Palestinian medical sources announced the martyrdom of nine Palestinian citizens and injuries to others due to the Israeli occupation forces opening fire on a group of civilians near humanitarian aid centers in northern Rafah, Gaza Strip.

The sources clarified that the occupation forces directly targeted a group of Palestinians who were present near the relief centers, leading to these significant human losses among unarmed civilians.

The area is experiencing a state of high tension, as Israeli assaults on residential areas and humanitarian centers continue, in a new escalation that threatens the lives of civilian residents and increases the suffering of the people in the sector.

Palestinians, through officials and activists, condemned these assaults, which are considered a serious escalation reflecting the occupation's intention to deliberately target the lives of citizens, amid calls to confront the escalation and for the international community to take responsibility to stop these violations.

In a related context, humanitarian institutions confirmed that the targeting of civilian areas by the occupation forces exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in the sector, where residents suffer from a lack of basic services and rising injury rates among children and women.