Deadly Israeli strikes continue in Gaza

AP Reporters

Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least 21 people late on Tuesday and into early Wednesday, health authorities said.

More than half of those killed were women and children.

Desperation is mounting in the Palestinian territory of more than two million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel’s blockade and nearly two-year offensive.

A breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting and contributed to chaos and violence around aid deliveries.

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday.

Starvation

More than 100 human rights groups and charities signed a letter published on Wednesday demanding more aid for Gaza and warning of grim conditions causing starvation.

More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the Israel-Hamas war, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals.

Its count does not distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children.

The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that forces were operating in Gaza City, as well as in northern Gaza.

It said that in Jabaliya, an area hard-hit in multiple rounds of fighting, an air strike killed “a number of” Hamas militants.

Troops struck roughly 120 targets throughout Gaza over the past day, including militant cells, tunnels and booby-trapped structures, among others, the military said.

Casualties 

One Israeli strike hit a house on Tuesday in the north-western side of Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to the Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties.

The dead included six children and two women, according to the health ministry’s casualty list.

Another strike hit an apartment in the Tal al-Hawa area in northern Gaza, killing at least six people.

Among the dead were three children and two women, including one who was pregnant. Eight others were wounded, the ministry said.

A third strike hit a tent in the Naser area in Gaza City late on Tuesday and killed three children, Shifa Hospital said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. It blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the militants operate from populated areas.