At least 74 people were killed after Israeli forces struck and opened fire at a a seaside cafe, which was filled with Palestinians seeking food.
One witness, Ali Abu Ateila, who was inside the cafe during the attack, said the airstrike hit the area when it was crowded with children and women.
He said the warplane abruptly hit the cafe and shook it like an earthquake.
Northern Gaza’s head of emergency and ambulance services, Fares Awad, confirmed at least 30 people were killed in the gunfire. Dozens of others were injured, many critically.
According to Shifa Hospital, which treated the casualties, two other airstrikes on a local street killed 15 people. Another strike that hit a building killed six others near Zawaida, a town in the Gaza strip.
The seaside cafe was one of the only businesses that was still running since the war began and had become a popular gathering spot for locals seeking a place to charge their mobile devices. It also provided internet access for residents.
Video of the attack, which has since circulated online, shows several disfigured and bloodied figures lying on the ground. The wounded could also be seen being transported away in blankets.
The same day, 11 people were killed after Israeli forces opened fire on a group of people searching for food in southern Gaza.
Nasser Hospital, one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza, received the bodies of those who were attacked while returning from Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) food aid site backed by the U.S.
The attack occurred less than 2 miles away from the GHF site in Khan Younis, as residents came back from the only accessible route.
An additional person was killed near a Rafah GHF hub and another person was killed while waiting to receive food near the border between southern and northern Gaza.
The Health Ministry’s ambulance and emergency service said ten others were killed at a United Nations aid warehouse.
Targeted By the Israeli Artillery
Monzer Hisham Ismail, who witnessed the attacks, said Israeli troops attacked the groups of residents returning from the GHF hub in Khan Younis.
Another victim, Yousef Mokheimar, was walking with the group when he saw Israeli troops approaching them in tanks. He was shot in the leg when the troops opened fire at the crowds.
Another man was shot while trying to save him.
Mokheimar said the troops detained a group of people, including three children, who may or may not be still alive.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the ongoing 20-month war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians – both combatants and civilians. Over half of those killed were women and children.
