Israel said on Thursday that its airstrike on a UN food distribution centre in southern Gaza killed a Hamas commander who had been targeted, and Palestinian health officials said it also killed four more people including a UN worker.
The Israeli military said the strike killed Mohammad Abu Hasna, whom it described as a Hamas militant who provided intelligence to the group on Israeli troops’ positions and was “also involved in taking control of humanitarian aid and distributing it to Hamas terrorists.”
The name Mohammad Abdel-Halim Abu Hasna appears on the list of five fatalities from the strike, provided by Gaza health officials.
There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas that he was a member of the group now battling against Israeli forces in Gaza.
At least one UNRWA staff member was among the five killed and 22 others were injured, the agency said and the facility’s coordinates had been shared with the Israeli military.
“Today’s attack on one of the very few remaining UNRWA distribution centres in the Gaza Strip comes as food supplies are running out, hunger is widespread and, in some areas, turning into famine,” said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.
The UN has warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza – one-quarter of the population – are on the brink of famine.
On Tuesday, the United Nations used a new land route to deliver food to northern Gaza for the first time in three weeks.
“We have been taking efforts to facilitate more aid into northern Gaza,” Israeli government spokesperson Tal Heinrich told journalists on Wednesday.
“This was a pilot to prevent Hamas from taking over the aid as they often do.”
Hamas has denied Israel’s accusations and says Israel is using famine to pressure the Palestinian population.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he was determined to have UNRWA replaced by other agencies without harming aid distribution, over the agency’s alleged links with Hamas militants.
Pressure
With the Gaza war now in its sixth month, global pressure has been growing on Israel to allow more access to the enclave.
The United States, Jordan and others have conducted airdrops of aid in Gaza and on Tuesday. While UN officials have welcomed new aid routes, they stress there is no substitute for land access.
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas’ 7 October attack in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government. More than 31,045 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
The 7 October attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
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