Gaza Aid Sites Shut As Israeli Strikes Kill 42 on Eid
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Israeli attacks killed at least 42 Palestinians across Gaza on the first day of Eid al-Adha, as the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said its aid distribution hubs would remain closed due to ongoing violence.
Medical sources told Al Jazeera that 42 people were killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Friday.
Sixteen bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, another 16 to Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, five to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, and five to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah.
“This is how Eid looks here in Gaza,” said Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu-Azoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah.
He described the day as a grim reminder of loss and hardship under bombardment and displacement.
A journalist wounded in a strike on Ahli Hospital on Thursday later died, raising the number of journalists killed since the genocidal war began to 226, Gaza’s Government Media Office said.
The office urged international journalistic bodies to condemn systematic crimes against Palestinian media workers.
It also called for action to halt the killing of journalists and protect media professionals in Gaza.
GHF, the group coordinating aid distribution in Gaza, said on Friday that all its centers would remain closed until further notice.
Israeli forces had opened fire on crowds of Palestinians seeking aid earlier in the week.
Only two centers operated on Thursday, while others remained shut.
Thousands gathered near a distribution site before dawn on Sunday.
Israeli forces reportedly told them to disperse.
As the crowd approached the Flag Roundabout at around 3am, Israeli forces opened fire, witnesses said.
“There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones,” said Amr Abu Teiba, who was present.
Surgeon Goher Rahbour in Khan Younis said he removed M16 bullets from abdominal wounds, consistent with weapons used by Israeli forces.
“There is a lack of everything – antibiotics, swabs, surgical instruments,” Rahbour added.
Humanitarian groups, including the United Nations, have strongly criticized GHF’s operational methods.
The Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday that 54,677 Palestinians have been killed and 125,530 wounded since the war began.
Qatar and Egypt announced new efforts Thursday to broker a ceasefire based on a US-backed 60-day truce proposal.
Previous talks have collapsed over Israeli objections to key conditions, including a permanent end to the war and full troop withdrawal from Gaza.
