5 killed as Israeli forces shell aid distribution centre in Gaza

At least five Palestinians were killed and several others were wounded on Wednesday when Israel shelled a humanitarian aid distribution centre in the southern Gaza Strip, according to medical sources in the enclave.

The attack targeted a distribution centre run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, in central Rafah, said witnesses. Medical sources said that some of the wounded are in a serious condition, Anadolu has reported. There was no comment from the Israeli army on the report.

In a separate incident, five people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in Tal Al-Hawa neighbourhood south west of Gaza City.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the 7 October cross-border attack led by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed. Many of those killed were the victims of the Israel Defence Forces, local media have reported.

At least 31,272 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,024 others have been wounded amid mass destruction and shortages of basic necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly the residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation. The Palestinian Health Ministry says that at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza as a result of the Israeli blockade.

The Israeli offensive has pushed 85 per cent of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine. Around 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Moreover, Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

READ: Israel admits killing Palestinian carrying bicycle, not ‘rocket launcher’