Gaza conflict death toll rises to 57,130
At least 118 Palestinians have been killed and 581 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, Al Jazeera reports, citing the enclave’s health ministry.
That includes 12 people killed and 49 injured at the US and Israeli-backed aid centres, it added, raising the total number of aid seekers killed to 652. More than 4,537 others have been injured since the new mechanism came into force on May 27, the ministry said.
Israel’s military campaign on Gaza has killed 57,130 Palestinians and injured 135,173 others since October 7, 2023, the statement published on Telegram said.
Gaza death toll from today rises to 69: civil defence
Gaza’s civil defence agency said the number of people killed by Israeli forces rose to 69, updating a previous toll of 25.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 69 people were killed by Israeli strikes, artillery or gunfire across the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, including 38 people waiting for humanitarian aid.
‘Is it fair that all these children burned?’ asks witness of Gaza shelter strike
After at least 17 people were killed in an Israeli strike at a school in Gaza City, a witness described the horror faced by those sheltering there.
“Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning. We don’t know what happened,” Wafaa Al-Arqan, who was among the people sheltering there, told Reuters.
“What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?”
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation denies report on irresponsible practices
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has denied a report by The Associated Press news agency that found that US contractors at the group’s aid distribution centres have used bullets and other weapons against Palestinians seeking food, Al Jazeera reports.
“GHF launched an immediate investigation when The Associated Press first brought these allegations to our attention. Based on time-stamped video footage and sworn witness statements, we have concluded that the claims in the AP’s story are categorically false,” the organisation said in a statement.
“At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site. The gunfire heard in the video was confirmed to have originated from the [Israeli army], who was outside the immediate vicinity of the GHF distribution site. It was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured.”
Israeli minister says ‘definitely readiness’ to advance Gaza hostage-truce deal
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who sits on Netanyahu’s security cabinet, has told news website Ynet that there was “definitely readiness to advance” a hostage-ceasefire deal for Gaza.
“A window of opportunity has emerged after the war with Iran, and we definitely feel the pressure that the US is putting on the mediators, but from experience — it’s difficult to estimate the exact timing for a deal.”
A senior Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Reuters that preparations were in place to approve a ceasefire deal even as the premier heads to Washington to meet Trump on Monday.
Amnesty says Israel using starvation as ‘method of warfare’ against Palestinians
Amnesty International has criticised Israel over its food aid distribution scheme in Gaza, urging “unfettered, safe, and dignified access to humanitarian aid throughout Gaza immediately”.
In a post on X, Amnesty said, “Israel’s genocide in Gaza is continuing unabated.”
“Over a month since the introduction of its militarised aid distribution system, the catastrophic suffering continues, and Israel continues to use starvation of civilians as a method of warfare against Palestinians in Gaza and to deliberately impose conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction.”