Israeli fire again kills Gaza aid-seekers as US envoy meets with hostages’ families

DEIR AL-BALAH Gaza Strip AP Israeli forces opened fire near two aid distribution sites run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as crowds of hungry Palestinians again sought food killing at least people spectators and physical condition workers commented Saturday The violence came a day after U S executives visited a GHF site and the U S ambassador called the troubled system an incredible feat Another people were shot dead as they crowded near the Zikim bridging from Israel in the hope of obtaining aid declared Fares Awad head of the Gaza soundness ministry s ambulance and crisis facility Nearly a week has passed since Israel under international pressure amid growing scenes of starving children informed limited humanitarian pauses and airdrops meant to get more food to Gaza s over million people They now largely rely on aid after almost months of war But the United Nations partners and Palestinians say far too little aid is coming in with months of supplies piled up outside Gaza waiting for Israeli approval Trucks that enter are mostly stripped of supplies by desperate people and criminal groups before reaching warehouses for distribution Experts this week stated a worst-case scenario of famine was occurring On Saturday Gaza s soundness ministry announced seven Palestinians had died of malnutrition-related causes over the past hours including a child Aid is far from sufficient Germany s leadership announced via spokesman Stefan Kornelius The U N has reported to trucks of aid are needed daily Families of the hostages still in Gaza fear they are going hungry too and blame Hamas after the militants issued images of an emaciated hostage Evyatar David The humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza meant to alleviate suffering must reach Evyatar Guy and all the other hostages too David s brother Illay narrated a large rally in Tel Aviv More deaths near U S -supported GHF sites Near the northernmost GHF distribution site near the Netzarim corridor Yahia Youssef who had come to seek aid described a grimly familiar scene After helping carry three people wounded by gunshots he revealed he saw others on the ground bleeding It s the same daily episode Youssef revealed Strength workers revealed at least eight people were killed Israel s military declared it fired warning shots at a gathering approaching its forces At least two people were killed in the Shakoush area hundreds of meters yards from where the GHF operates in the southernmost city of Rafah viewers announced Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received two bodies and a large number of injured Witness Mohamed Abu Taha declared Israeli troops opened fire toward the crowds He saw three people two men and a woman shot as he fled Israel s military stated it was not aware of any fire by its forces in the area The GHF reported nothing happened near its sites GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding Israel s military on Friday disclosed it was working to make the routes under its control safer The GHF backed by millions of dollars in U S advocacy launched in May as Israel sought an alternative to the U N -run system which had safely delivered aid for much of the war but was accused by Israel of allowing Hamas to siphon off supplies Israel has not offered evidence for that claim and the U N has denied it From May to July people were killed near GHF sites according to a U N summary Thursday Hundreds more have been killed along the routes of U N -led food convoys Hamas-led police once guarded those convoys but Israeli fire targeted the officers Israel and GHF have claimed the toll has been exaggerated Airdrops by a Jordan-led coalition which is made up of Israel the UAE Egypt France and Germany are another approach though experts say the strategy remains deeply inadequate and even dangerous for people on the ground Let s go back to what works let us do our job Philippe Lazzarini the head of the U N agency for Palestinian refugees wrote on social media calling for more and safer truck deliveries Hostage families push Israel to cut deal U S President Donald Trump s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with hostages families Saturday a week after quitting ceasefire talks blaming Hamas intransigence I didn t hear anything new from him I heard that there was pressure from the Americans to end this operation but we didn t hear anything practical disclosed Michel Illouz father of Israeli hostage Guy Illouz He revealed he solicited Witkoff to set a time frame but got no answers Protesters called on Israel s establishment to make a deal to end the war imploring them to stop this nightmare and bring them out of the tunnels Airstrikes continue Nasser Hospital explained it received five bodies after two Israeli strikes on tents sheltering displaced people in Gaza s south The robustness ministry s ambulance and crisis arrangement noted a strike hit a house between the towns of Zawaida and Deir al-Balah killing two parents and their three children Another strike hit a tent in Khan Younis killing a mother and her daughter Israel s top general Lt Gen Eyal Zamir warned that combat will continue without rest if hostages aren t freed Coming home to ruins The bulk Palestinians are crowded into ever-shrinking areas considered safe I don t know what to do Destruction destruction mentioned Mohamed Qeiqa who returned home to Gaza City and stood amid the neighborhood s collapsed concrete slabs Where will people settle The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct killing around people mostly civilians Israel s retaliatory offensive has killed more than Palestinians according to Gaza s Healthcare Ministry which doesn t distinguish between militants and civilians but says women and children make up over half the dead The ministry operates under the Hamas establishment The U N and other international organizations see it as the the greater part reliable source of statistics on casualties The ministry says children have died from malnutrition-related causes in Gaza since the war began It stated adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June when it started counting adult deaths Metz disclosed from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo AP writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed Follow AP s war coverage at https apnews com hub israel-hamas-war Source