Civilians Targeted at Aid Line: 45 Reported Killed by Israeli Tank Fire

Gaza (The Uttam Hindu): The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has claimed that at least 45 Palestinian civilians have been killed and hundreds injured in Israeli tank shelling in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis. According to the ministry, the attack took place when people were waiting for trucks carrying humanitarian aid such as food at the al-Tahlia crossing. The death toll is expected to rise as the condition of many of the injured is said to be critical.

A health ministry statement said Israeli tanks opened fire on a crowd in Khan Younis where thousands were waiting for food and other essential supplies. The ministry further said “several seriously injured” people were rushed to Nasr Hospital and other medical centers, where medical personnel are trying to treat them with limited resources. The ministry appealed to the international community for urgent assistance as “emergency, intensive care and operation rooms are overwhelmed.”

People at the scene said people had gathered in the morning to wait for aid trucks when tanks suddenly opened fire. A local journalist, Mohammed Gharib, told the BBC that Israeli tanks arrived near the al-Alam square and began firing at the crowd, sending people running in and out of the streets. Many of the injured and dead were carried to hospital on donkey carts as rescue teams could not reach the scene due to Israeli control.

The Israeli army (IDF) has not issued any immediate official statement on the incident. However, in similar recent incidents, Israel had claimed that its soldiers had only fired "warning shots" or taken action against "suspects". It is worth noting that there have been several such incidents in recent weeks near aid distribution sites in Gaza, where the Israeli army has accused Hamas of stealing aid, which Hamas has completely rejected.

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