At least 15 Palestinians died this Thursday after an Israeli Army bombing against a group of people who were waiting to receive aid in the city of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, in the context of the offensive against the enclave following the attacks of October 7, 2023.
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The press office of the Gaza authorities, controlled by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), denounced in a statement on their Telegram account a “brutal massacre” at a “medical point” and detailed that among the 15 dead there were at least ten children and three women, “a crime that adds to the record of an ongoing genocide for over 21 months.”
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They indicated that the medical center provided nutritional supplements and treatment to sick children and women, and emphasized that the attack demonstrates deliberate killings of children, women, and civilians by the occupation, as well as indiscriminate attacks against population centers, amid shortages of goods and food in Gaza due to the almost total blockade on aid imposed by Israeli forces.
“This direct attack on a medical facility constitutes a blatant violation of all international and humanitarian laws and confirms that the occupation is committing crimes against defenseless civilians without anyone stopping it,” they added.
The international community was asked to break its “shameful silence,” condemn these crimes, and bring the leaders of the criminal occupation before international courts, as well as demand an end to the blockade and the entry of aid and fuel into the Strip. “Gaza dies every day before the eyes of the world, and daily massacres against its people occur without accountability,” they concluded.
The Israeli Army stated that the target was an alleged Hamas member who participated in the attacks on October 7, 2023, and claimed to be aware of the reports of casualties in the area.
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) regret any harm caused to uninvolved individuals and take action to minimize harm against them as much as possible,” stated in a statement provided to the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel, and added that the incident is under investigation.
The offensive against Gaza, launched in response to the attacks on October 7, 2023 - which left about 1,200 dead and nearly 250 kidnapped, according to the Israeli government - has so far caused around 57,700 Palestinian deaths, according to the authorities of the enclave controlled by Hamas, although it is feared that the number may be even higher.