Israel perpetrates attacks on civilian charity kitchens
Israel has destroyed dozens of community kitchens and aid distribution centres in a continuation of its “systematic starvation policy” during its war on Gaza.
The Gaza Media Office said the Israeli army since October 2023 has directly targeted 26 charity kitchens and 37 aid distribution centres across Gaza. “These food-kitchens were providing meals to displaced and starving civilians,” it said a statement.
The attacks reaffirm “to the world that it [Israel] deliberately pursues a systematic starvation policy as a tool of war and genocide against over 2.4 million Palestinians trapped under siege in Gaza”.
Israel shut down Gaza’s border crossings to all aid supplies on March 2, exacerbating a severe humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli forces ‘targeting, obstructing’ medical teams in Gaza: Physicians group
The Israeli branch of US NGO Physicians for Human Rights has said Israel is “responsible for targeting and obstructing medical teams in Gaza” and demanded accountability, a day after the body of a paramedic was recovered from Rafah.
The group said 14 paramedics and civil defence personnel were missing after heading to Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood amid an Israeli siege. “All were responding to the wounded when last seen,” the physicians’ group said on X. Only the body of one civil defence officer has been found so far.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society on Friday said four ambulance vehicles were found completely destroyed and buried in the sand and accused Israel of “deliberately obstructing search efforts to uncover the fate of our missing teams”.
Satellite image shows Israeli army surrounding missing Red Crescent and civil defence rescuers in Rafah
A Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) rescue team will return to Rafah in southern Gaza today to continue the search for nine missing ambulance crew members.
Late on Friday, the PRCS said the fate of their missing staff members remained unknown for a sixth day as it accused Israeli forces of deliberately obstructing search efforts in Rafah.
“So far, no trace of our team members has been found. Yesterday, we discovered the four ambulance vehicles completely destroyed and buried in the sand,” the organisation said.
Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency obtained exclusive satellite image showing the Israeli army surrounding the civil defence and PRCS vehicles in which the missing emergency workers were travelling.
A satellite image shows the Israeli army surrounding Red Crescent and Palestinian Civil Defence vehicles in Rafah
Gaza death toll rises
At least 921 Palestinians have been killed and 2,054 others wounded in the latest wave of Israeli attacks across Gaza, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
The death toll since October 7, 2023, has risen to 50,277 killed and 114,095 injured.
According to the latest ministry update, 25 people were killed in the past 24 hours and 70 taken to hospital.
