Israeli strikes kill 288 in Gaza, 99 killed near aid sites; 59 massacres in 100 hours
Gaza: The Government Media Office in Gaza has accused Israeli forces of committing 59 massacres over the past 100 hours, resulting in the deaths of 288 Palestinians, including 99 individuals killed near aid distribution points. The office described the attacks as deliberate, targeting civilians, especially children, women, and the elderly, amid efforts to access food and shelter.
According to the statement, a total of 1,088 people have been injured in the latest wave of attacks, many in areas designated as humanitarian aid zones. “The so-called aid points have become death traps,” the statement read, alleging that Israel is intentionally targeting civilians at food lines, displacement centers, and overcrowded shelters.
"The occupation deliberately bombed public recreation areas, markets, homes, and shelters where tens of thousands of displaced people had gathered," the statement added. Among the areas hit was Al-Mawasi, previously declared a “safe zone” by Israeli forces. Civilians attempting to access food in this area were also reportedly killed.
The Media Office condemned the Israeli actions as “brutal crimes” and held the occupation forces fully responsible. It called on international humanitarian and legal bodies to intervene and halt what it described as a “systematic daily genocide.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has also raised alarm over critical shortages of blood supplies. In the past month alone, Gaza hospitals have used 10,000 units of blood, but only 3,500 units have been replenished. Hospitals and medical clinics have also been bombed, further crippling emergency response capacity.
Since the escalation of Israel’s military campaign following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, Gaza health authorities report a total of 57,418 Palestinians killed and 136,261 injured, with the majority being women and children.
The Health Ministry also noted that more than 700 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while attempting to access food. At least 743 deaths and 4,891 injuries have been reported at distribution sites run by the controversial U.S.-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The Government Media Office concluded its statement with a plea to the international community to act swiftly to prevent further loss of civilian life and to ensure accountability for ongoing violations.
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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
