UPDATES DEATH TOLL, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK
By Hosni Nedim, Ramzi Mahmud, and Betul Yilmaz
ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 12 Palestinians, including aid seekers, were killed and dozens of others injured in a new wave of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, sources and witnesses said.
Army forces opened fire on Palestinians seeking aid at a distribution point near the Netzarim Corridor, killing five and injuring eight others, a medical source said.
Six more people were killed and more than 20 injured by Israeli fire as they waited for aid delivery at another distribution point in northern Rafah in southern Gaza, medics said.
According to the latest figures released by the Health Ministry, at least 1,239 people were killed and over 8,152 injured by Israeli army fire while seeking aid in Gaza since May 27.
Another Palestinian lost his life in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential home in Gaza City, a medical source said.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,100 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages.
On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.