AdvertisementAdvertisementPeople mourn at the morgue of Al-Awda hospital, in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Jun 20, 2025, after several Palestinians were killed as they reportedly headed to a food distribution centre. (Photo: AFP)20 Jun 2025 10:05PM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST GAZA CITY: Gaza's civil defence agency said 31 Palestinian aid seekers were among at least 60 people killed on Friday (Jun 20) by Israeli forces, the latest in a string of deadly incidents near aid distribution sites.Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza Strip and 26 others near a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, an Israeli-controlled strip of land that bisects the Palestinian territory.Thousands of Palestinians have gathered there daily in the hope of receiving food rations, as famine looms across Gaza after more than 20 months of war.The Israeli army told AFP that its troops in the Netzarim area had first fired "warning shots" at "suspects" approaching them.When the individuals continued advancing, "an aircraft struck and eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat", the army said.Israel admits to supporting anti-Hamas armed group in GazaIsraeli tank shelling kills 51 people awaiting aid trucks in Gaza: Health ministrySimilar incidents have occurred in that area regularly since late May, when the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation opened its distribution centres, as Israel eased a two-month aid blocakde.The privately run foundation's operations in Gaza have been marred by chaotic scenes. United Nations agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.Elsewhere in the territory on Friday, Bassal said 14 people were killed in two separate strikes in and around the central city of Deir el-Balah, and 13 others in three Israeli air strikes in the Gaza City area.One of those strikes, which killed three people, hit a phone charging station in the city, Bassal said.In southern Gaza, two people were killed "by Israeli gunfire" in two separate incidents, he added.Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency.The armed wing of Palestinian miliant group, Al-Quds Brigades, said on Friday it had targeted an Israeli military post in the southern city of Khan Younis, claiming "dead and wounded" Israeli troops as a result.Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not comment.Much of Khan Younis, like vast areas across Gaza, is under Israeli military evacuation orders.Source: AFP/rlSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST