News- Middle East: The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 73 people were killed and around 150 people injured by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid across the besieged Palestinian territory.

Some 67 people were killed in northern Gaza, the ministry said, while six others were killed in Khan Yunis in the south of the Strip.

Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, said people were shot at by the Israeli army on Sunday morning while attempting to get aid northwest of Gaza City.

“Al-Shifa Medical Complex is in a catastrophic state due to the overwhelming number of martyrs, injuries and starving civilians,” Abu Salmiya was quoted as saying. 

The attacks were among the deadliest among repeated such instances where aid seekers have been killed in recent weeks.

In total, nearly 100 people have been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across the besieged Palestinian territory on Sunday.

The UN rights office has documented the killing of at least 880 Palestinians within the past six weeks at aid points in Gaza run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The majority of those killed were in the vicinity of Gaza GHF sites, while some were killed on the routes of other aid convoys.

The health officials in Gaza on Sunday also said at least 71 children had died of malnutrition during the war, and 60,000 others were suffering from symptoms of malnutrition.

They warned that hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals were inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food and a collapse in aid deliveries.

Residents said it was becoming impossible to find essential food such as flour.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warns that Israel is starving civilians, with multiple deaths reported in the past 24 hours due to Israel's continued blockade on the entry of food and essential supplies.

UNRWA  demanded that Israel allow more aid trucks into Gaza, saying it had enough food for the entire population for over three months, but this was not allowed.

Israeli military issues forced displacement orders

In central Gaza, the Israeli military on Sunday also dropped leaflets over residents in parts of Deir al-Balah, ordering them to leave the area.

Dozens of families began leaving their homes, carrying some of their belongings.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans have been sheltering in the Deir al-Balah area.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war. 

The Israeli regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has killed at least 58,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023.

Israel has long been accused of using food as a weapon of war against the Palestinians in the besieged strip.

Source: press TV