20 killed, 150 injured in Israeli shelling of hungry Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – At least 20 Palestinians were killed and 150 others injured in Israeli shelling targeting hungry people waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City on Thursday, the Health Ministry said.

The death toll is likely to rise as many injured people are in critical condition, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a brief statement.

According to witnesses, artillery shells and gunfire targeted Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Kuwait Junction in Gaza City.

Israel has imposed a crippling siege on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, leaving the territory’s population struggling with catastrophic humanitarian conditions.

On Jan. 2, the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA announced the entry of humanitarian aid into northern Gaza for the first time since the end of a week-long humanitarian pause on Dec. 27.

UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said that 5-7 aid trucks entered into northern Gaza daily.

“This aid does not suffice the needs of the population of northern Gaza,” he told Anadolu. “Tens of thousands are starving there.”

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, killing at least 25,700 Palestinians and injuring 63,740. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.