Israel kills 71 including 36 starving Palestinians near aid distribution center in southern Gaza

At least 71 Palestinians were killed and several others injured across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, including 36 aid seekers who were shot by Israeli forces while waiting for assistance in the southern city of Rafah, according to medical sources.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that more than 70 people were injured when the Israeli army targeted Palestinians gathered near an aid distribution center affiliated with an American-Israeli company, who were seeking food as humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate.

The Israeli army fired a volley of live ammunition at the crowd, resulting in a high number of casualties, the agency said.

Nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid at sites mostly associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American organization backed by Israel, according to UN figures.

The group started operating in Gaza in late May, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs, but has been criticized by Palestinians and international groups for the high numbers of casualties linked to its operations.

Separately, 11 Palestinians were killed and others injured when an Israeli drone targeted a residential apartment in the southern part of the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Three more Palestinians were killed and others wounded when Israeli forces shelled two civilian gatherings in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.

Five Palestinians were also killed in two Israeli airstrikes on central and northern Gaza City.

In another attack in the southern city of Khan Younis, Israeli airstrikes hit tents sheltering displaced families, killing two people.

Five more Palestinians were also killed in separate Israeli airstrikes targeting Gaza City and Khan Younis.

In northern Gaza, Israeli airstrikes targeted tents near a UN school in eastern Gaza City, killing seven Palestinians and injuring 17.

Two others were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a crowd in the town of Jabalia in northern Gaza.

A number of civilians were also wounded when Israeli forces bombed a residential apartment near the Al-Shifa Medical Complex.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 59,000 Palestinians so far, most of them women and children.

The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.