Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli attacks on Sunday killed at least 10 people, including two girls, in the Palestinian territory.
“Five martyrs and dozens of wounded were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis after the (Israeli) occupation forces opened fire on civilians at around 6:00 am”, agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
The civilians had been heading to an aid distribution centre west of Rafah, near a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The United Nations refuses to work with the GHF, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality.
Asked to comment on the latest killings, the Israeli military said it fired on people who “continued advancing in a way that endangered the soldiers” despite warnings. It said the area around the distribution point had been declared an “active combat zone” at night.
“Around 4:30 am, people started gathering in the Al-Alam area of Rafah. After about an hour and a half, hundreds moved toward the site and the army opened fire,” eyewitness Abdallah Nour al-Din told AFP.
Outside the Nasser hospital, where the emergency workers brought the casualties, AFPTV footage showed mourners crying over blood-stained body bags.
“I can’t see you like this,” said Lin al-Daghma by her father’s body, while a man lay over his brother’s corpse.
Reporting by AFP