Agencies Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip)

Israeli strikes and gunfire in the Gaza Strip killed at least 46 Palestinians overnight into Wednesday morning, most of them among crowds seeking food, local hospitals said. The dead include over 30 people who were killed while seeking humanitarian aid, according to that treated dozens of wounded people.

However, as per a BBC report, in the last 24 hours, 104 people have been killed in Gaza and a 399 injured, the Hamas-run health ministry said in its latest update. Many killed and injured were under rubble and in the streets, the ministry said, adding ambulance and rescue teams were unable to reach them. The Israeli military didn’t comment on any of the strikes, but says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, because the group’s militants operate in densely populated areas.

The deaths came as the UK announced it would recognise a Palestinian state in Septem­ber, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, following a similar declaration by France’s president. Israel’s foreign ministry said it rejected the British statement. Addtionally, 7 Palestinians, including a child, died of malnutrition-related causes in the past 24 hours, the ministry said. A total of 89 kids have died of malnutrition since the war began in Gaza. It said 65 Palestinian adults have died of malnutrition-related causes in Gaza since late June.