GAZA: The civil defense agency of the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday said that 31 Palestinian aid seekers were among at least 60 people killed by Israeli forces, the latest in a string of deadly incidents near aid distribution sites.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza Strip and 26 others near a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, an Israeli-controlled strip of land that bisects the Palestinian territory.
Al Jazeera Arabic, citing a source at al-Awda Hospital in Deir el-Balah, now reports that 23 people have been killed in an Israeli attack on aid seekers near the Netzarim Corridor, Al Jazeera reports.
Israeli forces had opened fire on aid seekers in central Gaza, killing at least 22 people and injuring more, Al Jazeera reported earlier.
Al Jazeera sources in Gaza now report that a total of 34 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the besieged enclave in the hours since midnight local time (2am PKT).
Israeli forces turn Palestinian buildings in West Bank into military barracks
The Israeli military has stormed the occupied West Bank towns of Arura and Abwein, as well as the Nubani farms in Ramallah, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Palestinian Information Centre.
Israeli forces have carried out an arrest campaign in the towns, while they’ve also raided Palestinian buildings, evicted the owners, and turned them into military barracks, according to the outlet.
Gaza faces a man-made drought: Unicef
Gaza is facing a man-made drought as its water systems collapse, according to a statement from UNICEF, Reuters reports.
“Children will begin to die of thirst … Just 40 percent of drinking water production facilities remain functional,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said that more Palestinians in Gaza have been forced out of their homes since October 2023 than during the Nakba.
“In 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their towns and villages,” said UNRWA in a statement on X. It added that since October 2023, 1.9 million have been forced to flee their homes.
“77 years later, Palestinians continue to be forcibly displaced,” it concluded.
UK defence minister orders security review after pro-Palestine protest at base
John Healey has said he has ordered an investigation after pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force (RAF) base and damaged two military aircraft, Al Jazeera reports.
“The vandalism of RAF planes is totally unacceptable,” the British defense minister said in a social media post, following the action at the Brize Norton base.
Healey also said he had ordered a review of wider security at bases following the incident, adding he was “really disturbed that this happened.”
“This [protest] does nothing to support Gaza or our push for peace and stability in the Middle East,” he said.
