The military stated that it discharged firearms “in the vicinity of a few suspicious individuals” who deviated from the prescribed route, advanced towards the troops, and disregarded warning shots.
These frequent occurrences of shootings follow the establishment of aid distribution points inside Israeli military zones by an Israeli and US-supported organization, with the aim of bypassing Hamas. However, the United Nations has criticized this new setup, pointing out that it does not effectively tackle the escalating hunger crisis in Gaza and could potentially enable Israel to weaponize aid.
Three Israeli soldiers killed in northern Gaza
Furthermore, on Tuesday, the Israeli military reported the deaths of three soldiers in the Gaza Strip, marking what appears to be the deadliest assault on Israel’s forces since the termination of a truce with Hamas in March.
The military said the three soldiers, all in their early 20s, fell during combat in northern Gaza on Monday, without providing details. Israeli media reported that they were killed in an explosion in the Jabaliya area.
Israel ended the ceasefire in March after Hamas refused to change the agreement to release more hostages sooner. Israeli strikes have killed thousands of Palestinians since then, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage in the October 7, 2023, attack into Israel that ignited the war. They are still holding 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers.
Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
About 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the October 7 attack, including more than 400 during the fighting inside Gaza.
