At least eight Palestinians who worked for the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) died in an ambush, the GHF said yesterday.
A bus carrying about two dozen GHF workers was raked with gunfire on Wednesday night as it headed to an aid centre in southern Gaza, the foundation said, adding that many of its staff were injured and some might have been kidnapped.
Separately, the local health authority said 103 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and 400 wounded in the past 24 hours across the battered enclave – including 21 people killed this morning near GHF sites.
Locals said the Internet was down across much of the Gaza Strip, adding to the chaos and confusion. The United Nations said the blackout was probably caused by Israel military activity damaging the last cable into the enclave.
“Lifelines to emergency services, humanitarian co-ordination, and critical information for civilians have all been cut. There is a full Internet blackout, and mobile networks are barely functioning,” deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
GHF’s interim director, John Acree, said his organisation had considered closing its centres yesterday because of the bus ambush, but in the end, opted to remain open.
“We decided that the best response to the Hamas murderers was to keep delivering food for the people of Gaza who are counting on us,” he said in a statement.
The Israeli military said it was continuing to target Hamas fighters in Gaza, killing three who fired an anti-tank missile towards its soldiers, and hitting a building near a medical centre that it said was being used to make weapons.
It also said it had arrested several Hamas members in Syria overnight, accusing them of planning to attack Israelis.
The military ordered residents of several neighbourhoods in central Gaza to evacuate and head to western Gaza City.
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is operating with great force in the areas where you are located,” IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X.
He later issued a similar warning for residents in the city centre of Khan Younis, to the south, and nearby blocks.
The Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) association called for the protection of the city’s Nasser Hospital and the hundreds of patients and healthcare workers inside, as Israeli attacks threatened to shut down the facility.
Israel has fought for more than 20 months to eliminate Hamas after it launched deadly attacks October 7, 2023 that ignited the war. All efforts to end the conflict through negotiations have failed.
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