Meanwhile, a former Israeli defence minister says the army is ethnically cleansing northern Gaza

By Ahmed Aziz in Khan Younis, occupied Palestine
Middle East Eye, 30 November 2024

Israeli air strikes killed at least 10 Palestinians seeking aid and three humanitarian workers in Gaza on Saturday.

An Israeli air strike targeted a World Central Kitchen (WCK) vehicle as it transported food supplies along Salah al-Din Road in Khan Younis, eyewitnesses reported.

The strike killed three workers from the international NGO, which had already seen seven aid workers – mostly foreign nationals – killed in an Israeli strike in April, drawing global condemnation.

When two bystanders tried to help the aid workers after the strike, they were also targeted and killed.

“The vehicle carried rice and other food supplies,” Tamer Sammour, an eyewitness, told Middle East Eye.

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“I retrieved the World Central Kitchen equipment from the scene, including a list of those scheduled to receive the aid.”

Mohammed Abu Abed, a Khan Younis resident, identified one of the two men killed in the second strike as Adel Sammour.

“He asked me last night for bread, but I couldn’t help him,” Abu Abed told MEE.

“The two men were farmers heading to work to make ends meet,” he explained.

Israel’s killing of aid workers is no accident. It’s part of the plan to destroy Gaza

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“They were waiting to be picked up for work when the first strike hit the vehicle nearby,” he continued.

“When they tried to assist, they were also targeted and killed.

“They were just trying to make a living. They were innocent.”

The Israeli military confirmed the targeted strike, claiming without evidence that a “terrorist” inside the “civilian unmarked vehicle” had been killed.

In a separate attack, an Israeli air strike killed at least 11 people when it targeted a vehicle and a group of citizens receiving flour in the Qizan al-Najjar area, south of Khan Younis, according to local media. 

Other deadly strikes were reported in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighbourhood and northern Gaza.

According to Al Jazeera, at least 46 Palestinians were killed on Saturday. 

The death toll since October 2023 rose to 44,382, with 105,142 wounded, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Nearly 70 percent of the victims are children and women, according to the UN. 

‘Ethnic cleansing’ in northern Gaza

Meanwhile, former Israeli defence minister Moshe Ya’alon said the military was carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza.

During the ongoing assault on northern Gaza, which has lasted nearly two months, Israeli forces have been accused of mass killings, blocking aid and preventing medical and rescue crews from operating in the area.

“There is no Beit Lahia, there is no Beit Hanoun. They are operating in Jabalia and are essentially clearing the area of Arabs,” Ya’alon said in an interview with Democrat TV, describing the actions of Israeli forces.

The Israeli military says it is working to prevent Hamas from regrouping in northern Gaza.

‘The path we are being dragged down is occupation, annexation, and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip’

– Moshe Ya’alon, former Israeli defence minister

However, rights experts have accused Israel of attempting to ethnically cleanse the area of Palestinians as part of a plan to eventually declare northern Gaza a closed military zone.

“The path we are being dragged down is occupation, annexation and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip -population transfer, call it what you want, and Jewish settlements,” Ya’alon added.

Elsewhere, a Hamas delegation arrived in Egypt on Saturday amid reports of a new push to secure a ceasefire.

Delegations from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and Fatah were also set to attend the talks, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper.

Negotiations to secure a deal have stalled for months due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s shifting position, with accusations that he has attempted to sabotage talks for political reasons.

Hamas said last week it was ready to resume talks and reiterated its demand for an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and an exchange of prisoners.

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