More than 65 killed in Gaza after Israeli forces hit a cafe and crowd seeking food

Israeli forces have killed at least 67 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, conducting air strikes in different parts of Palestinian territory, witness, hospitals and health officials said.

An air strike hit Al-Baqa coffee in the city of Gaza, when it was filled with women and children, said Ali Abu Ateila, who was inside.

Unprecedented warning, suddenly a fighter plane hit the country, shaking it as if it were an earthquake”, he said.

At least 30 people were killed and dozens were injured in cafes, said Faras Awad, head of the Ministry of Health emergency and ambulance in northern Gaza.

Awad said many of the wounded are in serious condition. Two more attacks on a street in Gaza town killed 15 people, according to Schiffa Hospital, which took the victims.

The cafe, one of the few businesses that have continued working during the 20-month war, was a meeting place for residents seeking internet access and filling their phone batteries.

Social media videos show bloody and warped bodies on the ground and the wounded carrying blankets.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces killed 11 people who were looking for food in southern Gaza, according to witnesses, hospitals and the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Nasser Hospital in the southern town of Han Yunis said he accepted the bodies of people shot as they were returning from a food aid distribution point linked to the Israeli-backed Humanist Gas Fund (GHF) and the United States.

In this way over 500 Palestinians have been killed in this chaotic and air distribution programme.

The shooting occurred about two miles [3 km] from the GHF site in Han Yunis, while Palestinians were returning from the country via the only available route. Palestinians are often forced to travel long distances to reach GHF centres in hopes of receiving assistance.

Nasser Hospital said another person was killed near a GHF centre in the southern town of Rafah.

Ten others were killed at a United Nations relief depot in northern Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health's emergency and ambulance service.

The Israeli military said it is reviewing information about the attacks.

In the past, the military had said that it shoots weapons at the warning to people who move suspiciously or approach troops very close, including those who receive aid.

Israel wants the GHF to replace a UN-coordinated system and international aid distribution organisation.

Along with the US, Israel has accused the militant group Hamas of robbing aid and using them to keep power in enclaves. The UN denies there is a systematic misuse of aid.

Hamas is declared a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union.

The Israeli Army said it has recently taken steps to improve organisation in the area, including the establishment of new fences, signalling and opening additional routes for access to aid.

Israel says it strikes only militants and blames Hamas for the deaths of civilians, accusing militants of hiding among civilians after operating in populated areas.

The attacks on the town of Gaza occurred as the army intensified the city bombing campaign and the refugee camp Jabalia in the vicinity.

On Sunday and Monday, Israel issued evacuation orders for large areas north of Gaza.

Palestinians reported mass bombings at night until Monday morning. / REL/ Periscopi/