JERUSALEM

Families of Israelis held captive by Hamas attempted to block the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to local media.

Israeli police intercepted a march by families of hostages who intended to shut the Kerem Shalom crossing in protest of the delivery of aid shipments to the enclave, Haaretz newspaper reported.

The families demand the release of dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

Nearly 136 Israelis are believed to be held captive by the Palestinian group.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack, killing at least 23,210 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 59,167 others, according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas offensive.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced, while all of them are food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul