The Palestinian death toll from the 20-month Israel-Hamas war passed 55,000, the Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday, and hospitals said at least 21 people were killed while on their way to aid distribution sites.
The circumstances of the deaths reported near the sites were not immediately clear. The Israeli army said Wednesday it fired warning shots in central Gaza toward “suspects” that posed a threat to troops.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates the aid distribution sites, said at least five of its local aid workers were killed in an attack that it blamed on Hamas as they headed to one of the centers.
The Gaza Health Ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 55,000 dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing Hamas of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas.
The ministry says 55,104 people have been killed since the start of the war and 127,394 wounded. Many more are believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas that are inaccessible to local medics. The figure did not include Wednesday's deaths.
The Health Ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records. Its tolls from previous conflicts have largely aligned with those of independent experts, though Israel has questioned the ministry’s figures.
Also Wednesday, Israel said forces recovered the remains of two additional hostages held in Gaza. Hamas still hold 53 captives, less than half of them believed to be alive.
Casualties at separate aid hubs, health officials say
Health officials in Gaza said 14 people were killed while on their way to collect aid near the southern city of Rafah. Their bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital said that seven additional people were killed while on their way to an aid distribution site.
The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots before daylight toward people it identified as suspects “who were advancing while posing a threat" in central Gaza. The military had no immediate comment on the reports of casualties in southern Gaza.
Safaa Farmawi said her daughter, Ghazal Eyad, 16, was killed while on her way to collect food in Rafah.
“My daughter and I went to get aid, she came before me, I looked for my daughter but couldn’t find her. People told me your daughter was martyred,” Farmawi told the AP.
Near-daily shootings have erupted as crowds make their way to aid sites run by a newly created aid group rejected by the United Nations. Palestinian witnesses to previous shootings have said Israeli forces fired toward the crowds. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots toward people it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner.
The foundation says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points. It has warned people to stay on the designated routes and recently paused delivery to discuss safety measures with the military.
Foundation says some of its aid workers have been killed
The GHF accused Hamas of attacking a bus carrying two dozen of its Palestinian workers who helped deliver aid. It said in a statement that at least five people died, multiple others were injured and it fears some may have been taken hostage.
It said the attack happened as the team was heading to one of its aid distribution sites in the area west of Khan Younis.
“Our hearts are broken and our thoughts and prayers are with every victim, every family, and every person still unaccounted for,” the statement said.
The AP could not confirm the foundation’s account.
New aid system marred by chaos
The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by chaos and violence, while a longstanding UN-run system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, despite Israel loosening a total blockade it imposed from early March to mid-May.
Experts and human rights workers say hunger is widespread and that the territory of some 2 million Palestinians is at risk of famine if Israel does not fully lift its blockade and halt its military campaign, which it renewed in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas.
Israel says the new aid distribution system is designed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid, but UN agencies and major aid groups say there is no evidence of systematic diversion.
They say the new system violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to control who receives aid and by encouraging more mass displacement as Palestinians seek access to just three operational sites, two of them in the territory’s southernmost city of Rafah, now a mostly uninhabited military zone.
Israel recovers remains of 2 more hostages
Israeli authorities identified one of the hostages recovered as Yair Yaakov who was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and whose body was taken into Gaza. His partner and two children were also taken captive and released in a ceasefire deal early in the war.
The second hostage's identity was not disclosed.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the bodies were retrieved in a “complex” operation without disclosing details. The Israeli military said they were recovered from Khan Younis.
The war began when Hamas-led group killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. More than half the captives have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered the remains of dozens more.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal. It has offered to hand over power to a politically independent Palestinian committee. but has not agreed to disarm.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying that Israel will only agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the return of hostages. He has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.
Netanyahu says Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries. The Palestinians and most of the international community reject such plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion that could violate international law.
