Israeli forces kill 34 Palestinians as bodies pile up in Gaza hospitals

Israeli forces killed at least 34 Palestinians in Gaza early on Friday in two separate attacks, medical sources have said, with the bodies of the victims overwhelming nearby hospitals.

The first attack targeted the Al-Shuhada junction, located north of the Nuseirat refugee camp, where scores of Palestinians had gathered to wait for urgent humanitarian aid.

Israeli forces proceeded to open fire and shell the location, with the al-Awda Hospital later reporting they received the bodies of at least 23 victims as well as dozens of other wounded civilians, many of whom were in critical condition.

A separate attack saw Israeli forces bombard an area west of Deir Al-Balah, killing at least 11 people whose bodies were later transferred to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

A young Palestinian man, identified as Karam Muhammed Al-Najjar, succumbed to his wounds after being targeted in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis.

In north Gaza’s Jabalia, the Israeli military intensified its destruction of homes, The New Arab’s sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported.

The latest developments come just a day after Israeli forces killed over 80 Palestinians in airstrikes across the strip, 16 of whom were killed while waiting for aid at the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza. Another 14 people, including two children, were killed in a strike on a residential block in the north of the enclave.

Gaza’s Civil Defence crews accused Israel of taking advantage of the world's focus on the Iran conflict to intensify attacks on Gaza with no accountability or criticism.

"Israel is practicing a policy of executing civilians in broad daylight. There’s no distinction between children, women or elderly people. Anyone who tries to survive becomes a target," one civil defence volunteer told Haaretz.

Raids on West Bank cities

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces launched a series of early morning raids on several villages around Ramallah, the Wafa news agency reported, citing Palestinian security sources.

Israeli forces stormed the towns of Abwein, Arura, and Mazra'a Al-Nubani to the northwest of Ramallah, as well as Deir Dibwan, with soldiers forcing their way into homes, interrogating families, and violently searching the contents of the homes.

In the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, Israeli settlers excavated land and uprooted centuries-old olive trees for the third consecutive day, some said to date back to Roman times.

Israeli settlers also this week established a new illegal outpost on Jabal al-Tall, south of Sinjil, following a military order issued last year which paved the way for the seizure of additional Palestinian land.

In Tubas, Israeli forces continued their incursions for a second day, with eyewitnesses and local sources reporting that Israeli infantry and sniper units remain heavily deployed across the city. They noted that assaults are being carried out regularly under intense surveillance, and military drones are constantly overhead.

Earlier this week, Israeli NGOs IR Amim and Bimkom said: "Since the launch of Israel’s military operation in Iran, the authorities have implemented sweeping, heavy-handed measures reminiscent of the aggressive policing that followed 7 October."

"These actions have severely disrupted daily life, curtailed freedom of worship, and violated the fundamental rights of Palestinian residents in the city," they continued.

Since Israel launched its war on Gaza, at least 61,700 Palestinians have been killed. The war has plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis and levelled entire neighbourhoods.