Dead and wounded in an Israeli attack on citizens waiting for relief aid in Gaza

Tragedy in Touam and Beit Lahia: Israeli Forces Target Gaza Civilians

Seven Palestinians were killed and dozens injured on Sunday morning, following artillery shelling by Israeli occupation forces targeting residents in Gaza's Touam and Beit Lahia areas, northwest of the city, as they awaited humanitarian aid.

Medical sources at Al-Shifa Hospital reported several injuries, some critical, due to the shelling which struck gatherings of civilians attempting to receive food aid.

Local sources confirmed that the occupation forces launched artillery shells at civilians in the Touam area, while Beit Lahia witnessed similar attacks, leading to casualties among the dead and injured.

Eyewitnesses indicated that the shelling caused panic among displaced residents who are already suffering from acute food shortages due to the blockade imposed on the strip.

The governmental media office in Gaza stated that these attacks are part of a systematic policy by the occupation to target civilians, especially while waiting for aid, accusing US-backed relief organizations of complicity in these operations by setting up "humiliation barriers" that endanger civilian lives.

It added that the death toll since the beginning of the aggression in October 2023 has exceeded 55,000, with over 127,000 injured.

The Israeli military has not released an official comment on the incident, but it continues its military operations in the northern strip, claiming to target "terror sites."

These attacks occur amid escalating regional tensions, with rising provocations between Israel and Iran, exacerbating the suffering of Gaza's residents.

International humanitarian organizations have called for an immediate cessation of the shelling on civilians and for easing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the strip, warning of an escalating humanitarian catastrophe due to the ongoing blockade and shelling.