Death toll rises in Gaza as aid-seeking crowds come under fire

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the past two days while trying to access food aid in Gaza, amid a worsening hunger crisis, according to local medics.

On Thursday, medics reported at least 51 people killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes. Among them were 12 Palestinians who tried to approach a site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the central part of the Strip. The incident is the latest in a string of deadly encounters involving civilians seeking food.

The Israeli military said several individuals it described as "suspects" approached its forces near the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza in a way that endangered troops. It said soldiers fired warning shots to deter them and that it was not aware of any injuries at the time.

Elsewhere in Gaza on Thursday, medics reported 39 people killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in the north of the territory. One strike on the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City killed at least 19 people, including women and children. Another strike killed at least 14 people in Jabalia and damaged several homes.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on those attacks.

Gaza's health ministry said hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach GHF distribution sites since late May. The United Nations has criticized the GHF’s delivery system, calling it inadequate, dangerous and a violation of humanitarian impartiality. Israel defends the system as a necessary safeguard against diversion of aid by Hamas, a claim Hamas denies.

GHF said Wednesday it had distributed 3 million meals across three sites in Gaza without incident.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Israel’s ongoing military campaign has since killed nearly 55,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, displaced nearly the entire population of over 2 million, and left much of the territory in humanitarian collapse.