Israeli tank shelling kills 51 people awaiting aid trucks in Gaza, ministry says

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Israeli tanks reportedly fire shells at crowds of desperate Palestinians awaiting aid trucks along the main eastern road in Khan Younis

Israeli tank shellfire killed at least 51 Palestinians on Tuesday, June 17, as they awaited aid trucks in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, the territory’s health ministry said, adding that dozens of others were wounded.

Medics said residents said Israeli tanks fired shells at crowds of desperate Palestinians awaiting aid trucks along the main eastern road in Khan Younis. They said at least 51 people were killed and 200 wounded, with at least 20 of them in critical condition.

There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military on the incident.

Witnesses said Israeli tanks fired at least two shells at thousands of people awaiting aid trucks. Nasser Hospital wards were crowded with casualties, and medical staff had to place some on the ground and in corridors due to the lack of space.

The incident was the latest in nearly daily mass deaths of Palestinians who were seeking aid in past weeks, including near sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Local health officials said at least 23 people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Monday as they approached a GHF aid distribution site in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

The GHF stated in a press release late on Monday that it had distributed more than three million meals at its four distribution sites without incident.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military about Monday’s reports of shootings. In previous incidents, it has occasionally acknowledged troops opening fire near aid sites, while blaming militants for provoking the violence.

Israel has put responsibility for distributing much of the aid it allows into Gaza into the hands of the GHF, which operates sites in areas guarded by Israeli troops.

The United Nations has rejected the plan, saying GHF distribution is inadequate, dangerous and violates humanitarian impartiality principles.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies.

US ally Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, while internally displacing nearly Gaza’s entire population and causing a hunger crisis.

The assault has also triggered accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.

Eye on Iran

The escalation is taking place as Palestinians in the Gaza Strip watch the exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran, which began with Israel launching major strikes on Friday.

Residents of the Gaza Strip have circulated images of wrecked buildings and charred vehicles hit by Iranian missiles in Israeli cities, and some were hopeful the wider conflict could eventually bring peace to their ruined homeland.

“We live these scenes and pain daily. We are very happy that we saw the day when we saw rubble in Tel Aviv, and they are trying to get out from under the rubble and the houses that were destroyed on top of their residents,” said Gaza man Saad Saad.

Others said Iran’s response was greater than many, including Israel, had expected.

“We saw how Iran, despite (showing) a lot of patience on the harm of the Israeli occupation and its frequent attacks and the assassinations carried out on Iranian soil, … it lost patience and the time has come for Iran to teach the Israeli occupation state a lesson,” said another Gaza man, Taysseir Mohaissan.

With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, fears have grown of a regional war dragging in outside powers.

Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Hamas leaders have repeatedly thanked Iran for its military and financial support to the group in its fight against Israel, including during the current war. – Rappler.com