Gaza’s civil defence agency has said that Israeli forces killed at least 51 people, including 24 at a seafront rest area, as fresh calls grow for a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.
The swift resolution of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of combat have created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on 7 July, a US official said.
US President Donald Trump recently urged Israel to “make the deal in Gaza”, and the Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is visiting Washington this week for talks with US officials.
However on the ground, Israel has continued to pursue its offensive across the Palestinian territory.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said 51 people had been killed by Israeli forces yesterday, including 24 in a strike on a rest area on Gaza City’s seafront.
One eyewitness said that there was a “huge explosion that shook the area”.
“The place is always crowded with people because the rest area offers drinks, family seating and internet access.”
Another witness said: “Women and children were everywhere, like a scene from a movie about the end of the world.”
The Israeli army said it was “looking into” the reports.
The Hamas government media office reported that photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab was among those killed in the strike.
Israeli restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities in the territory.
‘Targeting was deliberate’
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that 27 others were killed by Israeli strikes or fire across Gaza, including 11 near aid points in the centre and south.
Eyewitnesses and local authorities have reported repeated killings of Palestinians near distribution centres in recent weeks, after Israel began allowing in a trickle of aid at the end of May.
An eyewitness said by phone that he had gone with relatives to pick up food in an area of central Gaza around midnight.
“Suddenly the (Israeli) army opened fire, and drones started shooting. We ran away and got nothing,” he said.
In the southern city of Khan Younis, the dead and wounded were rushed to a hospital in an open-top trailer after people said they were fired on by Israeli forces in Rafah.
“The targeting was deliberate, aimed at people as they were leaving,” another eyewitness said.
“There was no one among us who was wanted or posed any threat. We were all civilians, simply trying to get food for our children,” he added.
Meanwhile, some of the world’s biggest charities and aid agencies have issued a joint call for the Israeli and US backed food distribution system in Gaza to be closed immediately.
130 organisations including Oxfam, Save The Children and Amnesty International have accused the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation of violating all international norms.
‘No longer any benefit’
Mr Netanyahu had said on Sunday that Israel’s “victory” over Iran had created “opportunities”, including for freeing hostages.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, meanwhile, said yesterday that there was “no longer any benefit” to the war.
Israel’s defence minister suggested during a meeting with Mr Netanyahu and the army’s general staff that the campaign in Gaza was nearing its goal.
“We now face the completion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve its objectives – foremost among them, the release of all hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” Israel Katz said.
Mr Trump had said on Friday that he was hoping for a new ceasefire in Gaza “within the next week”.
Three days later, Washington announced the $510 million sale to Israel of bomb guidance kits and related support.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defence capability,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told journalists yesterday that “momentum” had been created by the Iran truce but “we won’t hold our breath for this to happen today and tomorrow”.
Israel launched its campaign in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.
