Gaza death toll climbs to 55,627 amid continued Israeli assaults

At least 72 more Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours in the blockaded Gaza Strip due to ongoing Israeli ground assaults and airstrikes. Among the dead, 29 were reportedly killed near food and aid distribution centers run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organization backed by the United States and Israel.

More than 400 additional people were injured in these attacks on Wednesday (June 18).

Since the Israeli military assault began 20 months ago, the total death toll has reached 55,627. The number of injured has increased to 129,544. Since the ceasefire was broken on March 18, at least 5,334 people have been killed and 17,203 injured.

Meanwhile, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in ground offensives against Hamas and in other military operations along the border has reached 432.

According to Gaza’s health officials, reported by Al Jazeera, aid-seeking Palestinians are being killed almost every day in recent weeks. The latest two incidents happened early Wednesday near Salah Al-Din Street in the central Gaza Netzarim corridor. In these attacks, 18 people were killed and over 100 injured. In another attack at a food aid center in Khan Younis, Israeli forces opened fire and shelled the crowd. At least 11 people were killed and more than 100 injured, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense.

Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said, “The occupying forces fired on thousands of people gathered to receive food. They also launched multiple shells.”

Another 43 people were killed in separate attacks across Gaza. In the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City, an airstrike on a house killed eight and injured over 50. A similar attack on tents of displaced people in Al-Mawasi camp also killed eight and wounded over 50. On the same day, three other attacks on homes and tents of displaced people killed 27 more and injured more than 100.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that many people are still trapped under debris and on roads, but rescue workers cannot reach them.

Most of the wounded from the recent attacks were taken to Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals in central Gaza, while others were taken to the Red Cross hospital in Rafah. Medical staff say many of the injured are in critical condition.

According to a statement from Gaza’s Health Ministry, since GHF started operations in Gaza, at least 400 people have been killed and more than 2,800 injured near their aid distribution centers.

Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Ministry, said: “This is not aid—it’s a trap for poor and hungry people. Israeli warplanes are monitoring the area, firing bullets and shells at innocent and unarmed civilians.”

Gaza’s Higher Committee for Tribal Affairs also warned that going near the border or disputed areas for food has become a “death trap.” They urged national and international organizations to deliver aid through safe and secure means.

Palestinian civil and social organizations have described the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s (GHF) aid system as a “humanitarian disaster.” They say it is making the situation worse and forcing Palestinians to leave their land.

According to Palestinian news agency WAFA, Gaza residents themselves are calling these food distribution centers a “trap.” But hunger is forcing people to go there anyway.

At the end of May, the GHF began distributing food packages in areas of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces. The new aid delivery model has been criticized by the United Nations, which says the US-backed GHF is not neutral or impartial. International analysts have called the rising death toll near aid centers “genocide in the name of aid.”

Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, but Hamas has denied this and accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon of war and turning aid centers into killing zones for civilians.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military (IDF) continues to order residents of Khan Younis and nearby towns like Abasan and Bani Suheila to leave their homes and move west to so-called “humanitarian zones.” The IDF says it will continue strong operations in these areas against “terrorist groups.”

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other Palestinian fighters launched a coordinated armed attack from Gaza into southern Israel. The attack killed 1,195 people and took 251 hostages. Among the dead were 736 civilians (including 36 children), 379 security forces, and 79 foreigners.

Israel claims that Palestinian groups are still holding 53 hostages. The IDF says 33 of them are confirmed dead, 20 are believed to be alive, and there are serious concerns about the condition of three others.

In November last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel is also facing accusations of genocide because of its indiscriminate attacks in Gaza.