Pope Decries Gaza 'Barbarity' as 85 Killed in Queues for Food

Salmiya, told the Associated Press that since yesterday morning the hospital had received 48 people who were killed and 150 who were wounded while seeking aid from lorries expected to enter Gaza at the Zikim crossing.

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He could not say whether the dead had been killed by the Israeli army, armed gangs or both.

Israel's military said soldiers had shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who it claimed posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties. But it said the numbers reported by officials in Gaza were far higher than its initial investigation had found. It did not immediately comment on the incident in the south.

There was new alarm as Israel's military issued evacuation orders for areas of central Gaza, one of the few areas where it has rarely operated with ground troops and where many international organizations attempting to distribute aid are located.

In central Deir al-Balah, residents said Israeli planes had struck three houses in the area, and dozens of families began leaving their homes, carrying some of their belongings, Reuters reported.