Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Jun 8 (AP): Israeli fire killed at least five people and wounded others as they headed toward two aid distribution points in Gaza run by an Israeli and US-backed group, Palestinian health officials and witnesses said Sunday. Israel's military said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces.

The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of Palestinians — desperate after 20 months of war — are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials.

In all, at least 108 bodies were brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 48 hours, the territory's Health Ministry said. Israel's military said it struck dozens of fighter targets throughout Gaza over the past day.

Four of the latest bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces fired on them at a roundabout around a kilometre from a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in nearby Rafah.

Israel's military said it fired warning shots at “suspects” who had advanced toward its forces and ignored warnings to turn away. It said the shooting occurred in an area that is considered an active combat zone at night.

Al-Awda Hospital said it received the body of a 42-year-old man and 29 people who were wounded near another GHF aid distribution point in central Gaza. The military said it fired warning shots in the area at around 6:40 am but did not see any casualties.

A GHF official said there was no violence in or around its distribution sites, all three of which delivered aid on Sunday. The group closed them temporarily last week to discuss safety measures with Israel's military and has warned people to stay on designated access routes. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The new aid hubs are set up inside Israeli military zones where independent media have no access.

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Ahmedabad: A sessions court in Gujarat’s Amreli district recently sentenced three persons to life imprisonment for cow slaughter under provisions of the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act.

In the judgement, Sessions Judge Rizvana Bukhari held Kasim Solanki, Sattar Solanki and Akram Solanki guilty of cow slaughter, observing that the three men did it despite knowing that the animals were considered sacred in Hinduism, as reported by Deccan Herald.

The court also imposed a heavy fine of Rs 6 lakh on each of the accused.

The Gujarat Animal Preservation Act prohibits slaughter of any animal of cow progeny in the state.

The Bhupendra Patel-led Gujarat government hailed the verdict as "historic" and asserted that the government was committed to protect the cow which is the "center of Indian culture and faith and the state government will have no mercy" for such crimes.

During the proceedings, Special Public Prosecutor Chandresh Mehta said that this was the first time that three persons had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a single case of cow slaughter in Gujarat by a court.