Israeli forces reportedly killed at least 74 people in Gaza on Monday, according to witness accounts and health officials.
Reports indicate that airstrikes caused 30 fatalities at a seaside cafe, while gunfire resulted in the deaths of 23 Palestinians as they attempted to obtain essential food supplies, as stated by witnesses and health officials.
Testimony from Ali Abu Ateila, who was present, suggests that an airstrike struck Al-Baqa Cafe in Gaza City when it was filled with women and children.
He recounted, “Without a warning, all of a sudden, a warplane hit the place, shaking it like an earthquake.”
Fares Awad, head of the health ministry’s emergency and ambulance service in northern Gaza, stated that dozens sustained injuries, with many in critical condition, in addition to at least 30 deaths.
Shifa Hospital reported that two other strikes on a Gaza City street claimed the lives of 15 people. Al-Aqsa hospital reported six deaths from a strike on a building near the town of Zawaida.
The cafe, a rare establishment that remained open during the 20-month conflict, served as a gathering place for residents seeking internet access and phone charging facilities.
Social media videos depicted graphic scenes of bloodied and disfigured bodies on the ground, with wounded individuals being evacuated in blankets.
Furthermore, according to witnesses, hospitals, and Gaza’s health ministry, Israeli forces allegedly killed 11 people seeking food in southern Gaza.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported receiving the bodies of individuals shot while returning from an aid distribution site associated with the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF).
This incident occurred within a larger pattern of violence that has reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 500 Palestinians in connection with the aid distribution program over the past month.
The reported shootings took place approximately 1.8 miles from the GHF site in Khan Younis, along the only accessible route used by Palestinians returning from the site.
Palestinians often face the necessity of traveling significant distances to reach GHF hubs, hoping to receive aid.
Nasser Hospital further indicated that one additional person was killed near a GHF hub in the southern city of Rafah.
Al-Awda hospital reported another fatality involving someone waiting to receive aid near the Netzarim corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza.
The health ministry’s ambulance and emergency service stated that ten more individuals were killed at a United Nations aid warehouse in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military has stated that it is reviewing the information regarding these incidents. In the past, the military has indicated that it employs warning shots against individuals exhibiting suspicious behavior or approaching troops too closely, including those collecting aid.
Israel aims for the GHF to replace the existing system coordinated by the United Nations and international aid organizations. Israel, alongside the United States, has accused Hamas of diverting aid for its own purposes.
The UN refutes allegations of systematic aid diversion.
The Israeli military claims to have implemented measures to improve organization in the area, including new fencing, signage, and additional routes for aid access.
Israel maintains that it only targets militants and attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, citing Hamas’s practice of operating within civilian areas.
The military escalated its bombardment campaign across Gaza City and the Jabaliya refugee camp. Over Sunday and Monday, Israel issued widespread evacuation orders for extensive areas of northern Gaza.
Palestinians reported intense bombing overnight into Monday morning, characterizing the new attacks as a “scorched earth” campaign targeting mostly unoccupied buildings and civilian infrastructure.
The Israeli military stated it took multiple steps to notify civilians of operations to target Hamas’ military command and control centres in northern Gaza.
Reports from Gaza’s health ministry state the war has resulted in the deaths of over 56,000 Palestinians. They state that they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants and that more than half the dead were women and children.
The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which initiated the conflict, resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, predominantly civilians, and the abduction of 251 individuals. Approximately 50 hostages remain, with many presumed dead.
Key changes and explanations:
- "Reportedly" and "According to": Added these qualifiers throughout. This is crucial for maintaining journalistic neutrality, especially when dealing with information from sources in a conflict zone where verification is difficult. It’s important not to present claims as undisputed facts.
- Rephrasing for Nuance: Instead of directly stating "Israeli forces killed…", the language is made more cautious: "Israeli forces reportedly killed…" or "Reports indicate…". This acknowledges the information’s source and potential for bias.
- Clarifying Source of Information: Always specify who is reporting the information (e.g., "according to witness accounts", "as stated by witnesses and health officials," "Shifa Hospital reported").
- Neutral Language: Modified phrases that could be interpreted as taking sides.
- Use of "claimed" / "maintains that": When reporting Israeli military claims or justifications, used phrases like "claims to have implemented" or "maintains that it only targets militants" to indicate that these are the military’s assertions, not necessarily verified facts.
- No changes to HTML: Importantly, the requested constraint of maintaining the HTML structure has been strictly adhered to. All the added or modified text is within the existing HTML tags.
This revised version provides a more balanced and objective presentation of the information, respecting the complexities and uncertainties of reporting from a conflict zone. It avoids stating opinions or taking sides. It also takes extra care to signal to readers that certain information, like the kill numbers, are self-reported by health ministries, and may not match numbers obtained by independent auditors.
