50 killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza as aid seekers, shelters hit
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Israeli airstrikes kill 50 Palestinians in Gaza, including aid seekers in Rafah and displaced families in Khan Younis, as the death toll climbs past 56,000.
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Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, operated by the US-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 26, 2025 (AP)
At least 50 Palestinians were martyred in a wave of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip since dawn Friday, according to an Al Mayadeen correspondent.
Among Friday’s strikes, seven people were killed and several others wounded north of Rafah, after the Israeli occupation forces bombed an area where displaced Palestinians were waiting for humanitarian assistance near centers affiliated with the US-based company handling aid delivery.
Whole families, aid seekers brutally killed
In Khan Younis, three members of the same family were killed when an Israeli aircraft bombed a makeshift tent sheltering displaced people in the al-Mawasi area northwest of the city.
The occupation’s bombardment also struck the al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, killing nine Palestinians and wounding others. Multiple casualties were also reported following an airstrike that leveled a residential block in Jabalia al-Balad, northern Gaza.
The shelling continued in central Gaza, with Israeli artillery targeting areas north of the al-Nuseirat refugee camp.
'Israel' admits to targeting civilians
In a separate development, Haaretz reported Friday that officers and soldiers in the Israeli army admitted receiving direct orders to open fire on Palestinians gathered near aid distribution centers.
According to the report, the soldiers acknowledged that the Palestinians they targeted were unarmed and posed no threat.
This comes as Gaza’s Health Ministry released its daily casualty toll, recording 72 martyrs and 174 wounded in the past 24 hours alone.
Many victims remain trapped under the rubble or in roads inaccessible to emergency and civil defense teams, due to the intensity of the ongoing Israeli bombardment.
Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, the total number of Palestinian martyrs has reached 56,331, with 132,632 wounded. As of March 18, 2025, alone, Gaza has recorded 6,008 martyrs and 20,591 injuries.
Weaponization of food in Gaza constitutes war crime: UN
According to the UN and Gaza’s Health Ministry, 549 people have been killed and more than 4,066 have been injured while trying to access food aid as of June 25. With Gaza’s death toll surpassing 56,000, aid deliveries remain dangerously obstructed. The collapse of water systems now threatens widespread drought and famine.
The UN human rights office also warned on Tuesday that the weaponization of food distribution in Gaza could amount to a war crime. The statement comes amid growing international criticism of the new aid distribution model operated by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan described the current system as "Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism," stressing its deadly consequences for civilians in desperate need of relief.
