Netanyahu says Israel killed senior Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel killed senior Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, apparently confirming his death in a recent airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Speaking before parliament, Netanyahu included Sinwar in a list of Hamas leaders killed in Israeli strikes.

Mohammed is the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader and one of the masterminds of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, who was killed by Israeli forces last year.

 At least one Palestinian was killed and 48 others wounded when a crowd was fired upon while overrunning a new aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip set up by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation, Gaza's Health Ministry said Wednesday.

Crowds of Palestinians on Tuesday broke through fences around the distribution site where thousands had massed. An Associated Press journalist heard Israeli tank and gun fire, and saw a military helicopter firing flares.

It was not yet known whether the death and injuries were caused by Israeli forces, private contractors or others. The foundation said its military contractors had not fired on the crowd but "fell back” before resuming aid operations. Israel said its troops nearby had fired warning shots.

In a separate development, Israel carried out airstrikes Wednesday on the international airport in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, destroying the last plane belonging to the country's flagship carrier. The strikes came after Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired several missiles at Israel in recent days, without causing casualties.

The Israeli military said it destroyed aircraft used by the rebels. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded in the strikes.

The distribution hub outside Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah was opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations.

The U.N. and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new system, saying it won’t be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food to control the population. They have also warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and people seeking supplies.

Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli border closures pushed Gaza to the brink of famine.

"What we saw yesterday is a very clear example of the dangers of distributing food under (these) circumstances,” Ajith Sunghay, head of the U.N. Human Rights Office for the Palestinian territories, told reporters in Geneva. He said the new system is "exposing people to death and injury when they have faced 19 months of this brutal war.”

Associated Press