An Open Arms ship and the ship Jennifer, of the World Central Kitchen carrying food aid for the Gaza Strip, prepare to set sail close to the port of Larnaca in Cyprus on March 30, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (PHOTO / AFP)

NICOSIA / WASHINGTON / GAZA / RAMALLAH - A shipment of about 875 tons of food aid for Gaza residents left port early on Saturday afternoon, semi-state Cyprus News Agency reported.

It said that the food, mostly flour, rice and sugar, was loaded aboard three vessels and one platform which were already outside the port and were heading to Gaza.

This is the second aid shipment of aid to Gaza from Larnaca since the Amalthea marine aid corridor was initiated on March 12. The aid will be unloaded at a makeshift pier constructed on the Gaza coast with rubble from bombed-out buildings.

Deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said ahead of the departure of the vessels that the cargo had already been inspected by the authorities of Cyprus, and necessary inspections had been carried out by the Israelis.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that more than 1.1 million people in the Gaza Strip are facing "an extreme level of food insecurity," as Israel prevents aid from entering the enclave

Under an agreement reached with Israel for the lifting of the 2007 sea blockade of Gaza, Israeli security agents were given the right to inspect aid items before loading at Larnaca port.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday that more than 1.1 million people in the Gaza Strip are facing "an extreme level of food insecurity," as Israel prevents aid from entering the enclave.

Also on Thursday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ordered Israel to do whatever is necessary to ensure that basic aid reaches the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 32,705, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Saturday.

In a press statement, the ministry said that during the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 82 people and wounded 98 others in the Palestinian coastal enclave.

This brings the total death toll to 32,705 and injuries to 75,190, since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out in, according to the ministry.

On Saturday night, at least 12 Palestinians were killed and 30 injured by Israeli bombing on those who were responsible for securing aid in Gaza City, according to Palestine TV.

Medical teams struggled to transport the casualties, with some still lying on the ground awaiting assistance, security sources told Xinhua.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not commented on the incident.

More bombs, fighter jets

The US government has authorized the transfer of bombs and fighter jets worth billions of US dollars to Israel, despite an increasing rift between the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over a potential ground operation by the Israeli military in Rafah, according to US media.

The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, according to Pentagon and State Department officials who spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, as recent authorizations have not been disclosed publicly.

Israel's extensive use of 2,000-pound bombs, heavy ammunition capable of killing or wounding people more than 100 meters away, in Gaza raids is linked with heavy civilian casualties, CNN reported.

Israel is facing strong international flak over its continued bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza. Regional countries and humanitarian organizations have warned of the disastrous consequences of Israel's planned ground operation in Rafah, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians live, including 1.3 million refugees from the northern regions.

Despite international pressure, Netanyahu's government canceled on Monday a scheduled delegation visit to Washington for talks on a possible alternative to a ground offensive by the Israeli military in Rafah, citing the US abstention at the UN Security Council voting for a resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

People are seen near a destroyed building after an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on March 29, 2024.  (PHOTO / XINHUA)

In Cairo, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and France met on Saturday to discuss joint efforts at resolving the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip and finding a lasting solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Jordanian and French counterparts, Ayman Safadi and Stephane Sejourne, called for "an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages and detainees," according to a joint statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

They also warned against "the horrific consequences of the humanitarian situation, the famine and the collapse of the health system in the Gaza Strip," stressing their opposition to any attempts of forcible transfer and displacement of the Palestinian people.

The three foreign ministers demanded Israel "lift all obstacles and allow and facilitate the use of all land crossing" to expand humanitarian aid delivery to the people of the war-torn enclave.

West Bank shooting

Also on Saturday, the Israeli army killed a Palestinian teenager, and wounded two others in the West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian medical sources said.

The sources, who require anonymity, told Xinhua that 13-year-old Mutasim Abu Abed was hit by live bullets in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin.

The sources added that the two injured people, one in serious condition, had been transferred to Al-Razi Hospital in Jenin.

Eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces stormed Qabatiya and exchanged gunfire with Palestinian militants.

Meanwhile, dozens of patients and medical staffers are trapped in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex west of Gaza City due to an Israeli military operation, the Gaza-based health ministry said Saturday.

In a press statement, the ministry said that the patients, including "30 wheelchair-bound patients and 60 medical staff members," are suffering "inhumane conditions without water, electricity, and medicine."

People are framed by the structure of a damaged building after an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on March 29, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The Israeli army "prevented all attempts to evacuate these patients through international institutions," the statement said, warning that "the lives of these patients are in imminent danger, and we call on everyone to urgently act to save their lives."

Since March 18, the Israeli army has been conducting a wide-ranging operation in Al-Shifa, marking the second time the medical complex has been raided since Oct 7. The first raid started on Nov 16 last year and lasted for about eight days, during which parts of the complex's buildings and courtyards were destroyed.

Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israeli army, visited the Al-Shifa Medical Complex on Friday, said the Israeli army.

Halevi claimed that the Israeli army was doing its utmost "to avoid targeting patients and medical teams, as the operation has not resulted in any injury to any members of the medical teams or patients."