Israeli troops kill dozens in Gaza as aid seekers gunned down again

Israeli forces killed at least 43 Palestinians in Gaza on Monday morning, most of whom were attempting to seek aid from the controversial Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Medics said 26 aid seekers were killed by Israeli artillery and drones in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. A local correspondent reported that more than 200 others were injured.

The Israeli military and the GHF did not provide immediate comment.

On Sunday, troops killed at least five people and wounded dozens of others at two GHF aid sites at the Netzarim corridor and Rafah on Sunday, medics at the Al-Awda hospital said.

In total, at least 41 people were killed in Gaza on Sunday, with several dozen dying in a series of airstrikes across the strip.

The Israeli military has been killing civilians at GHF sites on almost a daily basis since the organisation began operations on 27 May.

At least 300 people have been shot dead and 2,649 injured over the past three weeks, the Gaza government media office said on Sunday.

The GHF is an Israel and US-backed NGO established earlier this year to circumvent the existing UN-led humanitarian effort in Gaza.

The UN and aid agencies have refused to cooperate with the organisation, accusing it of helping Israel achieve its military objectives and further displacing the Palestinian population.

"Scores of people have been killed & injured in the past days including of starving people trying to get some food from a lethal distribution system," the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, wrote on social media on Monday.

Israel imposed an 11-week siege on Gaza from March, creating starvation conditions across much of the territory. It began allowing small quantities of aid last month following international pressure.

The Israeli government said Sunday it had allowed 292 aid trucks to enter the strip last week. This is far below the 500-600 trucks per day that aid agencies say is needed to arrest Gaza's hunger crisis.

"Restrictions on bringing in aid from the UN, including UNRWA, continue despite an abundance of assistance ready to be moved into Gaza," Lazzarini said.

Severe shortages of fuel, which Israel continues to block from entering the territory, are preventing agencies from delivering critical services, he added.

The Israeli military has killed at least 55,362 people and injured more than 128,700 others since launching its war on Gaza in October 2023. Thousands more are thought to be buried under the rubble.

Its offensive has decimated most population centres, leaving most of the territory unhabitable for its 2.2 million residents.