The Saturday attack purportedly targeted a relief team that was accompanied by journalists and photographers. Among the dead are at least three local journalists.
In a statement by the Palestinian Journalists’ Protection Center, it was asserted that “journalists were providing documentation of the humanitarian aid efforts for those impacted by Israel’s genocidal conflict” and they are urging mediators of the Gaza ceasefire to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to proceed with implementing the agreed-upon truce and prisoner exchange.
Israel has refused to hold discussions on the second stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which would necessitate negotiations regarding a lasting end to the war—a critical demand from Hamas.
Tareq Abu Azzoum of Al Jazeera, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, indicated that since the initial phase of the agreement in January, various humanitarian organizations and charities have intensified their efforts to deliver aid to Palestinians, particularly during the sacred month of Ramadan.
“The recent attack on Beit Lahiya has provoked widespread condemnation, and it is not an isolated incident. Here in southern Gaza, we have witnessed Israeli drones patrolling overhead, and there are confirmed reports from Rafah city of inhabitants being exposed to Israeli strikes within the past 24 hours,” Abu Azzoum stated.
Labeling the attack on Beit Lahiya as a “barbaric slaughter,” Hamas referred to it as “a continuation of Israeli war crimes against our people” and a significant escalation showing Israel’s disregard for international laws and conventions.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility for striking “two terrorists … operating a drone that posed a threat” to its soldiers in the Beit Lahiya region.
“Subsequently, a number of additional terrorists gathered the equipment for operating the drone and boarded a vehicle. The military targeted the terrorists,” the statement from the Israeli military read, without providing any evidence to substantiate these claims.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the war with Israel has resulted in at least 48,543 confirmed fatalities and 111,981 injuries among Palestinians. The Government Media Office in Gaza has adjusted the death toll to exceed 61,700, indicating that thousands of individuals missing and trapped under debris are presumed deceased.
‘Crisis that has no end in sight’ due to aid blockade
Israel’s ongoing drone strikes in Gaza have coincided with a blockade on all aid entering the region on March 2, shortly after the expiration of the first stage of its tenuous ceasefire with Hamas, intensifying fears of “worsening hunger” and increased hardship for the people of Gaza.
The nation has also suspended the power supply to a vital water desalination plant, jeopardizing Gaza’s access to clean drinking water.
Abu Azzoum reported that “Residents are currently compelled to resort to alternative, detrimental coping measures, such as reducing their daily meals.”
“Families are now struggling to afford a meal to break their fast during Ramadan, which is another indication of a crisis that seems to have no end in sight,” he added.
Human rights organizations have accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity and violating international law by restricting aid to Gaza.
One in three children under the age of two in northern Gaza suffers from acute malnutrition, according to a UNICEF warning issued on Saturday.
Fast-spreading malnutrition among children in Gaza is reaching “devastating and unprecedented levels,” UNICEF stated, due to the impact of Israel’s war and the ongoing limitations on aid distribution in the area.
“Israel’s deliberate reduction of Gaza’s access to water constitutes ‘acts of genocide’,” asserts Niku Jafarnia, a researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Jafarnia explained from Beirut, Lebanon, that Israel is diminishing Gaza’s water supplies “not only by attacking desalination facilities but also by cutting off water via the pipelines that enter Gaza from Israel, by reducing fuel supplies or restricting access to fuel, and by destroying and attacking wastewater facility plants.”
“Additionally, there’s a ban on the entry of repair materials required to reconstruct and repair a significant portion of the water infrastructure, including a warehouse belonging to the water municipality that housed repair equipment worth millions of dollars,” he added.
Ceasefire talks in limbo?
Israel’s aid blockade and recent attacks in Gaza are unfolding as ceasefire negotiations continue.
Nour Odeh of Al Jazeera, reporting from Amman, Jordan, indicated that the truce negotiations appear to be stalled because each negotiating party is resolute in their positions.
“Hamas has offered to release an Israeli captive with dual citizenship, along with the bodies of four captives. Israel has its own proposal while the US envoy Steve Witkoff has proposed an approach more aligned with Netanyahu’s position,” she said.
“However, Hamas insists that discussions must include the end of the war, not just the specifics of an agreement or a bridging proposal, indicating there is still a significant gap,” she added.
