Gaza: 85 Palestinians seeking aid killed allegedly by Israeli forces

At least 85 Palestinians seeking aid were killed in Gaza on Sunday after Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on them, the Associated Press reported.

The largest toll was reported from the northern part of the besieged Palestinian enclave, where at least 79 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel, Zaher al-Waheidi, an official from Gaza’s health ministry told the news agency.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme said that 25 trucks with aid for “starving communities” had entered through the crossing when it encountered massive crowds. “As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire,” it said on X.

An unidentified United Nations official also told AP that Israeli forces opened fire towards crowds who tried to take food from the convoy.

The World Food Programme said that it was concerned and saddened by the killings.

“These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation,” it added. “This terrible incident underscores the increasingly dangerous conditions under which humanitarian operations are forced to be conducted in Gaza.”

The killing also came despite assurances from Israeli authorities that humanitarian operational conditions would improve, including that armed forces will not be present nor...

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