In a devastating surge of violence early Wednesday, Israeli forces killed at least 72 Palestinians across Gaza, among them 29 individuals who had gathered to receive humanitarian aid, according to Palestinian health sources. More than 100 others were wounded in the strike on the Salah al-Din Road near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

Key Incidents Reported:

• Aid Line Shooting: Twenty-nine people were killed and scores injured as they waited beside aid trucks on Salah al-Din Road.
• Zeitoun Airstrike: Eight civilians lost their lives in a missile strike on a home south of Gaza City.
• Al-Mawasi Camp Strike: Another eight individuals, including a woman and two children, were killed in a strike on a displaced-persons camp in the south.
• Maghazi Camp Attack: Ten people from a single family, including spouses and their children, were killed in a raid on Maghazi camp in central Gaza.

Hamas denounced the attacks as war crimes, accusing Israeli forces of deliberately targeting starving civilians and shrinking designated “safe zones.” The group described the operations as a continuation of a nearly 20‑month “war of extermination.”

IDF Response & Aid Worker Reports

The Israeli military stated it is investigating the Salah al-Din Road shooting, maintaining that its troops issued warnings to individuals who approached a “combat zone.” The IDF affirmed its operations aim to neutralize Hamas’s military infrastructure while minimizing civilian harm.

According to Al Jazeera, the bodies of 20 victims from northern Gaza lay unrecovered for five days before UN coordination allowed local civil defense teams to retrieve them.

Ahmed Ghaben, identifying the victims, shared via Al Jazeera the death of his nephew:

“He went to get his children a bag of flour… He wasn’t a resistance fighter. He went to get a bag of flour.”

Al Jazeera’s correspondent on the scene, Tareq Abu Azzoum, observed:

“Israeli forces are targeting civilians who only went to get bags of flour or boxes of food… soldiers used drones, tanks, and snipers.”

Humanitarian Warnings and Fuel Crisis

Gaza’s health ministry has tallied 397 aid-related deaths and over 3,000 injuries since food distribution resumed in late May. Overall, nearly 55,637 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 129,880 wounded since October 2023, the ministry reported.

Medical facilities now warn of critical fuel shortages. Many hospitals depend on generators and have only a three-day fuel supply. Gaza’s authorities claim that Israeli forces are blocking access to fuel depots by designating them as restricted “red zones.”

Regional Repercussions

While global attention shifts to the escalating exchange of fire between Israel and Iran, Palestinian suffering remains acute. The Houthi movement in Yemen—an ally of Tehran—vowed to continue its support for Gaza, stating its operations would persist “no matter the sacrifices” until the siege is lifted and aggression ceases.