26 Gaza aid-seekers killed as Netanyahu faces growing criticism over war

At least 26 Palestinians were killed while trying to access humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip hospital sources and eyewitnesses said on Sunday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came under increasing domestic and international pressure for his decision to expand military operations in the territoryNetanyahu is expected to address both foreign and local media in a press conference later on Sunday amid rising global criticism reported AP His statement will precede an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss Israelrsquos plan to take control of Gaza CityHospital authorities reported receiving bodies from several locations across Gaza where Palestinians had gathered in search of aid mdash either along convoy routes or at privately operated distribution pointsAmong the victims were 10 people killed near the recently constructed Morag corridor which links the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis according to Nasser HospitalAnother six people lost their lives while waiting for food supplies near the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza the Gaza Health Ministry said Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also received the casualties reported APIn central Gaza eyewitnesses said they heard warning shots before live fire broke out at a crowd attempting to reach a food distribution centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation GHF AP said it could not independently verify who opened fire The Awda Hospital in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp reported that four people were killed by Israeli gunfireFirst it was in the air then they started to fire at the people said Sayed Awda who had been waiting several hundred metres away from the GHF siteNasser Hospital further confirmed that six more people were killed while trying to reach GHF aid centres in Khan Younis and RafahThe United States and Israel had backed the GHF earlier this year as an alternative to the UNadministered aid system However its early operations have been marred by chaos and deaths with aidseekers reportedly coming under fire along access routesIn response to queries from the Associated Press the GHFrsquos media office said There were no incidents at or near our sites today and these incidents appear to be linked to crowds trying to loot aid convoyIsraelrsquos military also stated that no incidents involving its troops took place near aid sites in central GazaSeparately seven individuals were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sunday local hospitals reported mdash three near the fishermenrsquos port in Gaza City and four including two children in a tent strike in Khan Younis The Israeli military did not immediately respond though it has repeatedly alleged that Hamas operates from civilian locationsHungerrelated deaths rise toll among children touches 100Israelrsquos ongoing air and ground assault has displaced a majority of Gazarsquos population and pushed the region towards famine On Saturday two more Palestinian children reportedly died due to malnutritionrelated complications taking the child death toll from hunger to 100 since the conflict beganThe Health Ministry said 117 adults have also died from malnutritionrelated causes since late June when tracking for this age group was initiatedThese hungerrelated fatalities are not included in the ministryrsquos official war death toll which now stands at 61400 The ministry which operates under the Hamasrun government but is staffed by medical professionals does not differentiate between civilians and militants but has stated that nearly half of those killed have been women and childrenThe United Nations and several independent observers consider the Gaza Health Ministry the most reliable source for casualty data in the ongoing conflictLabour strike call in Israel over planned Gaza City offensiveThe Israeli governments plan to expand its military operation into Gaza City has sparked significant outrage both internationally and within Israel itself Families of hostages still held in Gaza have urged businesses and institutions to observe a general strike next weekOn Saturday night tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv with local media describing it as one of the largest antigovernment demonstrations in recent timesFamily members and supporters believe that escalating the war will further endanger the lives of the hostages Of the 251 people abducted during the Hamasled attack on 7 October 2023 around 50 are still believed to be in Gaza with 20 presumed to be aliveLishay MiranLavi whose husband Omri is among the hostages issued a direct appeal to former US President Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff to interveneThe decision to send the army deeper into Gaza is a danger to my husband Omri But we can still stop this disaster she saidIsraeli Defence Minister visits West Bank amid unrestMeanwhile on Sunday Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz visited the northern West Bank where Israeli military operations have intensified in recent monthsHe said that the military would remain stationed in refugee camps across the region until at least the end of the yearNearly 40000 Palestinians have been displaced from the West Bank this year marking the largest such movement since Israel captured the territory in 1967 Israeli officials claim the operations are aimed at rooting out militancy Violence involving both Israelis and Palestinians has escalated sharply since the October 7 attackKatz said the number of warnings of potential attacks in the West Bank had decreased by 80 per cent since the military campaign began in JanuaryWith AP inputs