As the world shifts its focus to the Israel-Iran conflict, Palestinians said they worry they are being forgotten while death and hunger continue in Gaza. In a span of 24 hours during the week of June 16, at least 140 people across the enclave were killed, according to local officials.
Deadly Wednesday
At least 40 of those deaths came from Israeli gunfire and airstrikes on Wednesday, June 18, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Among those reported dead were some killed as they sought food from humanitarian aid trucks.
Health officials said separate airstrikes left more than two dozen people dead near shelters and a refugee camp. Another 14 people were killed when Israeli troops fired on Palestinians waiting for aid trucks from the United Nations.
Before Wednesday’s incidents, the health ministry reported that nearly 400 Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid had been killed and more than 3,000 injured since food deliveries resumed in late May.
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The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported on Tuesday, June 17, that 397 Palestinians, among other people seeking humanitarian aid, had been killed.
IDF response
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded by saying troops repeatedly warned residents that the area was an active combat zone. Despite the warnings, the IDF said, people approached the service members in a way that was seen as a threat.
The IDF said warning shots were fired, but that it was not aware of injuries. In response to the airstrikes, the IDF said it was targeting Hamas’ “military capabilities” and asserted it was taking steps to minimize harm to civilians.
Focus shifts to Iran
Gazans told Reuters that they fear the war with Israel — which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack — will be forgotten due to the fresh conflict with Iran.
“People are being slaughtered in Gaza, day and night, but attention has shifted to the Iran-Israel war,” Adel, a resident of Gaza City, told Reuters through a chat app. “There is little news about Gaza these days.”
He added: “Whoever doesn’t die from Israeli bombs dies from hunger. People risk their lives every day to get food, and they also get killed and their blood smears the sacks of flour they thought they had won.”
UN warns Israel against lethal force
The U.N. human rights office in Gaza on Wednesday, June 18, urged Israel to stop using deadly force near humanitarian aid convoys and food distribution centers.
The U.N. cited “repeated incidents” of Gazans being shot or shelled while waiting for aid. These attacks could be considered war crimes under international statutes, the U.N. said.
“We are horrified at the repeated incidents, continuously reported in recent days across Gaza, and we call for an immediate end to these senseless killings,” the United Nations’ human rights office said in a statement.
Aid distribution in Gaza
As Straight Arrow News previously reported, Israel is now relying on the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which uses private security forces and runs only a handful of aid sites near Israeli troops, after Israel partially lifted a blockade of Gaza.
Israel promised to allow aid to flow into Gaza for a population of more than 2 million people while protecting it from getting into the hands of Hamas militants. Hamas denied stealing aid and accused Israel of weaponizing food as many Gazans face hunger. Israel refuted Hamas’ accusations.
Criticism of aid distribution
The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, criticized the latest aid distribution operations, calling it “a disgrace & stain on our collective consciousness,” in a post on X.
The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) urged Israel on Wednesday to substantially ramp up food distribution in Gaza. The organization said the 9,000 metric tons it donated over the last four weeks inside the enclave is just a “tiny fraction” of what is required to feed Gazans.
“The fear of starvation and desperate need for food is causing large crowds to gather along well-known transport routes, hoping to intercept and access humanitarian supplies while in transit,” the WFP’s statement read.
The WFP added that “any violence resulting in starving people being killed or injured while seeking life-saving assistance is completely unacceptable.”
Monitoring Iran
Gazans, meanwhile, are monitoring Israel’s conflict against Tehran, which supports Hamas.
“We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people,” Shaban Abed, 47, a father from northern Gaza, told Reuters.
“We just hope that a comprehensive solution could be reached to end the war in Gaza, too,” he said. “We are being forgotten.”
