94 killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, health staff say – as UN expert calls situation 'apocalyptic'

Airstrikes and shootings killed 94 people in Gaza overnight, including 45 who were trying to access humanitarian aid, the Hamas-run health ministry and hospitals said on Thursday.

Reuters news agency said five people were killed outside sites associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American organisation operating with support from the US and Israeli governments. A further 40 were killed waiting for aid in other locations across the Gaza Strip, while 15 more people were killed in strikes that hit tents in the Muwasi zone in southern Gaza, where many displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

A separate strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City also killed 15 people. Israel's military has not commented on the strikes.

The GHF has been primarily responsible for aid distribution in Gaza since Israel lifted its 11-week blockade on the region last month. It has four distribution centres, which are guarded by private security contractors and located near Israeli military positions.

Palestinian officials and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of opening fire at crowds of people near the sites. Sky News analysis this week showed deaths in Gaza rise significantly when the GHF distributes aid.

Situation in Gaza is 'apocalyptic', says UN expert A United Nations expert on Thursday called for countries to cut off trade with Israel and impose an arms embargo. In a speech to the UN Human Rights Council, the organisation's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories said the situation there is "apocalyptic".

Francesca Albanese told the council in Geneva: "Israel is responsible for one of the cruellest genocides in modern history." Israel has rejected allegations of genocide in Gaza, citing its right to defend itself after Hamas's attack on 7 October 2023. Ms Albanese, one of dozens of independent UN-mandated experts, was presenting her latest report, which names over 60 companies that she says are involved in supporting Israeli settlements and military actions in Gaza.

"What I expose is not a list, it is a system, and that is to be addressed," she said. "We must reverse the tide." Read more:Why Netanyahu wants 90-day ceasefire - analysisBritish-Israeli soldier killed while fighting in Gaza Ms Albanese called for states to suspend all trade agreements with Israel, impose full arms embargoes, and ensure companies face legal consequences for their involvement in violations of international law.

Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva has said Ms Albanese's latest report is "legally groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of her office"..