At least five Palestinians were killed and several others wounded by Israeli occupation forces’ fire near the Netzarim Axis in central Gaza, where civilians had gathered waiting for humanitarian aid, local sources reported on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, three civilians were confirmed killed and more than 20 others injured when Israeli forces opened fire near an aid center north of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City said it received eight wounded, including a child, all struck by live ammunition at Nabulsi Junction, southwest of Gaza City.

Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat reported one martyr and 10 wounded after Israeli forces fired at civilians near an aid distribution point on Salah al-Din Street, just south of the Wadi Gaza area.

In Khan Younis, a child was shot in the head by Israeli troops in the Bir 19 area of al-Mawasi neighborhood.

Local sources reported that an Israeli drone targeted the minaret of Abu Salim Mosque in Deir al-Balah, striking it twice. The attack is part of what Gaza officials describe as the systematic targeting of civilian and religious infrastructure.

The Government Media Office in Gaza said 109 aid trucks entered the enclave on Tuesday, but most were looted due to what it called “systematic chaos” instigated by Israeli forces.

The office also criticized six airdrops, four of which landed in areas under occupation control or in previously evacuated neighborhoods, calling them “useless and dangerous for starving civilians.”

“The chaos amounts to a deliberate policy of starvation affecting more than 2.4 million people, including 1.1 million children,” the office warned.

The humanitarian toll was underscored by the death of 10‑year‑old Nour Abu Sala’a, who succumbed to starvation and lack of medical care, emblematic of the crisis caused by Israel’s months-long blockade cutting off food, medicine, and clean water to Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.

In a Tuesday alert, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that the “worst‑case scenario of famine is currently playing out” in Gaza.

Acute malnutrition, disease, and extreme food deprivation have reached catastrophic levels in several areas, especially Gaza City.

Gaza has surpassed famine thresholds for food consumption and child malnutrition, although a formal famine declaration awaits a full assessment.

“Immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access at scale is the only way to prevent more deaths and further catastrophic suffering,” the IPC said.

The group noted that nearly 90% of Gaza lies under evacuation orders or within militarized zones, making food distribution almost impossible. (ILKHA)