Israeli strike in Gaza market kills 18 Palestinians, doctors and witnesses say

A doctor and witness told the BBC that the Israeli drone strike targeted Hamas police force, trying to argue for the market in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, at least 18 Palestinians were killed.

Witnesses said Israeli drones fired at members of Hamas police forces, wearing civilian clothing and masks, facing suppliers who were accused of price fraud and selling goods from AIDS trucks.

Hamas – The Ministry of Interior of Operations condemned the strike, accusing Israel of “new crimes against the police department responsible for maintaining public order.”

The BBC has contacted the Israeli military for comment.

A witness told the BBC that there was a clash on Thursday in the case of police versus suppliers, and the unit commander shouted: “Either sell it at a fair price or we will confiscate the goods.”

Witnesses said that at the time some suppliers “draw their pistols and one person had Kalashnikov.”

Local residents said Israeli drones fired two missiles.

Video of the consequences shows the bodies scattered on the ground and panicked shoppers screamed as ambulance rushed to the injured.

A doctor at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah told BBC 18 that the body was taken to the morgue. It is not clear how many people are police officers.

This incident happened as civilians in Gaza continue to work hard to get food at distribution sites at our and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) reportedly distributed sites in the Gaza centres in the south and central Gaza, as well as limited market goods sold at highly expensive prices.

GHF is accused of violating international aid organizations’ violations of humanitarian principles – received $30 million from the United States on Thursday, which supported Israel’s efforts to ensure it becomes Gaza’s largest aid organization.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of “re-controlling humanitarian aid…and stealing civilians from civilians” in northern Gaza, as he gave the army two days to develop an “action plan” to prevent this.

This is a video of a truck convoy entering North Gaza at Zikim Gate on Wednesday, which brought armed and masked men into North Gaza.

Israel’s far-right national security minister Itama Ben Gvir shared the video on social media, saying Hamas is “controlling food and goods” and called on Netanyahu to stop aid entering Gaza.

Hamas denied stealing or profiting from aid, and the Gaza High Tribal Affairs Commission (a non-Hamas subsidiary commission established during the war) also dismissed Israel’s “false claims” in a statement Thursday.

“Make sure the aid is done purely through tribal efforts,” it said.

Thousands of aid packages were distributed in a warehouse in Gaza on Thursday.

Hamas political officials were present, but said their role was to “oversight”, a non-governmental organization responsible for distributing about 6,000 food parcels.

“This morning, when the news of my wake telling me that I was getting aid, all my children would start singing and dancing happily. I pray to God that this blessing is still with us,” said a woman waiting for food.

Also on Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its first medical cargo to enter Gaza since March 2.

Nine trucks carrying medical supplies, 2,000 blood and 1,500 plasma were transported without any robbery “despite the high-risk situation”, Whose chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

He added that the money was “only a drop of the sea.”

He said blood and plasma were sent to the Nasser Medical Complex to distribute to hospitals “faced an increasing influx of injuries, many related to events taking place at the food distribution site.”

Hamas – Operating Civil Defense spokesman said at least 14 Palestinians were killed before a strike in the market on Thursday, and Israel was injured in Israel’s military attacks since midnight.

Rescue teams evacuated 14 bodies, including the bodies of three Palestinians, who were waiting for humanitarian assistance near the Wadi Gaza Bridge near the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.

A medical source at nearby Al-Awda Hospital confirmed that three Palestinians were killed and several others were injured by Israeli gunfire near Wadi Gaza Bridge.

Witnesses said Israeli drones opened fire on a large number of civilians reportedly awaiting humanitarian assistance at the time of the attack.

The IDF told the BBC that overnight, a party was found near the troops near the Negalim corridor, and the troops fired warning shots to prevent suspects from approaching them.

The IDF said it was aware of reports on the number of injured individuals in the area, but initial investigations showed that the number did not match the IDF’s information. However, the details of the incident are under additional review.

Elsewhere, five people were killed in an air strike in Israel and among displaced families in a shelter in western Gaza City.

In the Al-Mawasi area of ​​Khan Younis in the southern part of the strip, five members of the Arab Arab family were killed when Israeli air strikes attacked an asylum displaced person. Another Palestinian was also killed during a strike that attacked al-Mawasi’s tent.

Others were injured during the strike.

The IDF said these reports are being studied, but requested for specific coordinates and times. Generally speaking, the IDF said it is “demolishing Hamas military capabilities.”

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to respond to Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.

At least 56,259 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health in the region.