Israeli airstrikes killed 14 people in the Gaza Strip, while a separate incident left 10 more Palestinians dead as they tried to access food in the war-ravaged enclave, hospital officials in Gaza told on Saturday.
Meanwhile, two American aid workers from the Israel-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were wounded in southern Gaza during an attack at a food distribution point. The organization blamed Hamas for the assault but did not provide any evidence to support the claim.
The latest wave of violence comes as U.S.-mediated ceasefire efforts to end the nearly 21-month conflict show signs of progress.
Hamas gave a “positive” response to Washington's latest proposal for a 60-day ceasefire on Friday night but stressed that further negotiations were necessary to settle implementation details.
The group is seeking assurances that the temporary truce would eventually lead to a full cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing for a breakthrough and plans to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week to advance the talks.
Palestinians killed in southern Gaza
Israeli airstrikes targeted tents in the Muwasi area along the southern Mediterranean coast of Gaza, killing seven people, including a Palestinian doctor and his three children, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Additionally, four more people were killed in the town of Bani Suheila in southern Gaza, while three others died in separate airstrikes across Khan Younis. The Israeli military has not yet commented on these incidents.
In a separate development, eight Palestinians were killed near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) food distribution site in the southern city of Rafah, the hospital reported. Another Palestinian was killed near a different GHF site in Rafah. It remains unclear how close the victims were to the aid distribution locations.
GHF denied the killings happened near their sites. Previously the organization has said no one has been shot at its sites, which are guarded by private contractors but can only be accessed by passing Israeli military positions hundreds of meters away.
The army had no immediate comment, but has said it fires warning shots as a crowd-control measure and it only aims at people when its troops are threatened.
One Palestinian was also killed waiting in crowds for aid trucks in eastern Khan Younis, officials at Nasser Hospital said. The United Nations and other international organizations bring in their own supplies of aid. It was unclear to which organization the aid trucks the Palestinians were waiting for belonged to, but the incident did not appear to be connected to GHF operations.
Crowds of Palestinians often wait for trucks and unload or loot their contents before they reach their destinations. These trucks must pass through areas under Israeli military control. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.
Courtesy: AP/UNB
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
