Israeli forces killed at least 11 Palestinians, including three children, on Saturday morning in attacks targeting civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza, according to medical sources.
The incidents occurred at distribution sites controlled by the Israeli army.
In one attack, three children were killed in a strike on Al-Mansoura Street in the Shejaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, with one other child critically injured.
In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital received five fatalities and 15 injuries, including four critical cases, after Israeli forces struck civilians south of the Wadi Gaza area.
Additionally, three Palestinians were shot dead near an aid distribution point west of Rafah in southern Gaza, highlighting the dangers faced by those seeking aid.
Since May 7, Israel has distributed limited aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), bypassing UN and international relief organizations.
The GHF, backed by Israel and the US but rejected by the UN, aims to replace 400 existing aid points with four to ten so-called “secure sites.”
Palestinians must travel long distances, often through combat zones, and pass biometric checkpoints to access these sites, receiving rations of 1,750 calories daily—75% of the minimum needed to avoid malnutrition.
These rations, consisting of dry goods, lack clean water or fuel for cooking, rendering them inadequate for sustaining life.
The GHF has been criticized as a mechanism that incorporates aid into Israel’s military strategy, with biometric checkpoints doubling as intelligence-gathering tools.
The attacks on aid seekers are part of Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, which has killed over 55,700 Palestinians since October 2023, mostly women and children.
Northern Gaza faced heavy artillery shelling in the Bureij refugee camp, while airstrikes hit Jabalia, and naval fire targeted fishing boats in Khan Younis.
Israel faces accusations of war crimes, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated, “The real problem is Israel,” condemning its actions as genocide.
The GHF’s approach has raised concerns about forced displacement, with critics arguing it uses starvation as a tool of statecraft.