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Israeli attacks have killed At least 51 people in the Gaza Strip, including 14 Palestinians waiting near the aid distribution centers, Al Jazeera told Al Jazeera, even though the President of the United States, Donald Trump, said that “great progress” were made to end the war.
Sources at the Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals in Gaza told Al Jazeera that at least nine Palestinians had been killed and several others injured by Israeli fires early Wednesday while waiting for aid near the Netzarim junction in the center of Gaza.
Deaths are the last of a wave of violence The distribution points near the aid established at the end of last month by the controversy of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by the United States.
The GHF has been the subject of fierce criticism of the help agencies and the United Nations, which says that the group is unable to meet the needs of the population and transforms food into a weapon for Israel to carry out its military operations.
Reports from Gaza City, Hani Mahmoud, Al Jazeera, said that the aid distribution centers led by GHF are generally established very close to the place where Israeli forces are stationed, with their tanks, armored vehicles and surrounding elite shooters.
“So when large crowds come together, they are vulnerable to Israeli fire,” he said.
“In a disturbing way, people only receive 20-minute windows in help centers to get their hands on everything available, like food packages. Once the 20-minute period ends, filming is often starting. This is one of the reasons why we see a large number of people died in these centers,” he added.
There is increasing pressure on the GHF, which was brought to Palestinian territory at the end of May, to examine the attacks. But the organization denied responsibility.
Israel said Previous shots near the GHF help sites were caused by the approach of “suspects” towards soldiers.
Deir el-Balah Home Hit ‘without warning’
In addition to the murders close to the aid distribution points, Mahmoud of Al Jazeera said that five people had been killed in the bombing of a house in Deir El-Balah in the center of Gaza.
“Five family members were instantly killed by a bomb abandoned there. Three other family members were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp,” he said.
Ramzi Khaled, a resident of Gaza City who was close to a building for displaced people, when Israeli forces attacked him overnight, told the Reuters news agency: “Suddenly, without previous warning, of people who remain previous were struck in a refuge.”
“The ceiling was overturned to the ground. They are all in pieces. About 12 people (were) present in this building; they are all in pieces. We have recovered what we could, three people in pieces, and here we are trying to recover some, a martyr and the others who are under the rubble,” he added.
The War of Israel against Gaza killed at least 56,077 people and injured 131,848, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
It is estimated that 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks and more than 200 were taken in captivity.
Israeli soldiers killed
While Israel continues with his assault, his soldiers said that seven soldiers had been killed on Tuesday in combat in Gaza.
The soldiers released the names of six of them, but refused one because the family of the seventh soldier had not yet been informed of his death.
People killed were 19 to 21 years old, according to the soldiers. They were all members of the 605TH combat Engineering Battalion.
An eighth soldier from the same unit was seriously injured and was medically evacuated to Israel, the army said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was “a very difficult day for the people of Israel”.
Trump notes “great progress”
While the fighting in Gaza continues, there have been signs that diplomatic efforts to end war are gaining momentum.
Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani said on Tuesday that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas could start in the next two days.
A senior Hamas official told the AFP news agency on Wednesday that talks had “intensified in recent hours” with mediator countries.
“Our communications with the mediators of the brother in Egypt and Qatar have not stopped and have not intensified in recent hours,” said Taher al-nunu, adding that the group had “not yet received new proposals” to end the war now during its 21st month.
Trump, who is currently in The Hague for a NATO summit, also told journalists that “great progress” were made to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“I think that great progress is made on Gaza, I think that because of this attack we have made,” said Trump, suggesting that American strikes on Iran may have a positive effect on the Middle East, adding that his special envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, told him that “Gaza was very close” to a peace agreement.
Yossi Mekelberg, member of the Chatham House main council in London, told Al Jazeera that many Israelis also question the wisdom to continue the war in Gaza.
“Trump is more popular in Israel at the moment than Netanyahu … and especially on the question of Iran,” he said, referring to the involvement of the American president in the negotiation of a cease-fire between Israel and Iran.
He noted that the Israelis wanted the remaining captives to Gaza to be released and expect to hope that Trump will be able to achieve this faster than Netanyahu.
“They know that Netanyahu is … trying to continue the war in Gaza to maintain its coalition,” he said.
“Trump has a different program that could actually correspond, in this case, what the Israelis want to see.”
