Strike on Palestinians waiting for aid kills 70

A boy pushes a child in a makeshift buggy after collecting fresh bread

At least 70 people were killed in a strike early Thursday on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City, bringing the total number killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to more than 30,000, Gaza's Health Ministry said.

Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said another 280 people were wounded in Thursday's strike. Gaza City and the rest of northern Gaza were the first targets of Israel's air, sea and ground offensive launched in response to Hamas' October 7 attack.

Displaced Palestinians line up for fresh bread in Rafah

The area has suffered widespread devastation and has been largely isolated from the rest of the territory. Aid groups say it has become impossible to deliver humanitarian assistance, in part because of crowds of desperate people overwhelming aid convoys.

Israel refutes UN claims it delayed aid

The Israeli agency COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories: Judea and Samaria and towards the Gaza Strip) refuted allegations that Israel interfered with medical aid for Gazan civilians by detaining local medics without cause, pointing out that it was the UN which chose to suspend operations after the Israeli military detained suspected terrorists among Palestinian medics.

Children play in a destroyed car in Rafah. Pic/AP

GOCAT explained that on February 25, OCHAOPT (the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Palestinian Areas) requested an urgent coordination with the Israel Defense Forces to evacuate patients from Gaza. "Hamas systematically uses ambulances for transporting terrorists," said COGAT. After the convoy began to move, the IDF got intelligence about the possibility of terrorists being within it. During the inspection, three staffers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society were detained for questioning.

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