At least 74 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Monday, as Israeli airstrikes hit a crowded seaside cafe and troops opened fire on residents seeking food aid, according to witnesses and health officials.
An Israeli airstrike struck the Al-Baqa Cafe in Gaza City, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more, many critically, Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s emergency and ambulance service in northern Gaza, confirmed.
Ali Abu Ateila, who was inside the cafe at the time, described the moment of the strike: “Without a warning, all of a sudden, a warplane hit the place, shaking it like an earthquake,” he said.
The cafe, one of the few remaining businesses still operating during the nearly 20-month-long war, was a gathering spot for residents seeking internet access and charging points for their phones. Videos circulating on social media showed bloodied bodies on the ground and the wounded being carried away wrapped in blankets.
Two other Israeli airstrikes on a street in Gaza City killed 15 people, Shifa Hospital reported. Another airstrike near the town of Zawaida killed six people, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital.
In separate incidents, Israeli forces shot and killed at least 11 Palestinians seeking food aid in southern Gaza, according to witnesses, hospital officials, and the Gaza Health Ministry.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received the bodies of people shot while returning from an aid distribution site associated with the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF). The shooting is part of a deadly pattern that has killed more than 500 Palestinians around the controversial aid program over the past month.
The latest shootings occurred approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the GHF site in Khan Younis as Palestinians returned along the only accessible route. Many residents are forced to walk long distances to the GHF hubs, hoping to obtain desperately needed food supplies.
Nasser Hospital also reported one person killed near a GHF hub in the southern city of Rafah. Another person was killed while waiting for aid near the Netzarim corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital.
In a separate incident, 10 people were killed at a United Nations aid warehouse in northern Gaza, Gaza's Health Ministry confirmed.
Witnesses describe gunfire on civilians
Monzer Hisham Ismail, a witness to the Khan Younis shooting, said Israeli troops attacked crowds returning from the GHF hub. “We were targeted by (the Israeli) artillery,” he said.
Another witness, Yousef Mahmoud Mokheimar, who was walking with dozens of others, said Israeli troops in tanks and other vehicles approached rapidly. “They fired at us indiscriminately,” he said, adding that he was shot in the leg, while another man was shot trying to rescue him.
Mokheimar also said Israeli forces detained six people, including three children. “We don’t know whether they are still alive,” he added.
66 children die from malnutrition in Gaza as Israel’s siege tightens
The Israeli military said it is reviewing information about the incidents. It has previously stated that it fires warning shots at individuals who move suspiciously or approach troops, including those collecting aid.
Israel and the US have promoted the GHF as an alternative to the UN-coordinated aid system, which they accuse Hamas of exploiting. The UN denies systematic diversion of aid.
The Israeli military said new steps have been taken to improve organization at aid sites, including fencing, signage, and additional access routes.
Israel maintains that it targets militants and blames civilian casualties on Hamas, accusing the group of operating within civilian areas.
Strikes intensify in Gaza city
Israeli bombardments escalated across Gaza City and the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp, following widespread evacuation orders issued on Sunday and Monday for much of northern Gaza.
Palestinians described intense overnight attacks, calling them a "scorched earth" campaign. Mohamed Mahdy, a Gaza City resident who fled his damaged home Monday morning, said: “They destroy whatever left standing… the sound of bombing hasn’t stopped.”
Fares Awad of the emergency services said most of Gaza City and Jabaliya have become inaccessible to ambulances due to ongoing strikes, leaving many trapped under rubble.
The Israeli military said civilians were notified of the operations, which targeted Hamas military command and control centers.
The ongoing war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. The ministry says more than half of those killed were women and children.
The conflict began with a Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and led to 251 hostages being taken. Israel says about 50 hostages remain in captivity, many of them believed to be dead.
Source: AP