At least 15 Palestinians, including eight children and two women, have been killed in an Israeli strike while queuing for nutritional supplements in front of a clinic in central Gaza, hospital officials said on Thursday.
The victims were waiting outside the Altayara health clinic in Deir al-Balah when the attack occurred at approximately 9.30am, sending bodies flying and turning the street into a scene of blood and devastation.
Video from al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital showed the bodies of several children and others lying on the floor as medics desperately treated wounded survivors, with graphic footage verified by the BBC showing adults and young children lying in the street, some severely wounded and others motionless.
US Aid Group Condemns Attack
Project Hope, the US-based aid organisation that runs the clinic, said the attack was a “blatant violation of international law” and occurred as patients had gathered outside awaiting its opening to receive treatment for malnutrition, infections, chronic illnesses and more.
Suddenly, we heard the sound of a drone approaching, and then the explosion happened,” witness Yousef al-Aydi told AFP news agency.
“The ground shook beneath our feet, and everything around us turned into blood and deafening screams,” he added.
The Israeli military said it struck a “Hamas terrorist” who had taken part in the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and regretted any harm to civilians, but provided no evidence to support its claim.
Families Devastated
At the mortuary of nearby al-Aqsa hospital, relatives of those killed wept as they wrapped the dead children in white shrouds and body bags before performing funeral prayers.
One woman told the BBC that her pregnant niece, Manal, and Manal’s daughter, Fatima, were among the dead, whilst Manal’s son was fighting for his life in the intensive care unit.
“She was queuing to get the children supplements when the incident happened,” Intisar said through tears.
Another woman standing nearby asked: “For what sin were they killed?”
“We are dying before the ears and eyes of the whole world. The whole world is watching the Gaza Strip. If people aren’t killed by the Israeli army, they die trying to get aid,” she said.
Hospital Crisis Deepens
Dr Khalil Amawi from al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said the casualties faced a “complex situation” requiring more intensive medical intervention than was available due to acute shortages.
Because of Gaza’s fuel crisis – no fuel has entered the Strip since the beginning of March according to the United Nations – Thursday’s victims had to be brought to the hospital on carts pulled by animals as cars and ambulances were unavailable.
The hospital had cut electricity as fuel reserves fell critically low, with only solar energy keeping the most vital machines running.
“They need more intensive medical intervention, more than is available here with this condition,” Amawi said, sharing a CT scan of 11-year-old Eman Abu Shalouf, one of the injured children.
Project Hope Response
Rabih Torbay, Project Hope’s president and CEO, said the aid group’s clinics were “a place of refuge in Gaza where people bring their small children, women access pregnancy and postpartum care, people receive treatment for malnutrition, and more.
“Yet, this morning, innocent families were mercilessly attacked as they stood in line waiting for the doors to open,” he added.
“Horrified and heartbroken cannot properly communicate how we feel anymore. This is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and a stark reminder that no-one and no place is safe in Gaza, even as ceasefire talks continue.”
IDF Statement
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it struck a member of the elite Nukhba forces of Hamas’s military wing who had taken part in the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
The IDF is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals in the area. The incident is under review,” it added.
The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals,” the statement concluded without providing evidence for its claims about the target.
Additional Strikes
Elsewhere, five people were killed when an Israeli drone struck tents in the coastal al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.
It posted a video showing first responders recovering the bodies of three young children buried beneath sand and debris.
Another 37 people were reportedly killed in Israeli strikes elsewhere in Gaza over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to at least 57 across the territory.
Ceasefire Talks Continue
The attacks happened as mediators attempted to build momentum towards a ceasefire deal at indirect proximity talks in Doha, with Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams present but not meeting directly.
However, significant gaps between the two sides appear to remain despite optimism expressed by the US, which is acting as a mediator along with Qatar and Egypt.
A senior Israeli official told journalists in Washington on Wednesday night that it could take one or two weeks to reach an agreement.
The official, speaking during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to meet US President Donald Trump, said that if an agreement was reached on a 60-day ceasefire, Israel would use that time to offer a permanent end to the war that would require Hamas to disarm.
If Hamas refused to disarm, Israel would “proceed” with military operations, they added.
Hamas Position
Hamas issued a statement saying that the talks had been difficult, blaming Israeli “intransigence” for the lack of progress.
The group said it had shown flexibility in agreeing to release 10 hostages but reiterated that it was seeking a “comprehensive” agreement that would end the Israeli offensive.
Hamas has made three core requests: that talks for ending the war continue if the 60-day pause expires, that humanitarian aid be delivered through UN-led mechanisms rather than the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and clarity on where Israeli forces would be positioned during any ceasefire.
More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded while seeking aid at GHF sites since the foundation began operating in the Strip in late May, according to Palestinian officials.
Humanitarian Crisis
The Israeli military launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 57,762 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, which says the majority are women and children.
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced multiple times, with more than 90% of homes estimated to be damaged or destroyed.
The healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed, whilst severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter persist across the territory.
The United Nations has warned repeatedly that famine conditions exist in parts of Gaza, with malnutrition rates soaring particularly among children and pregnant women.
Thursday’s attack on civilians queuing for nutritional supplements underscores the desperate humanitarian situation, where seeking basic aid has become a life-threatening endeavour for Gaza’s population.
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Image Credit:
Images of war 23–25 from Gaza – Photo by Jaber Badwen, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
