Israeli Airstrikes and Shootings Kill 35 in Gaza Amid Ceasefire Efforts

Israeli airstrikes and shootings claimed 35 Palestinian lives in Gaza early Friday, with 15 killed in airstrikes, including eight women and one child, and 20 shot while waiting for humanitarian aid, according to Nasser Hospital’s morgue, as reported by the Associated Press. The shootings occurred at aid distribution sites, with two deaths near Rafah and 18 elsewhere in southern Gaza where crowds awaited supply trucks.

The violence coincides with renewed ceasefire efforts in the 21-month Israel-Hamas conflict, which began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 57,000 Palestinian deaths since then, with more than half being women and children, though it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Hamas is currently engaging with other Palestinian factions to review a ceasefire proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with a response pending. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced Israel’s agreement to a 60-day ceasefire and urged Hamas to accept, warning of worsening conditions otherwise.

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Since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by Israel and the US, began aid distribution in May, over 500 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured near aid sites, per Gaza’s Health Ministry. Witnesses report Israeli forces firing on crowds, while the Israeli military claims it uses only warning shots and denies targeting civilians, stating incidents are under review. The UN and humanitarian groups have criticized the GHF’s militarized aid system, calling it inadequate and dangerous, as Gaza faces a looming famine amid restricted aid access.

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