Children queuing for supplements killed in Israeli strike in Gaza, hospital says

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Merlyn Thomas explains what verified videos tell us about an air strike in Deir al-Balah that killed at least 15 people

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, a hospital says. Video from al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah showed the bodies of several children and others lying on the floor as medics treated their wounds. US-based aid group Project Hope, which runs the clinic, said the attack was a blatant violation of international law. The Israeli military said it struck a “Hamas terrorist” and regretted any harm to civilians. They were among 66 people reportedly killed in Israeli strikes on Thursday, as Israel and Hamas continued talks on a ceasefire deal.

Despite optimism expressed by the US, which is acting as a mediator along with Qatar and Egypt, they do not so far seem to be close to a breakthrough.

Project Hope said Thursday morning’s strike in front of its Altayara health clinic in Deir al-Balah happened 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.” Graphic footage posted on social media, which was verified by the BBC, showed the immediate aftermath of the attack, with adults and young children lying in a street, some severely wounded and others not moving. 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 her daughter, Fatima, were among them, and that Manal’s son was in the intensive care unit. “She was queuing to get the children supplements when the incident happened,” Intisar said. Another woman standing nearby said: “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.” Project Hope’s president and CEO, Rabih Torbay, 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. This cannot continue.” Unicef boss Catherine Russell said: “The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable.” 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.”

Funeral prayers were held outside al-Aqsa hospital for those killed outside the clinic

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. The attacks happened as mediators attempted to build momentum towards a ceasefire deal at indirect proximity talks in Doha. However, significant gaps between Israel and Hamas appear to remain. On Wednesday night, a senior Israeli official told journalists in Washington that it could take one or two weeks to reach an agreement. The official, who was speaking during a visit to the US by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also 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. On Thursday Netanyahu confirmed that “in the beginning of that ceasefire we will enter negotiations on a permanent end to the war, that is, a permanent ceasefire” and that Israel’s conditions were that Hamas must disarm and Gaza be demilitarised. “If this can be achieved in negotiations – so much the better. If this will not be achieved in negotiations after 60 days, we will achieve it in other ways; by applying the might of our heroic army,” he said. Netanyahu told the right-wing US media outlet Newsmax, Hamas still held 50 hostages, “20 definitely alive, and some 30 that are not alive”. “We now have a deal that supposedly we’ll get half of the living and half of the dead out” he added, telling Newsmax “it’s been hell” for them. Earlier, Hamas issued a statement saying that the talks had been difficult, blaming Israeli “intransigence”. The group said it had shown flexibility in agreeing to release 10 hostages, but it reiterated that it was seeking a “comprehensive” agreement that would end the Israeli offensive.

‘They were just kids’: Mother mourns sons killed in Israeli strike while waiting for aid

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BBC Two of Iman al-Nouri’s five sons were killed on Thursday’s Israeli strike, while a third was seriously wounded

Iman al-Nouri’s youngest son, two-year-old Siraj, woke up crying from hunger on Thursday and asked to get some nutritional supplements. Siraj’s 14-year-old cousin, Sama, agreed to take him and two of his older brothers – Omar, nine, and Amir, five – to the Altayara health clinic in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. “The [medical] point was still closed, so they were sitting on the pavement when suddenly we heard the sound of the strike,” Iman told a local journalist working for the BBC. “I went to [my husband] and said: ‘Your children, Hatim! They went to the point.'”

Family handout Amir, five, was killed instantly in the Israeli strike, according to Iman

Warning: This piece contains graphic descriptions of death and violence Iman, a 32-year-old mother of five, rushed to the scene after hearing the strike, only to find her sons and niece lying on a donkey cart that was being used to transport casualties to the hospital because there were no ambulances. Amir and Sama were among the dead, while Omar and Siraj were seriously wounded. “Omar still had some breath in him. They tried to revive him,” Iman recalled. “Omar needed blood, and it took them an hour to get it. They gave it to him, but it was in vain.” “Why are they gone? Why? What did they do wrong?” she asked. “They had dreams just like any other children in the world. If you gave them a small toy, they’d be so happy. They were just kids.”

Family handout Nine-year-old Omar (right), pictured with his elder brother, died of his wounds in hospital

Iman said Siraj’s head was bleeding and he had lost an eye – an image that she cannot now get out of her head. “He had fractures in his skull and… according to the doctor, not just bleeding, but [a major haemorrhage] on his brain,” she added. “How long can he stay like this, living on oxygen? Two are already gone. If only he could help me hold on a little longer.” Tragically, doctors have said they are unable to treat Siraj. “Since yesterday at 07:00 until now, he’s in the same condition. He’s still breathing, his chest rises and falls, he still has breath in him. Save him!” she pleaded.

Family handout Iman said doctors had told her that they were unable to treat two-year-old Siraj

A spokesperson for the US-based aid group Project Hope, which runs the Altayara clinic, told the BBC that the strike happened at around 07:15. Women and children were waiting outside before it opened at 09:00, in order to be first in line for nutrition and other health services, Dr Mithqal Abutaha said. CCTV footage of the Israeli air strike shows two men walking along a street, just metres away from a group of women and children. Moments later, there is an explosion next to the men and the air is filled with dust and smoke. In a graphic video showing the aftermath of the attack, many dead and severely wounded children and adults are seen lying on the ground. “Please get my daughter an ambulance,” one woman calls out as she tends to a young girl. But for many it was too late for help.” Dr Abutaha said 16 people were killed, including 10 children and three women. The Israeli military said it targeted a “Hamas terrorist” and that it regretted any harm to what it called “uninvolved individuals”, while adding that the incident was under review.

Project Hope said the strike was “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and a stark reminder that no one and no place is safe in Gaza”. Dr Abutaha said it was “unbearable” when he found out that people were killed “where they [were] seeking their basic humanitarian and human rights”. He questioned the Israeli military’s statement on the strike, including its expression of regret, saying that it “cannot bring those patients, those beneficiaries back alive”. He also said that the clinic was a UN-recognised, “deconflicted humanitarian facility”, and that no military actions should have taken place nearby.

Anadolu via Getty Images The UN says there are thousands of malnourished children across Gaza

Iman said her children used to go to the clinic every two or three days to get nutritional supplements because she and Hatim were not able to give them enough food. “Their father risks his life just to bring them flour. When he goes to Netzarim [military corridor north of Deir al-Balah], my heart breaks. He goes there to bring food or flour.” “Does anyone have anything? There’s no food. What else would make a child scream if he didn’t want something?” Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries to Gaza at the start of March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the Palestinian armed group to release Israeli hostages. Although the blockade was partially eased in late May, amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, there are still severe shortages of food, as well as medicine and fuel. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) says there are thousands of malnourished children across the territory, with more cases detected every day. Dr Abutaha said Project Hope had also noticed an alarming rise in cases of malnutrition among adults, which they had not observed before in Gaza. In addition to allowing in some UN aid lorries, Israel and the US helped set up a new aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), saying they wanted to prevent Hamas from stealing aid. But since then, there have been almost daily reports of people being killed by Israeli fire while seeking food. The UN human rights office said on Friday that it had so far recorded 798 such killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF’s sites, which are operated by US private security contractors and located inside military zones in southern and central Gaza. The other 183 killings were recorded near UN and other aid convoys. The Israeli military said it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed and that it was working to minimise “possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible”. The GHF accused the UN of using “false and misleading” statistics from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Iman said a ceasefire “means nothing to me after my children are gone”

Since last Sunday, Israeli and Hamas negotiators have attended eight rounds of indirect “proximity” talks in separate buildings in Doha.

They have been facilitated by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and senior Egyptian intelligence officials, and attended by US envoy Brett McGurk.

The mediators have relayed dozens of verbal and written messages between the Hamas delegation and the Israeli delegation, which has included military, security and political officials.

But on Friday night, Palestinian officials familiar with the negotiations told the BBC they were on the verge of collapse, with the two sides deeply divided on several contentious issues.

They said the most recent discussions had focused on two of those issues: the mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza and the extent of the Israeli military withdrawal.

Hamas has insisted that humanitarian assistance must enter Gaza and be distributed via United Nations agencies and international relief organisations.

Israel, on the other hand, is pushing for aid distribution via the controversial Israeli- and US-backed mechanism run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

According to mediators involved in the process, there has been some limited progress on bridging the divide over this issue. However, no formal agreement has been reached.

Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel intensifies bombardment, rescuers say

3 July 2025 Share Save David Gritten BBC News Reporting from Jerusalem Share Save

Reuters Women and children were said to have been killed in an Israeli strike on a tent in southern Gaza

At least 69 people have been killed by Israeli fire across Gaza on Thursday, rescuers say, as Israel intensified its bombardment of the Palestinian territory. One air strike killed 15 people at a school-turned-shelter for displaced families in Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency. The Israeli military said it targeted a “key” Hamas operative based there. The Civil Defence also reported that 38 people were killed while queueing for aid, or on their way to pick it up. The military said such reports of extensive casualties were “lies”. It comes as pressure mounts on both Israel and Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal being pushed by US President Donald Trump.

Trump announced on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the “necessary conditions” to finalize a 60-day ceasefire. However, there are still obstacles that could prevent a quick agreement. Hamas has said it is studying the proposals – the details of which have still not been made public – but that it still wants an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will travel to Washington on Monday, has meanwhile insisted that the Palestinian armed group must be eliminated.

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its aircraft had struck around 150 “terror targets” across Gaza over the previous 24 hours, including fighters, tunnels and weapons. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said 118 people had been killed during the same period. Fifteen people, most of them women and children, were killed when a school housing displaced families in the al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City was struck before dawn on Thursday, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and medics said. Witness Wafaa al-Arqan told Reuters news agency: “Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning… What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?” The IDF said it struck a “key Hamas terrorist” who was operating in a “command-and-control centre” in Gaza City, without mentioning the school. The IDF added that it took numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians and accused Hamas of using human shields – an allegation the group has repeatedly denied. At least another five displaced people were reportedly killed when a tent was struck overnight in the southern al-Mawasi area, where the IDF has told residents of areas affected by its evacuation orders to head for their own safety. Ashraf Abu Shaba, who lived in a neighbouring tent, said he saw the bodies of children and women wrapped in blankets afterwards. “The occupation [Israel] claims there are safe zones, but there are no safe zones. Every place is a target… The situation is unbearable,” he added. Later, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP news agency that another 38 people were killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid. He said 25 were killed near the Israeli military’s Netzarim corridor in central Gaza. Six died at another location nearby, while seven were killed in the southern Rafah area, he added. Medics at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis separately told Reuters that at least 20 people were killed while making their way to an aid distribution centre. There was no direct response to the reports from the IDF.

Reuters Nasser hospital treated Palestinians men reportedly shot by Israeli forces while seeking aid

Palestinians still flock to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites, even after hundreds are killed by Israeli forces.

Khan Younis, Gaza – At the sight of her son Ahmed’s bullet-riddled body laid out in the courtyard of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, Asmahan Shaat collapsed on the ground, overcome by grief. Her screams echoed through the air, her voice choked by shock and sorrow.

She kissed the 23-year-old’s face, hands and feet as she cried. Her six other children and relatives tried to hold her back, but she pushed them away.

“Leave me with him. Leave me with him,” she cried. “Ahmed will speak again. He told me, ‘Mom, I am not going to die. I’ll bring you something from the aid centre in Rafah.’”

Ahmed had left the displaced family’s shelter in al-Mawasi before dawn on Thursday to collect food. He never returned.

His cousin, Mazen Shaat, was with him. Mazen said Ahmed was shot in the abdomen when Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd near the United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centre in Rafah. Others were also killed and wounded.

In just one month, 600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,200 wounded by Israeli fire near GHF aid distribution sites, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office, and the number of deaths at these centres climbs on a near-daily basis. What were meant to be lifelines – facilitated by the US while bypassing United Nations agencies – have instead become fatal chokepoints.

Human rights organisations and UN officials have criticised the GHF model as militarised, dangerous and unlawful. A report published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Friday quoted Israeli army soldiers saying they had been ordered to shoot into unarmed crowds, even when no threat was present.

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Asmahan’s grief turned to fury: “Is it reasonable that my son should die because he went to bring us food? Where is the world that calls itself free? How long will this torture go on?”

Gaza’s population of 2 million people, worn out by 21 months of relentless bombing and displacement, has been pushed to the brink of famine by Israel’s restrictions that have, since March 2, allowed only a trickle of humanitarian items through the sealed crossings it controls.

‘We want you, not food’

Inside the morgue at Nasser Hospital, not far from where Ahmed lay, 25-year-old Shireen threw herself on the body of her husband, Khalil al-Khatib, 29. She was barely able to stand as she sobbed.

“Khalil, get up. Your son Ubaida is waiting for you,” she cried. “I told him this morning, ‘Daddy will come back soon.’ We don’t want food – we want you.”

Khalil had also left from al-Mawasi in search of aid. His father-in-law, Youssef al-Rumailat, said Khalil was careful to avoid Israeli tanks and never expected to be targeted.

“He was a gentle man,” Youssef said. “He feared for his safety in a place where everything has become deadly, so he hadn’t been able to provide anything for his children. His son Ubaida, who just turned five, would ask for bread or rice. And he’d cry because he couldn’t provide that or milk for his youngest, born just days into the war.”

“They use our desperation,” Youssef said bitterly. “Nothing is more painful for a man than not being able to provide for his family. These places are now death traps. This is not aid. This is annihilation.”

Youssef said the family, like many others, has lost all trust in the new humanitarian mechanism. “We don’t want this blood-soaked aid. Let us go back to the UN system. At least we weren’t being killed trying to eat.”

Hunger, desperation and death

The GHF, launched in May with Israel’s coordination, was intended to deliver food directly to southern Gaza. However, its deliveries are not routed through traditional humanitarian agencies like UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which Israel has accused – without providing conclusive evidence – of ties to Hamas. Critics said this exclusion has contributed to a breakdown in oversight, coordination and safety.

While Israel said it facilitates aid deliveries and targets only perceived threats, testimonies and reports paint a starkly different picture.

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Mustafa Nabil Abu Eid, 31, displaced from Rafah to al-Mawasi, was returning from the Rafah distribution point with his friend Abdullah Abu Ghali, 39. They were carrying a few bags of pasta, rice and lentils in their backpacks.

Mustafa described the trip as a “death journey”.

“We walk about 2km [1.2 miles] just to reach the edge of the zone,” he said. “Then we wait – hours sometimes – until tanks move back. When they do, we run across open ground. You don’t know if you’ll get food or be killed.”

He said he’s often asked why people still go.

“There’s no choice. If we stay in the tents, we die from hunger, disease, bombing. If we go, we might die, but we might also bring something back for our kids.”

Mustafa has five children. His eldest, Saba, is 10. His youngest – twins Hoor and Noor – just turned three.

“They cry from hunger. I can’t bear it. We search for life through death.”

‘Death trap’ distribution

Aid agencies have warned that famine is already present in parts of Gaza. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported in June that the entire population is facing acute food shortages with more than one million people at risk of starvation. Children are dying from malnutrition and dehydration.

With UNRWA’s operations severely restricted and the GHF offering limited, inconsistent and dangerous access to food, desperate civilians have little choice but to risk their lives for basic sustenance.

Since the American-Israeli aid initiative began on May 27, 39 people remain unaccounted for, presumed missing or killed near the aid zones, according to Gaza’s government. Some have likely been buried in unmarked graves or remain trapped under rubble or in inaccessible terrain.

Call for accountability

The systematic attacks on civilians at aid sites may amount to war crimes, according to international legal experts and human rights watchdogs. Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict must ensure the protection of civilians and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid.

“Deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, including aid workers and distribution points, are strictly prohibited,” the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a June statement.

But for families like the Shaats and the Khatibs, legal classifications offer little comfort.

Asmahan clings to one hope – that her son’s name will not be forgotten.

“He just wanted to feed his family,” she said. “He did nothing wrong. They killed him like his life meant nothing. Tell the world: We are not numbers. We are people, and we are starving.”

This piece was published in collaboration with Egab.