Israeli forces killed at least 29 Palestinians in Gaza today and ordered new evacuations, local doctors and residents reported, marking further violence shortly after Israel and Iran reached a ceasefire to end a 12-day aerial conflict.
The Israel-Iran agreement, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, sparked hopes among Palestinians for an end to the devastating war in Gaza, which has heavily damaged the region and displaced many residents, with widespread malnutrition reported.
“That’s enough! The whole universe has disappointed us. The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah reached an agreement without Gaza, and now Iran has done the same,” said 62-year-old Adel Farouk from Gaza City.
“We hope Gaza is next,” he told Reuters via a messaging app.
However, the deadly violence continued with little respite.
Marwan Abu Naser from Al-Awda Hospital in Nusairat, central Gaza, reported receiving 19 dead and 146 injured from crowds trying to reach a nearby distribution center for aid supported by the U.S. humanitarian foundation.
Abu Naser told Reuters that the casualties were caused by gunfire.
The Israeli military stated that a gathering was detected overnight near forces operating in the central Netzarim corridor and is investigating reports of casualties.
Response from GHF
In response to a Reuters request for comment, GHF stated via email that it had not heard of any violent incidents near the aid provision site, which it noted was several kilometers south of the Netzarim corridor.
UN aid trucks entering Gaza also use local roads, and in recent days, Palestinians have reported shootings by Israeli forces as they waited on the roadside to receive flour bags from the trucks.
Israel channels much of the aid permitted to Gaza through GHF, which operates a handful of distribution points in areas secured by Israeli forces.
The United Nations criticizes the GHF delivery system as inadequate, dangerous, and a violation of humanitarian neutrality. Israel argues it is necessary to prevent Hamas militants from diverting aid deliveries. The Palestinian Islamist group has denied doing so.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN’s Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, described the new mechanism as “abhorrent” and a “death trap” in remarks to reporters in Berlin on Tuesday.
Separately, 10 more people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Shabra neighborhood of Gaza City, raising Tuesday’s death toll to at least 29, doctors reported.
Israel claims that militants are using residential areas for cover. Hamas refutes this.
Calls for Ceasefire from Gaza Residents
Palestinians expressed a wish that the Israel-Iran ceasefire announced by Trump would have been applied to Gaza.
In addition, the Israeli military dropped leaflets in several areas of northern Gaza, instructing residents to leave their homes and head south, seemingly foreshadowing new Israeli military assaults against Hamas.
“Returning to combat zones poses a danger to your life,” the army announcement stated.
Sources close to Hamas told Reuters that new efforts have been made to resume ceasefire talks with Israel. They indicated that Hamas is open to discussing any proposals that would “end the war and ensure Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.” However, these proposals reflect long-standing terms that Israel has consistently rejected.
Hamas has stated its willingness to release remaining hostages in Gaza based on any agreement to end the war, while Israel insists that the conflict can only conclude if Hamas disarms and dissolves. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.
The war in Gaza was ignited when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and holding 251 hostages, according to Israeli reports.
The subsequent Israeli aerial and ground war in Gaza has resulted in around 56,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the health ministry controlled by Hamas, displacing nearly the entire population of over 2 million and sparking a hunger crisis.
Source: Reuters
