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Palestinians flock to the aid center set up by the US and Israeli-led Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation on the Coastal Road in the Sudaniya area to receive a food package. Alamy Stock Photo

Israeli troops kill 11 Palestinians waiting for food, with 19 killed in strikes, Gaza's civil defence says

A spokesman said 11 Palestinians were killed while waiting for food in central Gaza, while an Israeli strike killed a further 19 people.

LAST UPDATE | 18 Jun

THIRTY PALESTINIANS HAVE been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, including 11 who were seeking aid, according to the territory’s civil defence agency.

It comes after 51 people were killed and more than 200 were wounded yesterday while waiting to receive flour from the United Nations near a distribution site in Khan Younis.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded “after the occupation forces opened fire and launched several shells… at thousands of citizens” who had gathered to queue for food in central Gaza.

The civil defence agency said another 19 people were killed in three Israeli strikes today, which it said targeted houses and a tent for displaced people.

When asked for comment by AFP, the Israeli military said it was “looking into” the reports.

Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency.

In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza amid after breaking a ceasefire amid a deadlock in negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May.

Since then, dozens of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach distribution points operated by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since it began operating last month. 

The first deadly incident happened on the morning of 25 May, when 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire, according to the Gaza Civil Defence agency.

The following morning, Israeli forces shot dead three people, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

In a statement on Tuesday, the organisation said that “to date, not a single incident has occurred at or in the surrounding vicinity of GHF sites nor has an incident occurred during our operating hours”.

UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

The UN humanitarian office OCHA said on Monday that its partners “continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity”.

The Gaza Strip has been ravaged by more than 20 months of Israeli siege, bombardment and widespread destruction caused by fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups. 

The health ministry said yesterday that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel violated the ceasefire on 18 March.

The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out in October 2023 has reached 55,493 people, according to the health ministry.

With reporting from © AFP 2025

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