At least 31 Palestinians killed near aid site as airstrikes kill 28 in Gaza

At least 31 Palestinians were fatally shot on Saturday while attempting to reach an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip as Israeli airstrikes simultaneously killed at least 28 Palestinians including four children according to Palestinian hospital officials and witnessesAccording to AP there were no immediate signs of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks following two days of meetings between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Trump had previously indicated he was nearing an agreement between Israel and Hamas that could potentially wind down the ongoing conflictThe 31 Palestinians who were shot dead were en route to a distribution site operated by the Israelibacked American organisation Gaza Humanitarian Foundation GHF located near Rafah in southern Gaza hospital officials and witnesses confirmedThe Red Cross stated that its field hospital experienced its largest influx of fatalities in over a year of operation after these shootings noting that the overwhelming majority of the more than 100 injured individuals had gunshot woundsMoreover airstrikes in central Gazarsquos Deir alBalah killed 13 people including four children officials at AlAqsa Martyrs Hospital reported Fifteen others were killed in Khan Younis in the south according to Nasser Hospital Israelrsquos military did not immediately respond to a request for comment Intense airstrikes continued on Saturday evening in the area of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza In Israel citizens rallied once again for a ceasefire deal Former hostage Eli Sharabi commented on Israeli leaders stating ldquoArrogance is what brought the disaster upon usrdquoMeanwhile a 21month war has left much of Gazarsquos population of over two million reliant on external aid while foodsecurity experts warn of impending famine Israel had blocked and then restricted aid entry after ending the latest ceasefire in March according to APldquoAll responsive individuals reported they were attempting to access food distribution sitesrdquo the Red Cross said after the shootings near Rafah highlighting the ldquoalarming frequency and scalerdquo of such masscasualty incidentsConversely Israelrsquos military stated it fired warning shots towards individuals it described as behaving suspiciously to prevent them from approaching It claimed to be unaware of any casualties The GHF denied that any incident occurred near its sites Abdullah alHaddad recounted being 200 metres 655 feet from the GHF aiddistribution site near the Shakoush area when an Israeli tank began firing at crowds of Palestinians ldquoWe were together and they shot us at oncerdquo he said writhing in pain from a leg wound at Nasser Hospital Mohammed Jamal alSahloo another witness claimed Israelrsquos military had instructed them to proceed to the site when the shooting commencedMoreover Sumaya alSharsquoerrsquos 17yearold son Nasir was killed hospital officials confirmed ldquoHe said to me lsquoMum you donrsquot have flour and today Irsquoll go and bring you flour even if I die Irsquoll go and get itrsquordquo she tearfully recounted ldquoBut he never came back homerdquo Until then she said she had prevented the teenager from going to GHF sites because she considered it too dangerousAccording to AP witnesses health officials and UN personnel assert that hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while heading towards GHF distribution points through military zones which are offlimits to independent media The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at Palestinians who it says approached its forces in a suspicious mannerMeanwhile the GHF denies any violence in or around its sites However two of its contractors told AP that their colleagues had fired live ammunition and stun grenades as Palestinians scrambled for food mdash allegations the foundation deniedIn a separate effort the UN and aid groups report that they are struggling to distribute humanitarian aid due to Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown in law and order that has led to widespread looting The first consignment of fuel mdash 150000 litres mdash entered Gaza this week after 130 days a joint statement by UN aid bodies said calling it a ldquosmall amount for the backbone of survival in Gazardquo Fuel the statement explained is vital for hospitals water systems transport and moreWhile Hamasled militants killed some 1200 people in their 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and abducted 251 Hamas still holds approximately 50 hostages with at least 20 believed to remain alive Israelrsquos retaliatory offensive has killed over 57800 Palestinians more than half of whom are women and children according to Gazarsquos Health MinistryThe ministry under Gazarsquos Hamasrun government does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count The UN and other international organisations consider its figures to be the most reliable statistics on war casualtiesFriends and relatives paid their respects a day after PalestinianAmerican Seifeddin Musalat and local friend Mohammed alShalabi were killed in the Israelioccupied West Bank according to the Palestinian Health MinistryMusalat was beaten to death by Israeli settlers on his familyrsquos land his cousin Diana Halum told reporters She added that the settlers then blocked paramedics from reaching him Musalat born in Florida was visiting his family home His family wants the US State Department to investigate his death and hold the settlers accountableThe State Department stated it was aware of reports of his death but offered no comment out of respect for the family A witness speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid Israeli retaliation said the settlers descended on Palestinian lands and ldquostarted shooting at us beating with sticks and throwing rocksrdquoIsraelrsquos military has stated Palestinians hurled rocks at Israelis in the area earlier on Friday lightly wounding two people and setting off a larger confrontationPalestinians and humanrights groups have long accused the military of ignoring settler violence which has spiked along with Palestinian attacks and Israeli military raids since the war in Gaza beganWith inputs from AP