Media: Israeli strikes kill at least 19 in Gaza as UN condemns aid delivery plan

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people in Gaza early on May 5, Gaza’s Civil Defence agency said, following a deadly weekend in which 24 Palestinians were reported killed in separate Israeli attacks across the enclave.

The latest escalation came as the United Nations and humanitarian organisations sharply criticised an Israeli proposal to distribute limited food aid through what they described as “militarised zones,” warning that the plan risks further endangering civilians, Caliber.Az reports per Al-Jazeera.

Aid groups said the scheme was “dangerous” and amounted to delivering “rations” under conditions of war, as Gaza has faced a near-total blockade on food supplies for more than nine weeks.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they would continue launching attacks on Israel’s Ben Gurion airport in retaliation for what they called the intensification of Israel’s “aggressive” military campaign in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a forceful response to the Houthis and Iran, whom Israel accuses of fuelling regional instability.

Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, launched after the October 7 Hamas-led attacks, has killed at least 52,535 people and wounded more than 118,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. A separate estimate from the Government Media Office placed the death toll at over 61,700, including thousands believed to be buried under rubble.

In Israel, the Hamas-led assault on October 7 left some 1,139 people dead and more than 200 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

By Aghakazim Guliyev