Gaza Strikes Kill 14 as Displaced Seek Refuge in Aid Zone

At least 14 people, including two children and a woman, were killed in two Israeli airstrikes in Gaza late Monday and early Tuesday, according to Palestinian medical officials.

One of the strikes reportedly hit a makeshift cafeteria in Muwasi, the center of a region designated by Israel as a humanitarian safe zone, with the strike coming just hours after Israel announced it would expand the zone.

Two Children Killed: Hospital Officials

Nasser Hospital officials said at least 11 people were killed in the blast, including two children.

Video footage from the scene captured rescuers carrying bloodied casualties from among tables and chairs set up in the sand in an enclosure made of corrugated metal sheets.

The Muwasi area hosts sprawling tent camps where thousands of displaced residents have sought shelter.

Another Gaza Camp Hit

Another Israeli strike early Tuesday hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

According to al-Awda Hospital, three people were killed, including a woman, and 11 others were wounded.

The Israeli military has not commented on either strike.

Last week, an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed at least 20 people, with women and children among the dead, according to Palestinian authorities.

The strike targeted a home in Beit Lahiya, where several displaced families had sought shelter, said Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya, who received the casualties.

The Israeli military said that it had aimed at a weapons storage site used by militants, asserting that “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians.”

Will the U.S. Restrict Israel Military Funding?

The Biden administration has set a deadline this week for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza or potentially face restrictions on U.S. military funding.

Israel’s expanded humanitarian zone was part of steps to improve the situation.

However, U.S. officials have said Israel is not doing enough, though they have not detailed specific actions the U.S. might take if Israel fails to boost humanitarian aid in Gaza.

A report from eight international aid agencies on Tuesday said Israel has failed to meet U.S. requirements.

On Oct. 7 last year Hamas sparked the current conflict by attacking Israel and killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping roughly 250 hostages. Nearly 100 people remain in captivity, less than 70 of whom are believed to be alive. Since then, the ongoing conflict in Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

This figure includes both civilians and militants, however Gaza health officials do not distinguish between Hamas fighters and civilians who have been killed by the Israeli military.

Israel says that its strikes target Hamas militants, who it accuses of embedding themselves within civilian infrastructure and the displaced population of Gaza.

Humanitarian Aid in Gaza

In October, Israel’s Parliament passed two bills to ban the main U.N. agency providing aid to people in Gaza from operating on Israeli soil.

The first bill, which passed 92-10, bars United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from conducting “any activity” or providing any service inside Israel. The second bill severs diplomatic ties between government employees and UNRWA.

Over 1.9 million Palestinians are displaced and facing severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.

More than a year of conflict has exacerbated the situation, and the legislation threatens to cripple the flow of aid to those reliant on UNRWA’s services.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press