Israeli forces once again targeted and killed Palestinian civilians waiting to receive aid, as Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza entered its 158th day on March 12, Tuesday. Dozens of Palestinians also continued to get killed and injured in the unabated Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults across Gaza.
The attack on aid seeking Palestinians civilians took place at the Kuwaiti roundabout south of Gaza city, and resulted in the killing of at least 11 and injuries to 20 others. The media office in Gaza stated that Israel specifically attacked aid trucks and civilians waiting for aid.
Meanwhile, the international community continues to call on Israel to not proceed with the planned invasion of Rafah. Leaders of the European Union, who are scheduled to hold a summit later this month, are expected to pass a draft resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire” and “urge the Israeli government to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah, where well over a million Palestinians are currently seeking safety from the fighting and access to humanitarian assistance.”
The United Nations, rights groups, and various sectors of the international community have continued to warn of such an invasion, citing the devastating humanitarian consequences that it would inflict on the already starving, besieged and helpless Palestinian civilians.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to carry out aerial and ground attacks on the city, along with various other locations in Gaza. Between Monday and Tuesday, Israeli attacks were reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza city, the Jabalia, Nusierat, al-Bureij and al-Maghazi refugee camps, and Khan Younis, among various other areas.
Israeli forces have killed more than 400 Palestinians since the massive incident known as the “flour massacre”, in which at least 115 were killed and close to 800 injured. The latest Palestinian health ministry statistics say that the death toll is at least 31,184 and the number of injured is nearing 73,000.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza brought on by the Israeli war also continues to be extremely dire, with Israeli forces continuing to block aid. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, has said that Israeli forces yesterday refused to allow an aid truck carrying medical supplies into Gaza because it was carrying medical scissors as part of the children’s medical kits.
Lazzarini added that despite the international calls for more aid deliveries into Gaza, “very little is coming and restrictions are increasing, and that the Israeli “dual list” of prohibited items includes basic and life-saving materials, including anesthesia medications, oxygen cylinders, ventilators, water cleaning tablets, cancer medications, and other necessary medical supplies.”
In spite of the increasing Israeli disruptions and blockades, the international community and aid agencies continue to make efforts to deliver critical humanitarian aid to the beleaguered people in Gaza.
The World Health Organization today said that an aid mission carrying food, medical supplies, around 25,000 liters of fuel and other essential items managed to reach the Al-Shifa hospital in Northern Gaza on Monday, to provide help and relief to around 42,000 patients.
Additionally, an aid ship carrying around 200 tonnes of food consisting of “rice, flour, legumes, canned veggies and proteins” has set sail from a port in Cyprus, heading towards Gaza. The ship, named the Open Arms, belongs to the World Central Kitchen, a Spanish relief organization. It is expected to dock along the coast of Gaza south of Gaza city “at a pier built by the WCK.”
