CNN
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At least 73 people were killed and around 150 injured in Israeli shootings in Gaza while seeking assistance on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Sixteen people have been killed in northern Gaza, the ministry said, while six others were killed in Khan Yunis, south of the Strip. It is unclear whether all 67 people reportedly killed in northern Gaza were killed in the same location or in multiple incidents. It marks one of the highest reported deaths in recent repeated cases where people seeking assistance have been killed.
The Israeli Defense Secretary said after “a gathering of thousands of Gaza people have been identified in the Northern Gaza Strip,” the forces “fired warning shots to remove the immediate threat posed to them.”
“The IDF is aware of the claims regarding casualties in the area and details of the incident are still under consideration,” the Israeli military said without revealing the numbers of the victims.
Israeli forces have also issued warnings to residents of many areas of northern Gaza, including the cities of Beit Rahia, Jabaria and Beit Hanong.
“These areas are active combat zones and are extremely dangerous,” said Avichay Adraee, an IDF Arabic spokesman, on Sunday. “The Israeli Defense Forces operate in these areas with very intense forces. For your safety, travel to these areas is strictly prohibited. Those who hear them are warned.”
People were shot dead by Israeli forces on Sunday morning and attempted to receive assistance northwest of Gaza city, north of the enclave, according to Dr Mohamed Absalmiya, director of Alsifa Hospital in Gaza.
“The Alsifa Medical Facilities are in devastating condition due to an overwhelming number of martyrs, injuries and hungry civilians,” Abu Salmiyah told CNN in a statement.
“There have been many deaths and injuries among those seeking assistance, and ambulances and civilian vehicles have not stopped arriving and transported injuries and deaths from northwest of Gaza,” he continued.
“A significant number of civilians, and even medical staff, have arrived at a state of fainting and collapse due to severe malnutrition,” he said.
Palestine’s Red Crescent said Alsaraya Field Hospital in Gaza city received someone with 120 injured people on Sunday. He also said he received two bodies.
“The Israeli military targeted civilians waiting for assistance arriving from the Jikim area north of Beit Rahia in the North Gaza Strip. Due to the numerous casualties the hospital received, new beds were urgently opened to ensure proper care for the injured.”
Meanwhile, residents of Deial Al Bala in central Gaza said they were forced to be evacuated on Sunday after the IDF warned them to leave the area.
“The plane dropped many leaflets on top of us. The entire sky was covered in houses, streets and everywhere, and it said we had to evacuate certain areas.”
“We live on the edge. We don’t sleep, eat, drink. We don’t have flour or anything. We’re hungry,” she said. “We are dying, our children are dying from starvation.”
Another resident, Mohammad al-Nazirli, told CNN: “We were sitting here in the morning and they were suddenly sending us a message and warning telling us to leave. Where should we go? There’s no place to evacuate… We don’t know where to go.”
Medical Assistance for Palestinians (MAP) said in a statement on Sunday that Israel’s evacuation order “has put dangerous humanitarian and primary healthcare sites at risk, accelerating the systemic demolition of Gaza’s already estimated healthcare systems,” and that offices of several humanitarian organisations have been “ordered to evacuate immediately.”
At least 32 people were killed while seeking assistance near a distribution point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and witnesses.
The Israeli military said the forces “identified suspects who approached them during operational activities in the Rafa area.”
The IDF said the troops called on the suspects to “steer themselves away and after they didn’t follow, the troops fired warning shots.” He said he was aware of the casualty reports and was under review.
About 995 people died while trying to get food near the aid forces between May 27th and Sunday, according to the Hamasran government’s media office in Gaza.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said earlier this month that nearly 800 Gazans were killed in attempts to access aid between late May and July 7th.
CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Abeer Salman contributed to this report.
