Israel killed 13 Palestinians in two airstrikes that Gaza medics and Hamas said were part of a force protecting humanitarian aid trucks, but Israel’s military said they were Hamas fighters trying to hijack the shipment, Reuters reports.

Many of those killed in the attacks on Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza had links to Hamas, medics and Palestinian residents said. The 13 were among 36 Palestinians killed in separate Israeli attacks, the medics said.

The Israeli military said in a statement the two airstrikes aimed to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and accused Hamas members of planning to prevent the aid from reaching Gaza civilians who need it.

The statement said the Hamas members aimed to hijack the aid “in support of continuing terrorist activity.”

Read more here.

Palestinians check the damage inside an apartment hit in an Israeli air strike early on December 12, 2024 near the Nuseirat refugee in the central Gaza Strip, amid the continuing conflict between Israel and Hamas. — AFP
Palestinians check the damage inside an apartment hit in an Israeli air strike early on December 12, 2024 near the Nuseirat refugee in the central Gaza Strip, amid the continuing conflict between Israel and Hamas. — AFP

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