Egypt Daily News – Despite an Israeli military announcement of a partial humanitarian pause, the Gaza Strip witnessed one of its bloodiest days in recent weeks, with at least 52 Palestinians killed on Sunday, including 32 who were reportedly shot or bombed while attempting to collect food aid. At the same time, Israel confirmed the deaths of three soldiers in the southern city of Khan Younis, underscoring the intensity of ongoing combat operations.
The fatalities occurred just hours before the Israeli military declared a limited suspension of its offensive in selected areas of Gaza, purportedly to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave. The announcement, however, did little to stem the violence or alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis, now in its twenty-second consecutive month.
Aid Distribution Sites Targeted
According to Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, Israeli forces opened fire near a food distribution point in central Gaza, killing 11 people and wounding more than 100 others, many of them women and children. Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as civilians who had gathered in hopes of receiving scarce supplies were instead caught in a deadly barrage. Medical personnel described many of the injuries as critical.
In a separate incident, a child was killed and several others injured when gunfire erupted near another aid distribution point in northwestern Khan Younis. Additional casualties were reported in various parts of the strip due to ongoing aerial bombardments and ground incursions.
The Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp received dozens of injured civilians, many in critical condition. Meanwhile, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported six new deaths attributed to malnutrition and hunger-related complications, bringing the total number of such fatalities to 133 including 87 children, since the beginning of the blockade and military campaign.
Israeli Soldiers Killed in Southern Gaza
On the military front, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the deaths of two soldiers from the Golani Brigade, both in their twenties, who were killed when an explosive device detonated beneath their armored vehicle in Khan Younis. Military sources indicated that the attack was carried out by a Palestinian fighter emerging from a tunnel.
Later that day, a third soldier succumbed to injuries sustained in a separate incident, while a commanding officer and another soldier were also wounded during combat operations in the same region.
The death toll among Israeli military personnel since the beginning of the ground campaign on November 27, 2023, now stands at 462, all of whom were killed during active combat.
A Deepening Humanitarian Catastrophe
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health (whose figures are regularly cited by the United Nations), killed more than 59,821 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians.
While Israel has recently announced temporary pauses in military operations, allegedly to allow for humanitarian relief, aid organizations report that deliveries remain sporadic and insufficient. Meanwhile, critical infrastructure in Gaza including hospitals, water systems, and electricity grids lies in ruins, compounding the suffering of a population already ravaged by hunger, disease, and trauma.
Despite growing international pressure for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian access, the fighting shows no sign of abating, and both sides appear entrenched in a conflict with no clear resolution in sight.
