At least 16 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military in Gaza on Friday, according to local health authorities, as a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group said it had handed out aid in the enclave after earlier saying that its distribution sites were closed.
The military had no immediate comment on the reports of deaths in war-shattered Gaza. Health authorities said strikes had killed people in Gaza’s Jabalia, Tuffah and Khan Younis areas.
The deaths came Friday, as Palestinians across the war-ravaged Gaza Strip marked the start of Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s most important holidays, with prayers held outside destroyed mosques and homes.
Witnesses and medics told Reuters that Israeli planes and tanks had intensified strikes on Jabalia and nearby Beit Hanoun since the early hours.
The Israeli military issued evacuation orders to residents of certain blocks in northern Gaza on Friday, spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X.
The U.S.-backed …