Oxfam 'appalled' at killing of Palestinian civilians awaiting aid in Gaza City

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Oxfam said Thursday it is "appalled" by reports of an Israeli attack on Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City that left more than 100 dead and over 700 others injured.

"Israel deliberately targeting civilians after starving them is a gross violation of international humanitarian laws and our humanity," the charity group wrote on X.

"The risk of #Genocide is real," it added.

Early Thursday, Israeli forces shelled a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid south of Gaza City at the "al-Nabulsi Roundabout" area, leaving at least 104 Palestinians dead and 760 injured, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

At least 30,035 Palestinians have since been killed and 70,457 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.