Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza, including 7 waiting for food

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 18 Palestinians on Sunday, including seven people shot dead while waiting to collect food aid.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that seven people were killed in an Israeli drone strike that hit a hospital courtyard in Gaza City, in the territory's north.

Witnesses said the victims were members of a Hamas unit, which a source from the Palestinian militant group described as responsible for distributing aid and "fighting thieves".


There was no comment from the Israeli military, which is preparing a broader offensive in Gaza and has sent ground forces to the city's Zeitun neighbourhood in recent days.

After more than 22 months of war, UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in Gaza, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of aid it allows in and convoys have been repeatedly looted. Witnesses on Sunday reported Israeli air strikes across Gaza overnight and into the morning.