31 more Palestinians killed by Israel fire near aid centre

The Gaza civil defence agency said 31 people were killed and "about 200" wounded Wednesday when Israeli troops fired on people waiting to enter a food distribution centre.

"We transported at least 31 martyrs and about 200 wounded as a result of Israeli tank and drone fire on thousands of citizens... on their way to receive food from the American aid centre," civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told the media. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Earlier, Palestinians desperately trying to access aid in Gaza came under fire again on Tuesday, killing 36 people and wounding 207, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

At least 163 people have been killed and 1,495 wounded in a number of shootings near aid sites run by the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

In southern Gaza, at least eight people were killed while trying to obtain aid around Rafah, according to Nasser Hospital.

In northern Gaza, two men and a child were killed and at least 130 were wounded on Tuesday, according to Nader Garghoun, a spokesperson for the Al Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. He said most were being treated for gunshot wounds.

Additionally, three Palestinian medics were killed in an Israeli strike Tuesday in Gaza City, according to the health ministry.

Mohammed Abu Hussein, a resident of the nearby built-up Bureij refugee camp, said Israeli drones and tanks opened fire, and that he saw five people wounded by gunshots.

Abed Haniyah, another witness, said Israeli forces opened fire “indiscriminately” as thousands of people were attempting to reach the food site.

“What happens every day is humiliation,” he said. “Every day, people are killed just trying to get food for their children.”

NABLUS VIOLENCE: At least two Palestinians were killed on Tuesday as Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry and the Israeli army said.

The Palestinian health ministry said authorities had been informed by Israel of the deaths of Nidal Amira, 40, and Khaled Amira, 35. It did not specify whether the two were related.

A journalist said dozens of military vehicles entered Nablus’s historic centre shortly after midnight (2100 GMT Monday).

A curfew had been announced over loudspeakers the day before.

At a major square outside the old city, young men and boys gathered on Tuesday to burn tyres.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said that during the Israeli raid, at least three people were injured from bullet shrapnel, four from “physical assault”, and dozens more from tear gas inhalation.

It added that ambulances were blocked from entering the old city, obstructing the work of medical teams.

The northern West Bank, where Nablus is located, has been the target of a major Israeli offensive since late January.

Agencies