Latest Middle East developments: 3 die in overcrowding near Gaza bakery due to lack of food

Two children and a woman were crushed to death on Friday as a crowd of Palestinians jostled to get bread from a bakery in the Gaza Strip amid a worsening situation. food crisis in the war-ravaged territory, the medics reported.

The children and a 50-year-old man were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, where a doctor confirmed they died of suffocation due to the crowding at Al-Banna Bakery.

According to official Israeli figures, the flow of food that Israel is letting into Gaza has fallen to near its lowest level in the nearly 14-month war in the past two months. UN and aid officials say hunger and desperation are growing among Gaza’s population, almost all of whom rely on humanitarian aid to survive.

Last week, some bakeries in Gaza were closed for several days due to a lack of flour. AP footage taken last week after it reopened shows large crowds of people huddled together, shouting and jostling at one bakery in Deir el-Balah.

Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip rely heavily on bakeries and charity kitchens, and many can only provide one meal a day for their families.

Thousands of displaced people began in Lebanon returning to their homes this week after a A ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hezbollah.

Many have found their homes reduced to ruins following intense Israeli airstrikes over the past two months, entire neighborhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut, have been destroyed. About 1.2 million people were displaced.

The truce was the first major sign of progress in the region since the war began more than a year ago, triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. But it does not apply to destructive ones war in Gaza. For Palestinians in Gaza and the families of hostages held in the territory, the ceasefire represented another missed opportunity to end nearly 14 months of fighting.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 44,000 people died and more than 104,000 were injured. Israel has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million people.

Here are the latest:

Two children and a 50-year-old woman were crushed to death on Friday as a crowd of Palestinians jostled to get bread from a bakery in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, medical officials said.

The flow of food allowed into Gaza by Israel has fallen to near the lowest level of the nearly 14-month war in the past two months, according to official Israeli figures. UN and aid officials say hunger and desperation are growing among Gaza’s population, almost all of whom rely on humanitarian aid to survive.

A doctor at Al-Aqsa Hospital confirmed that three died of suffocation due to a crowd at Al-Banna Bakery in Deir al-Balah.

Last week, some bakeries in Gaza were closed for several days due to a lack of flour. AP footage taken last week after it reopened shows large crowds of people huddled together, shouting and jostling at one bakery in Deir el-Balah.

Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip rely heavily on bakeries and charity kitchens, and many can only provide one meal a day for their families.

Israel’s rescue service said a gunman opened fire on an Israeli bus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday, wounding eight people in the latest violence to hit the area as tensions soar in the 14-month war between Israel and Hamas.

The military said the assailant, whose identity has not been released, targeted a bus at an intersection near the Israeli settlement of Ariel before being shot dead by Israeli forces. Three victims are in serious condition.

Hamas claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack. In a statement, the militant group identified the attacker as 46-year-old Samer Hussain.

Attacks by Palestinian militants on Israelis in the volatile territory have increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, as the number of Palestinian deaths has also risen sharply. Israeli fire has killed 796 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, mostly during military raids on Palestinian cities and towns. Settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have also increased.