Gaza: At least 200 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on northern Gaza Saturday, according to local health officials, as the United Nations said it would suspend aid deliveries through the enclave’s primary crossing after more of its trucks were stolen.
The developments underscore the worsening humanitarian situation in the enclave, where tens of thousands of people have been killed by the Israeli military, and chronic hunger threatens the remaining civilian population, CNN reported.
On Friday, two children and a woman were crushed to death while attempting to buy food from a bakery in central Gaza.
The deadly strikes also come with an uneasy armistice underway between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would allow his forces to focus on Gaza.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital on Sunday, said that five buildings housing more than 200 people were struck in the Tal Al Zaatar and Beit Lahiya areas of northern Gaza.
“They were calling for help, and anyone who tried to assist was bombed. Unfortunately, the cries for help have disappeared; they were killed,” Dr. Abu Safiya said. The strike in Tel Al Zaatar left more than 100 people under the rubble, with only one person pulled out, according to the CNN report
“This scene has become a daily occurrence, and no one is held accountable; no one can stop the killing of innocent people.”
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the decision was “difficult but necessary” after several food trucks were hijacked by armed groups over the weekend. “The road out of this crossing has been unsafe for months,” he said, referring to a recent incident where nearly 100 trucks were seized.
Lazzarini criticised Israeli authorities for imposing restrictions on aid and failing to protect humanitarian workers. UNI
