Algeria Retrieves Bodies of African Migrants after Boat Capsizes

An African migrant sits beside tents at a makeshift camp set up under the bridge of a motorway on the outskirts of Algiers, Algeria June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
An African migrant sits beside tents at a makeshift camp set up under the bridge of a motorway on the outskirts of Algiers, Algeria June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
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Algeria Retrieves Bodies of African Migrants after Boat Capsizes

An African migrant sits beside tents at a makeshift camp set up under the bridge of a motorway on the outskirts of Algiers, Algeria June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
An African migrant sits beside tents at a makeshift camp set up under the bridge of a motorway on the outskirts of Algiers, Algeria June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

Algerian authorities have retrieved the bodies of seven African migrants whose boat capsized offshore, Ennahar TV reported on Monday.

It said six more migrants had been transferred to hospital for treatment.

Attempts by migrants to reach Europe from the North African coastline tend to increase in spring and summer, due to the lower risk of stormy seas.

Tunisia and Libya are principal departure points and Italy a favored destination.



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Attacks Kill 26 Near Two Aid Centers

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Attacks Kill 26 Near Two Aid Centers

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Gaza's civil defense agency on Saturday said Israeli attacks killed 26 people and wounded more than 100 near two aid centers in the south of the Palestinian territory.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that 22 were killed near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and four near another center northwest of Rafah, blaming "Israeli gunfire" for both.

One eyewitness said he headed to the Al-Tina area of Khan Yunis before dawn with five of his relatives to try to get food when "Israeli soldiers" started shooting.

"My relatives and I were unable to get anything," Abdul Aziz Abed, 37, told AFP.

"Every day I go there and all we get is bullets and exhaustion instead of food."

The Israeli military said it was "looking into" the claims when contacted by AFP.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties.

The war in Gaza, sparked by militant group Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has created dire humanitarian conditions for the local population.

The more than two million people who live in the densely populated coastal territory are facing severe shortages of food and other essentials, and doctors have reported a spike in acute malnutrition.

Deaths of people waiting for handouts in huge crowds near aid distribution centers have become a regular occurrence, with the Palestinian authorities blaming Israeli fire.

The civil defense agency reported that nine people were shot and killed near the same aid point in the Al-Shakoush area northwest of Rafah on Friday.

The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which took over the running of aid distribution in late May, said 20 people died in Khan Yunis on Wednesday.

But it blamed "agitators in the crowd... armed and affiliated with Hamas" for creating "a chaotic and dangerous surge" and firing at aid-seekers.

The previous day, the UN said it had recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food, including 674 "in the vicinity of GHF sites", since it began operating.