73 Palestinians killed while trying to access aid in Gaza, health ministry says
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The news: 73 Palestinians were killed while trying to access aid stations in Gaza on Sunday, according to the local Health Ministry.
The numbers: The Gaza ministry said that at least 67 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering northern Gaza through the Zikim crossing with Israel on Sunday. Over 150 people were wounded in the incident, with some of them in critical condition.
It is not clear whether the people were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs or both, with witnesses stating that the Israeli military shot at the crowd.
Seven Palestinians were also killed while sheltering in tents in Khan Younis on Sunday.
The context: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that troops had “fired warning shots in order to remove an immediate threat posed to them” after “a gathering of thousands of Gazans was identified in the northern Gaza Strip.”
The IDF told The Times of Israel that it is “aware of the claims of casualties in the area,” but added that “a preliminary examination shows that the reported number of casualties does not align with the existing information.”
The IDF issued an evacuation order for Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Sunday, as it prepares to expand its offensive against Hamas into the densely populated area where it has not yet deployed ground forces. One reason that Israel has not attacked Deir al-Balah to date is because it is one of the locations where some of the hostages (of whom around 20 are still alive) are believed to have been held.
Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas remain stalled, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and allies have said that they will continue the war until Hamas is destroyed and the 50 remaining hostages are released.
The sources: Times of Israel, Politico, Reuters, ABC, Bloomberg
