As Israel focuses on Iran, Gaza dying toll rises and starvation deepens : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2418x1612+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F08%2F4a%2Fdddb05ac4a71b26250f230c729ee%2F2025-06-17t000000z-878557095-mt1imgost000yet21m-rtrmadp-3-imago-images.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2418x1612+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F08%2F4a%2Fdddb05ac4a71b26250f230c729ee%2F2025-06-17t000000z-878557095-mt1imgost000yet21m-rtrmadp-3-imago-images.JPG" class="img" alt="Killed and wounded Palestinians, after the Israeli attack, are being brought to al-Nasser hospital Killed and wounded Palestinians, after the Israeli attack, are being brought to al-Nasser hospital, on June 17, 2025." fetchpriority="high"/> Palestinians are delivered to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis after being wounded or killed by Israeli forces whereas they tried to get meals on Tuesday. Moaz Abu Taha/APAimages through Reuters cover caption

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Moaz Abu Taha/APAimages through Reuters GAZA CITY and DUBAI — Israel's main focus is now its battle with Iran, however Israeli troops are nonetheless holding territory deep inside Gaza, and Tuesday marked the deadliest day in current weeks for Palestinians there attempting to achieve meals distribution websites and vans.

Well being officers in Gaza say no less than 59 folks have been killed by Israeli navy drones and artillery fireplace Tuesday, and greater than 200 wounded, attempting to get meals. Many of the deaths, no less than 45, occurred at an intersection in southern Gaza's metropolis of Khan Younis, the place a big crowd of individuals had amassed ready for vans to enter carrying flour.

It was the deadliest single incident of individuals desperately attempting to put their arms on meals since late March, when Israel started permitting a trickle of assist into Gaza following almost three months of whole blockade.

Israeli assaults on Palestinians attempting to achieve meals assist since March 27 have killed no less than 400 folks and wounded greater than 3,000, in response to Gaza's Well being Ministry, which releases day by day dying counts. These killed whereas looking for assist are among the many ministry's total dying toll of almost 55,500 folks killed within the battle.

Israel says its restrictions on meals and its continued blockade of different assist is to maintain the objects from benefiting Hamas. The group holds an estimated 20 hostages nonetheless alive and the our bodies of 33 deceased hostages, taken within the lethal Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.

The help restrictions have plunged households in Gaza into excessive starvation. Half 1,000,000 folks in Gaza are actually ravenous and all the territory is prone to famine, in response to a report final month by dozens of impartial specialists on starvation.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5771x3847+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F07%2Fe3%2Fe5f2418e43a3984dfd4b52fd6c3a%2Fap25168382776364.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5771x3847+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F07%2Fe3%2Fe5f2418e43a3984dfd4b52fd6c3a%2Fap25168382776364.jpg" class="img" alt="Palestinians carry the bodies of relatives killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, June 17, 2025." loading="lazy"/> Palestinians carry the our bodies of family killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Tuesday. Mariam Dagga/AP/AP cover caption

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Mariam Dagga/AP/AP "I noticed so many lifeless folks" Individuals started amassing late Monday afternoon in an space of Khan Younis on phrase that assist vans have been going to enter from Israel, stated Salim Saigaly.

The 32-year-old instructor walked from his tent encampment close to the coast for a number of hours within the hopes of getting a sack of flour to feed his 4 kids.

"More often than not I attempt to distract my kids once they discuss of starvation, till they fall asleep," he stated, including that usually would not work. "So, I made a decision to go and take the danger and get some flour."

He and others slept on the highway in a single day, ready for the vans. He stated he was planning to seize a sack of flour off the vans, however was additionally carrying the equal of $170 to purchase one from others there in case he could not get it on his personal.

Palestinian survivors and medical doctors say simply earlier than 9 a.m., the group swelled and moved nearer to the principle roundabout, which is in an space Israel has ordered evacuated. They are saying that is when Israeli drones fired onto the group. Artillery shells have been additionally fired.

Israel's navy advised NPR the incident is underneath assessment and befell close to an space the place troops are.

"Fortunately for me, shrapnel didn't hit me, however what truly fell over me have been items of human flesh and bones," Saigaly stated. "I noticed so many lifeless folks."

He returned to his household empty-handed, having barely escaped together with his life, Saigaly stated.

Movies from the scene present swimming pools of blood and our bodies on the bottom, some nonetheless sporting empty ebook baggage they'd hoped to fill with flour.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3905x2603+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F94%2F6b%2F0146742941f59a9dfecd228ed850%2Fgettyimages-2219839155.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3905x2603+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F94%2F6b%2F0146742941f59a9dfecd228ed850%2Fgettyimages-2219839155.jpg" class="img" alt="Palestinians injured in Israeli fire as they gathered near a food aid center receive care at Khan Younis' Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday." loading="lazy"/> Palestinians injured in Israeli fireplace as they gathered close to a meals assist heart obtain care at Khan Younis' Nasser hospital within the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. AFP/through Getty Photos cover caption

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AFP/through Getty Photos Gaza's primary hospital struggles to manage The lifeless and wounded have been delivered to the close by Nasser Hospital, the final functioning hospital within the space and at present Gaza's greatest. Movies taken by hospital workers and shared on-line confirmed our bodies piled excessive on donkey-drawn carts exterior its emergency room.

Nasser Hospital, which has been bombed and raided by the Israeli navy all through the battle, has simply six working rooms. The hospital was already previous capability, with a whole lot of sufferers being handled inside and round 50 folks, together with kids, in its intensive care unit from different incidents of troops firing onto crowds of individuals attempting to achieve meals assist in current days and weeks. The hospital sits in an space Israel's navy has ordered evacuated.

Medical doctors With out Borders, which has workers on the hospital, stated its medical workforce needed to evacuate the maternity ward to make room for the wounded from Israel's assault in Khan Younis on Tuesday. The group says most of the injured required amputations.

"The hospital has exceeded its capability and is working with restricted provides. It might collapse at any second," the group's emergency coordinator Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa stated.

Every day killings of individuals attempting to get assist The U.N. says many of the assist it has been in a position to carry into Gaza has been taken by hungry crowds off its vans earlier than they will attain warehouses.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4032x3024+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9d%2Fda%2Fd319c72e4c66b7330f53f879933e%2Fwhatsapp-image-2025-06-14-at-10-37-14.jpeg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4032x3024+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9d%2Fda%2Fd319c72e4c66b7330f53f879933e%2Fwhatsapp-image-2025-06-14-at-10-37-14.jpeg" class="img" alt="Relatives of the Palestinians killed in Israeli attack, mourn the bodies at Khan Yunis, Gaza on June 17, 2025." loading="lazy"/> A household mourns a younger man killed by Israeli forces whereas attempting to get a sack of flour off U.N. assist vans getting into northern Gaza on Saturday, June, 14, 2025. Anas Baba/NPR cover caption

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Anas Baba/NPR Over the weekend, greater than 20 folks in northern Gaza have been killed by Israeli fireplace whereas ready for U.N. assist vans to enter via a northern border crossing, additionally in a purple evacuation zone. Israel's navy didn't reply to a request for touch upon that incident.

Many of the deaths over the previous three weeks, although, have been close to new meals distribution websites constructed by Israel's navy and run by U.S. contractors and an organization referred to as the Gaza Humanitarian Basis or GHF. Israel says its forces have fired warning photographs at crowds in these areas, with out elaborating.

The Crimson Cross Area Hospital in southern Gaza stated on Sunday it obtained greater than 170 folks, lots of whom have been wounded by gunshots, as they tried to entry considered one of GHF's websites in southern Gaza. And on Monday, the sphere hospital stated one other 200 instances arrived on the hospital underneath comparable circumstances.

There have been further casualties close to GHF's websites on Tuesday, as nicely, Gaza's well being ministry says.

The U.S. and Israel say the brand new mechanism run by GHF is aimed toward conserving assist from enriching Hamas.

The meals is being distributed at 4 fenced-off websites underneath erratic working occasions. The websites are all situated in navy purple zones of Gaza. This has drawn hundreds of Palestinians nearly day by day to areas designated as off-limits to them, and the place Israeli troops are positioned.

In a press release Tuesday, GHF stated, "Persons are ravenous in Gaza and their desperation can create hazardous situations." The group stated that till there's sufficient meals in Gaza, it is not going to all the time full orderly deliveries however is doing the whole lot it could actually to supply meals shortly.

Farhan Haq, a U.N. spokesperson, stated the brand new system "must be stopped" earlier than extra persons are killed.

"We now have made clear, since this explicit scheme for assist distribution was developed, that we didn't assume it could work," he stated. "And now I believe the entire world can see that that was the case."