Israeli drone strikes kill 12 Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza

At least 12 people were killed by Israeli drone strikes that hit a group of Palestinians waiting to receive aid in the territory's north, Gaza's civil defence agency said on Friday.

The drones struck near the Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City, said agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal.

"Civil defence teams retrieved 12 martyrs and several injured individuals after Israeli drone strikes targeted a group of citizens and a vehicle waiting for aid," he said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

A witness to the strike, Mustafa Abu Aita, said a crowd had been waiting for aid to arrive.

"They struck a small white bus with a missile, and another missile hit the people standing on the road, resulting in martyrs and injuries," Aita told media.

"People fled the area, and ambulances came to transport the martyrs and the injured."

Israel launched a major operation in north Gaza on October 6 that has killed more than 770 people, according to civil defence agency figures.

The Israeli military has come under strong criticism for its operation in north Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped.

The military says the goal of the assault is to destroy the operational capabilities it says Hamas is trying to rebuild in the north.

Meanwhile, United Nations agencies raised concerns over plight of children in Gaza in the wake of ongoing Israeli aggression.

The agencies in their report said children in Gaza are dying in pain while being in need of emergency treatment as  Israeli authorities approving fewer and fewer of them for medical evacuation following the closure of the Rafah crossing.

“As a result, children in Gaza are dying, not just from the bombs and the bullets and the shells that strike them,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told a briefing in Geneva.