Israeli attacks kill 100 Gazans waiting for aid in a week, media office says

GAZA CITY, Palestine

More than 100 people were killed and dozens injured in Israeli attacks on Palestinians collecting humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip in the last week, the government media office said on Wednesday.

“The Israeli occupation seeks to perpetuate the policy of starvation and deepen famine in Gaza despite warnings of international organizations and institutions,” the media office said in a statement.

It warned that the Israeli attacks on hungry Palestinians aim to spread chaos and insecurity in the blockaded enclave.

At least 23 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday when Israeli fighter jets struck a gathering of people facilitating the transportation of aid at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City.

And on Monday, Israeli forces killed Brigadier General Fayeq al-Mabhouh, the head of police operations in Gaza, during a raid on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Al-Mabhouh was responsible for coordinating the entry of humanitarian aid with Palestinian tribes and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) into the northern Gaza Strip, according to the government media office.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

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

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar