Israeli strike at Gaza market kills 18 Palestinians, physician and witnesses say

Not less than 18 Palestinians have been killed after an Israeli drone strike focused a Hamas police unit making an attempt to say management over a market within the metropolis of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, a health care provider and eyewitnesses advised the BBC.

Eyewitnesses mentioned Israeli drones fired at members of a Hamas police drive, wearing civilian clothes and carrying masks, who have been confronting distributors they accused of value gouging and promoting items looted from assist vans.

The Hamas-run Ministry of Inside condemned the strike, accusing Israel of committing “a brand new crime towards a police unit tasked with sustaining public order”.

The BBC has contacted the Israeli navy for remark.

One eyewitness advised the BBC clashes broke out on Thursday after police confronted the distributors, with the unit commander shouting: “Both promote at a good value or we are going to confiscate the products.”

A few of the distributors then “pulled out handguns and one man had a Kalashnikov”, the eyewitness mentioned.

Israeli drones then fired two missiles, native residents mentioned.

Video footage from the aftermath exhibits our bodies strewn on the bottom and panicked buyers screaming, as ambulances rush to take care of these injured.

A physician at Deir al-Balah’s Al-Aqsa Hospital advised the BBC 18 our bodies have been dropped at the morgue there. It was not instantly clear what number of of these killed have been cops.

The incident got here as civilians in Gaza proceed to wrestle to entry meals, with close to every day shootings reported at and round US and Israel-backed distribution websites in south and central Gaza, and the restricted items obtainable in markets promoting for extremely inflated costs.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of “as soon as once more taking management of humanitarian assist… and stealing it from civilians” in northern Gaza, as he gave the navy two days to plan an “motion plan” to stop this.

It got here after video footage was filmed on Wednesday of a truck convoy carrying assist into northern Gaza, after getting into by the Zikim gate, with armed and masked males on prime.

Israel’s far-right Nationwide Safety Minister Itamar Ben Gvir shared the video on social media, saying Hamas was “taking management of the meals and items” and calling on Netanyahu to halt the entry of assist into Gaza.

Hamas has denied stealing or benefiting from assist, and Gaza’s greater committee for tribal affairs – a non-Hamas affiliated committee created throughout the battle – additionally dismissed Israel’s “false claims” in an announcement on Thursday.

“The securing of assist has been carried out purely by tribal efforts,” it mentioned.

At a warehouse in Gaza Metropolis on Thursday, 1000’s of assist parcels have been distributed.

Hamas political officers have been current however mentioned their position was “supervisory”, with an NGO answerable for distributing some 6,000 meals parcels.

“This morning, after I woke as much as the message telling me to go get assist, all my kids, younger and previous, began singing and dancing with pleasure. I pray to God that this blessing stays with us,” one girl ready for meals there mentioned.

Additionally on Thursday, the World Well being Group (WHO) introduced its first medical cargo into Gaza since 2 March had been delivered on Wednesday.

9 vans carrying medical provides, 2,000 items of blood, and 1,500 items of plasma have been transported with none looting “regardless of the high-risk circumstances”, WHO’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioned.

He added the quantity was “solely a drop within the ocean”.

The blood and plasma have been delivered to Nasser Medical Advanced for onward distribution to hospitals “dealing with important shortages amid a rising inflow of accidents, many linked to incidents at meals distribution websites”, he mentioned.

Earlier than Thursday’s strike on the market, a minimum of 14 Palestinians had been killed and dozens injured in Israeli navy assaults throughout Gaza since midnight, a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Civil Defence mentioned.

Rescue groups evacuated 14 our bodies, together with these of three Palestinians who have been ready for humanitarian assist close to the Wadi Gaza bridge near the Netzarim hall in central Gaza.

A medical supply at Al-Awda Hospital close by confirmed that three Palestinians have been killed and a number of other others injured by Israeli gunfire close to the Wadi Gaza bridge.

Witnesses mentioned Israeli drones opened hearth at a giant crowd of civilians reportedly ready for humanitarian assist on the time of the assault.

The Israel Protection Forces (IDF) advised the BBC that in a single day, a gathering was recognized in an space adjoining to troops within the Netzarim hall, and troops fired warning pictures to stop suspects from approaching them.

The IDF mentioned it was conscious of experiences concerning the variety of injured people within the space, however mentioned an preliminary inquiry prompt the quantity doesn’t align with the IDF’s info. Nonetheless, the small print of the incident are beneath further assessment, the IDF added.

Elsewhere, 5 individuals have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a college sheltering displaced households in western Gaza Metropolis.

Within the Al-Mawasi space of Khan Younis, within the south of the Strip, 5 members of the Abu Arab household have been killed when an Israeli air strike hit a tent sheltering displaced individuals. One other Palestinian was additionally killed in a strike that hit a tent in Al-Mawasi.

Others have been wounded within the strikes.

The IDF mentioned it was trying into these experiences, however requested particular coordinates and instances. Normally, the IDF mentioned it was “working to dismantle Hamas navy capabilities”.

The Israeli navy launched a marketing campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 assault on Israel, by which about 1,200 individuals have been killed and 251 others have been taken hostage.

Not less than 56,259 individuals have been killed in Gaza since then, in keeping with the territory’s Hamas-run well being ministry.