Over 300 Palestinians Killed By Israeli Airstrikes In Last 48 Hours (image-instagram/mahmoudhamda)
Amidst progressing talks of truce, the Israeli military has killed more than 300 Palestinians in just the last 48 hours. According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Israel has committed “26 bloody massacres” in that period. The killing comes amidst Hamas declaring that they were studying a new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, but insisted it is seeking an agreement that would bring an end to Israel’s devastating war.
Including 33 desperate aid seekers at the controversial Israeli and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites, at least 73 have been killed by Israel since dawn on Thursday. As per an Al Jazeera report, 13 people were killed when Israeli forces attacked a tent in al-Mawasi in the south, while 16 were killed and many wounded in an attack on Mustafa Hafez school that sheltered displaced people west of Gaza City.
Read also: Gaza Hospital Chief Marwan al-Sultan, Family Killed In Israeli Strike
According to an eyewitness, one of the displaced Palestinians taking shelter, they woke up to fierce airstrikes that set everything on fire. “Victims were left burning for hours without help. There is no one here to save us,” Ahmed Mansour said.
The Government Media Office statement on Thursday said that Israel attacked in the last 48 hours, targeting civilians in shelters and displacement centres overcrowded with tens of thousands of displaced people.
The US contractors ostensibly guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza have been using live ammunition and stun grenades on crowds of hungry Palestinians, according to accounts and videos obtained by the Associated Press news agency.
Two U.S. contractors, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said they were speaking out because they were troubled by what they saw as unsafe and reckless behaviour. They said many of the security guards hired were not properly trained or checked, carried heavy weapons, and acted as if they had permission to do whatever they wanted.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has called for investigations into the killings and wounding of Palestinians trying to access food through GHF. UNRWA notes that while it operated about 400 sites across the besieged enclave, GHF has set up only four “mega-sites”. Though three in the south and one in central Gaza, there is none in the north where conditions are most severe.
Read also : Hamas Says It Is Considering New Ceasefire Proposal, Calls For End To Gaza War
More than 130 humanitarian organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children, and Amnesty International on Tuesday demanded the immediate closure of the GHF, accusing it of facilitating attacks on starving Palestinians.
The organisations stated that the Israeli forces are “routinely” opening fire on civilians attempting to access food. Ever since its operation in late May, more than 600 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid, and nearly 4,000 have been wounded.
