamdah Salhut of Tel Aviv Tribune of Amman reported.
Help sites remain closed
The deaths of Friday come when the group supported by the United States responsible for distributing aid to Gaza declared that its hubs would remain closed until further notice, despite an increasing crisis of hunger in the territory.
Aid agencies have warned that all residents of Gaza face the threat of famine after Israel imposed a severe blockage in the territory in March, blocking the entry of food, medicines and fuel. In the midst of international pressure, Israel allowed help to enter Gaza last month, but the aid groups warned that the amounts are inadequate.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group previously unknown that oversees the help distribution effort, advised people to stay away from aid distribution centers “for their safety”.
GHF, which started to distribute help from help last week, said in an article on Facebook on Friday that details on reopening would be announced later.
The operations of the group’s distribution centers were interrupted earlier this week after several incidents of fatal violence near the sites, in which the Israeli forces opened fire on the Palestinian aid seekers. Only two sites distributed help on Thursday.
On Sunday, thousands of people went to the hour distribution site before dawn. As approaching, the Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later. When the crowd reached the flag roundabout, 1 km (0.6 mile), around 3 am, Israeli forces opened fire, witnesses said.
“There was fire of all directions, naval warships, tanks and drones,” said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd.
Goher Rahbour, a surgeon working in Khan Younis de Gaza, told Tel Aviv Tribune that the bullets extracted from the victims of the shooting center on Sunday came from M16 assault cannons, in accordance with those used by the Israeli army.
“I operated on two patients and we removed the M16 bullets from abdominal injuries,” Rahbour told Tel Aviv Tribune. “When I spoke to these patients, they were very clear to say that they came from Israeli forces.”
The surgeon also said that hospitals worked with little or no resources. “There is a lack of everything-antibiotics, swallows, surgical instruments,” he said.
The GHF approach was fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations.
The GHF says that private security entrepreneurs keeping its sites did not shoot the crowd.
The Israeli army admitted to having shot warning on previous occasions.
The War of Israel against Gaza killed at least 54,677 Palestinians and injured 125,530, the Ministry of Health of Gaza announced on Thursday.
It is estimated that 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the attacks led by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and more than 200 were taken in captivity.
Thursday, the mediators of Qatar and Egypt announced a renewal of efforts to conclude a cease-fire agreement based on a proposal supported by the United States for a 60-day truce and the entry of humanitarian aid.
Previous efforts of ceasefire have however been broken down several times on the rejection by Israel of key terms.
During the last cycles of negotiations, Israel resumed the commitments linked to a permanent judgment to the war and to a complete withdrawal of its Gaza troops.