Israeli Strikes Kill 26 in Gaza, Including Civilians at Aid Sites, Says Civil Defense

GAZA CITY: At least 26 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes and gunfire on Tuesday, including 14 people who were waiting near aid distribution points, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.

Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for the civil defense, told AFP that eight people were shot and killed by Israeli forces while waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern city of Khan Yunis. In central Gaza, another six people were reportedly killed and 21 others injured under similar circumstances near a food distribution site.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing reports of the incidents.

Access restrictions and media limitations within the Gaza Strip make it difficult to independently verify the reported casualties and circumstances.

Thousands of Palestinians gather daily at aid distribution centers across Gaza, many of which are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial organization supported by Israel and the United States. These gatherings have frequently turned chaotic, with near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on civilians queuing for food and supplies.

Bassal also reported that five people were killed in an overnight airstrike on a tent in Al-Mawasi, a zone that Israel had previously designated as a “safe area” early in the war.

“It’s said to be a green zone, and it’s safe, but it’s not. They also say that the aid distribution is safe, but people die while obtaining aid,” said Adham Younes, who lost a relative in the Al-Mawasi strike.

“There’s no safety within the Gaza Strip. Everyone is exposed to death; everyone is subject to injury,” added the 30-year-old.

Mahmud Younes, another witness to the strike, said, “We found women screaming; they were covered in blood. The entire family has been injured.”

In addition, six people were reportedly killed in a strike near Gaza City, and another person was killed near Khan Yunis.

The latest casualties come amid an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where Israeli restrictions on the entry of food, fuel, medicine, and other essential goods have persisted since the beginning of the war nearly 22 months ago. Hospitals in the enclave remain heavily reliant on generators to stay operational due to widespread power shortages.

Meanwhile, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for a strike on an Israeli command-and-control center located in the Morag Axis, an Israeli-controlled corridor in southern Gaza.

Tensions remain high across the territory, with both humanitarian conditions and civilian safety continuing to deteriorate amid ongoing military operations.