Israel cuts Gaza internet as dozens more aid seekers killed
The Israeli military has cut off the Gaza Strip from the internet by bombing the last remaining main fibre-optic route, as troops continue to kill dozens of Palestinian aid seekers on a daily basis.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 21 people were killed and 294 others wounded on Thursday morning while attempting to reach a food distribution centre operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The incident follows a similar one on Wednesday, when Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians as they approached a GHF point near Netzarim in central Gaza.
According to official figures, at least 245 Palestinians have been killed near aid distribution sites since the new Israel-US aid coordination mechanism was implemented more than two weeks ago.
The emergency department at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said it had admitted dozens of people in recent days who had been killed or wounded while waiting for aid.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
"Many Gazans went to the Nabulsi and Netzarim areas to receive aid and were shot at and shelled with tanks," said Mutaz Harara, the head of Al-Shifa's emergency department.
"Many patients died while waiting for their turn."
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said that a complete blackout of internet and landline services hit Gaza on Thursday after Israeli forces targeted the last remaining main fibre-optic route.
"Digital isolation is intensifying due to the systematic targeting of infrastructure, despite repeated attempts to repair severed and alternative routes," the authority said.
"The southern and central areas of Gaza have now joined the state of digital isolation already affecting Gaza City and the northern Strip for the second consecutive day."
The authority warned that the blackout will isolate Gaza from the outside world and hinder humanitarian, health, media and educational services.
Israel's ongoing attacks on aid-seeking Palestinians have provoked outcry from rights groups and foreign governments.
Sweden's foreign minister said on Thursday that the starvation of civilians as a method of war was "a war crime".
"Life-saving humanitarian help must never be politicised or militarised," Maria Malmer Stenergard said at a press conference.
"There are strong indications right now that Israel is not living up to its commitments under international humanitarian law."
Israeli forces have killed more than 55,000 Palestinians in the ongoing war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now qualify as an act of genocide.
12 killed over alleged gang links
Separately, 12 Palestinians were killed late on Wednesday in Khan Younis by armed men claiming to be members of the local Sahm police unit - a force which Hamas says it established to combat looting and collaboration with Israel.
The alleged officers accused the men of being affiliated with an Israeli-backed gang led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a clan leader with a history of criminal activity. The gang has been accused of looting aid trucks and opening fire on Palestinians in Gaza in recent months.
The 12 individuals were labelled as collaborators with Israel by the alleged officers.
Middle East Eye could not independently verify the authenticity of their claims.
A Facebook page claiming to represent Yasser Abu Shabab’s group denied the allegations, calling them “rumours”.
Meanwhile, the GHF reported that a bus carrying its staff to an aid distribution site near Khan Younis was “brutally attacked by Hamas” on Wednesday evening, resulting in the deaths of at least eight Palestinian aid workers.
It was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were related. Hamas has not yet issued a comment.
In response, Israel accused Hamas of trying to "weaponise" the distribution of aid in Gaza.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
