Israeli Strikes and Gunfire Kill 26 in Gaza, Says Agency

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that 26 people were killed on Tuesday in Israeli air strikes and gunfire, including 14 who had been waiting near an aid distribution site.

According to civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal, eight people died when Israeli forces opened fire on those waiting for aid near the southern city of Khan Yunis. Another six were killed and 21 wounded in central Gaza while waiting for food near a distribution centre.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incidents. Restrictions on media access in Gaza mean casualty figures and details could not be independently verified.

Thousands of Palestinians gather daily at food distribution points across the territory, including facilities operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. These efforts have frequently been disrupted by chaotic scenes and reports of Israeli forces firing on crowds.

Israel’s blockade on goods and aid since the start of the conflict nearly 22 months ago has caused severe shortages of food, medicine, medical supplies, and fuel for hospital generators.

Bassal said five people were also killed overnight in an air strike on a tent in Al-Mawasi, a southern coastal area previously designated by Israeli authorities as a safe zone.

“It’s said to be a green zone and safe, but it’s not. They also say that aid distribution is safe, but people die while collecting it,” said resident Adham Younes, who lost a relative in the strike.

“There’s no safety in Gaza. Everyone is exposed to death and injury,” said the 30-year-old.

Another witness, Mahmud Younes, described the aftermath: “We found women screaming, covered in blood. The entire family was injured.”

According to the civil defence agency, six more people were killed in a strike near Gaza City and one in another strike near Khan Yunis.

Meanwhile, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, claimed responsibility for shelling an Israeli command-and-control centre in the Morag Axis, an Israeli-controlled corridor in southern Gaza.