Two children and a woman were crushed on Friday as a crowd of Palestinians rushed to get bread from a bakery in the Gaza Strip, amid a worsening situation. food crisis in this war-ravaged territory, medical officials said.

The bodies of two girls aged 13 and 17 and the 50-year-old woman were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, where a doctor confirmed that They had died of suffocation due to the crowds at the hospital. -Banna Bakery. Associated Press video shows their bodies placed next to each other on the floor inside the hospital morgue.

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

Osama Abu Laban, the father of one of the girls, cried after losing his life outside the hospital.

“My wife collapsed when she found out she (our daughter) was choking. She didn’t know she was dead yet,” he told the AP.

Some bakeries in Gaza were closed for several days last week due to a flour shortage. AP footage taken last week after they reopened showed large crowds of people crowding, shouting and pushing, at a bakery in Deir al-Balah.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip rely heavily on charity bakeries and kitchens, with many able to guarantee only one meal a day for their families.

In Lebanon, thousands of displaced people began go home this week, after a a ceasefire was announced between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.

Many have found their home reduced to rubble after intense Israeli airstrikes over the past two months razed entire neighborhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut. Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced.

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

More than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced almost all of its 2.3 million residents.

Here is the last one:

Israeli military says it struck Hezbollah rocket launcher site in southern Lebanon

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said it struck an area in southern Lebanon on Friday where it detected the movement of a Hezbollah rocket launcher, the third day of the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

In the statement on the airstrike, the military said it would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

The strike follows several Israeli military attacks in southern Lebanon earlier in the day, which were reported by state Lebanese media, and an Israeli drone strike on a Hezbollah arms depot on Thursday.

There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese army, which has accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire several times since it took effect.

Hamas claims attack on Israeli bus in West Bank that injured 8 people, including 4 soldiers

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Hamas on Friday claimed responsibility for a shooting attack on an Israeli bus in the occupied West Bank that injured eight people, including four soldiers.

This is the latest violence to hit the territory as tensions run high 14 months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The attacker, whom Hamas identified in a statement as Samer Hussein, 46, was killed by Israeli troops shortly after opening fire on the bus at an intersection near the Israeli settlement of Ariel.

The army said four soldiers were lightly injured. Emergency services said three people were seriously injured.

Attacks by Palestinian militants against Israelis in the volatile territory have become more frequent since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, while the number of Palestinian deaths has also increased. Israeli fire has killed 796 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, mainly during military raids against Palestinian towns and villages. Settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have also increased.

Lebanese state media says Israel carried out multiple attacks in south

BEIRUT — The Israeli army carried out several attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday, the third day of the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, state Lebanese media reported.

The artillery bombardments hit the villages of Markaba, Talusa and Khiyam while four Israeli tanks headed towards the western part of Khiyam, the report said, adding that an Israeli tank fired on a house in Nabatiyeh province.

Local media also reported that the Israeli army fired on civilians in the nearby village of Bint Jbeil. There were no immediate reports of casualties and The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the claims.

The Israeli and Lebanese armies have made no comment on the alleged attacks.

Lebanese politician calls on Hezbollah to work with Lebanese army

BEIRUT — The leader of a major Christian political party in Lebanon called on Hezbollah to engage with the Lebanese army and develop a plan to dismantle its military infrastructure south and north of the Litani River.

At a press conference on Friday, Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Party, criticized Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel and accused the Shiite militant group of committing a “major crime” against the Lebanese people .

“We could have done without the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people, the displacement of thousands and the destruction across the country,” Geagea said. “Despite all these tragedies, Hezbollah continues to talk about victory using bizarre and disconnected logic that has no basis in reality. »

Geagea’s comments come two days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect. More than 3,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Geagea, whose Lebanese Forces Party holds the largest bloc in the 128-member Lebanese Parliament, also addressed the impasse in the Lebanese presidential election. The country has been without a president for more than two years.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a session for the presidential elections in January. “Consultations with opposition factions and our allies will begin in the coming days to explore the possibility of agreeing on presidential candidates and presenting them to Parliament,” Geagea said.

2 children and a woman crushed to death in front of a Gaza bakery

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

The flow of food allowed into Gaza by Israel fell to its lowest level in nearly 14 months of war over the past two months, according to official Israeli figures. U.N. 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 the three men died of suffocation due to the crowd at al-Banna Bakery in Deir al-Balah.

Some bakeries in Gaza were closed for several days last week due to a flour shortage. AP footage taken last week after they reopened showed large crowds of people crowding, shouting and pushing, at a bakery in Deir al-Balah. Bags of bread now sell on the black market near bakeries for up to $17 each.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip rely heavily on charity bakeries and kitchens, with many able to guarantee only one meal a day for their families.

Osama Abu Laban, the father of one of the girls killed Friday, cried after losing his life outside the hospital.

“My wife collapsed when she found out she (our daughter) was choking. She didn’t know yet that she was dead,” he told the AP. He added that he also lost his son, father, uncle and cousins, all in northern Gaza .

Several women gathered inside the morgue to mourn their deceased loved ones, with one shouting “they went to buy bread, they crushed them.”

___

For more on AP’s coverage of the Middle East wars: