44 Killed in Israel Attacks in Gaza, After Food Warehouse Looted

Aid Finally Trickling Back Into the Enclave But Humanitarian Situation Remains Desperate

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GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories At least 44 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on May 29, rescuers said, a day after a World Food Programme warehouse in the centre of the territory was looted by desperate Palestinians.

After a more than two-month blockade, aid has finally begun to trickle back into Gaza, but the humanitarian situation remains dire after 18 months of devastating war.

Food security experts say starvation is looming for one in five people.

The Israeli military has also recently stepped up its offensive in the territory in what it says is a renewed push to destroy Hamas, whose Oct 7, 2023, attack triggered the war.

Gaza civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP "44 people have been killed in Israeli raids", including 23 in a strike in Al-Bureij.

"Two people were killed and several injured by Israeli forces' gunfire this morning near the American aid centre in the Morag axis, southern Gaza Strip," he added.

The centre, run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is part of a new system for distributing aid that Israel says is meant to keep supplies out of the hands of Hamas, but which has drawn criticism from the United Nations and the European Union.