Seven killed in Gaza as Israeli strike ‘destroys’ aid supply warehouse

Health Ministry warns of ‘complete collapse of the basic necessities of life’ in Gaza as Israel’s attacks continue.

Israeli strikes have killed at least seven Palestinians across Gaza, according to local medical sources, in ongoing violations of a “ceasefire” that went into effect last October.

Three Palestinians were killed and others injured in a strike on a home in Beit Lahiya, near Kamal Adwan Hospital, on Tuesday, a source at al-Shifa Hospital said.

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Earlier in the day, a drone strike that hit a gathering of civilians killed a man in Khan Younis’s al-Mawasi area, and injured three others.

Three other Palestinians died from wounds they sustained in earlier Israeli raids on Khan Younis, said Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Nour Khaled.

Two of them died from injuries suffered in an attack on Monday, while the third had been wounded about two weeks ago, she said.

An Israeli military strike overnight into Tuesday also destroyed a warehouse storing nutrition supplies intended for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers in Gaza, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said.

“The force of the explosion caused large sections of the building to collapse, including the roof and walls, completely burying supplies beneath the rubble,” MAP said in a statement.

“Humanitarian workers, humanitarian facilities and the supplies that people depend on must be protected,” it added.

The warehouse belongs to Ard El Insan (AEI), a local humanitarian organisation working with MAP to support about 60 medical points serving up to 100 women and children daily.

The overnight explosion collapsed large sections of the building, including the roof and walls, burying the supplies under rubble, according to MAP, which said the entire stock was damaged and rendered unfit for human consumption.

“Losing these quantities in their entirety is a major blow to our work and will undoubtedly affect our ability to reach the children and women who need these services, particularly given the conditions they continue to face in the aftermath of starvation,” said Sahar Salem, AEI’s project coordinator.

“Even with the ceasefire, conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging, and children and women still urgently need continued support, she added.

She said two of her colleagues have been killed and another wounded since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began.

Also on Tuesday, the head of Gaza’s Ministry of Health warned of “complete collapse of the basic necessities of life” amid critical oxygen supply shortages.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Director-General Dr Munir al-Bursh said that Israel “continues to escalate its attacks on Gaza and violate the ceasefire agreement, which is present in statements but absent from people’s lives on the ground”.

Al-Bursh added that “only 12 oxygen stations remain operational out of around 34”, and warned that “any additional breakdown could cut off oxygen to patients”.

“If this oxygen supply stops, these people will die,” he said. “We do not want to reach the point where a doctor is forced to choose between two patients, deciding who receives oxygen and who is left without it.”

Ongoing Israeli attacks and ceasefire violations come despite US President Donald Trump’s call for Israel to halt its attacks.

In an interview with Fox News on August 17, Trump said that Israel “should not be striking in Gaza”, and that “Hamas agreed to lay down their weapons” under the terms of a US-backed peace plan.