The Israeli force has murdered at least 67 civilians who were waiting for UN assistance trucks in northern Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. The UN World Food Programme stated its 25-truck convoy “encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire” shortly after crossing from Israel and clearing checkpoints. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated that it had “fired warning shots” to eliminate “an immediate threat”. It contested the claimed number of deaths. On Saturday, the ministry warned that extreme hunger was on the rise in Gaza, with an increasing number of Palestinians arriving to its facilities “in a state of extreme exhaustion and fatigue”.
We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are on the verge of death due to hunger,” the statement read. The UN has also stated that civilians in Gaza are famished and has requested an urgent inflow of crucial supplies. On Sunday, the ministry reported 18 deaths “due to famine” in the last 24 hours. Many of the injured from northern Gaza were sent to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Dr Hassan al-Shaer, the medical director there, told BBC Arabic on Sunday that the institution had been “overwhelmed”. Outside the hospital, one woman told BBC Arabic that “the whole population is dying”.
“Children are dying from hunger because they do not have anything to eat. She stated that people rely solely on water and salt for survival. In an updated death toll, Gaza’s civil defence organisation reported that Israeli fire killed 93 Palestinians and injured scores more across Gaza on Sunday. According to the report, 80 persons were killed in northern Gaza, while nine were shot near an assistance point in Rafah and four more near an aid point in Khan Younis, both in southern Gaza. Qasem Abu Khater told AFP that he tried to acquire a sack of flour in Gaza City but was met with a desperate mob and “deadly overcrowding and pushing”.
“Children are dying of hunger because they have nothing to eat. She claimed that people relied exclusively on water and salt to survive. In an updated death toll, Gaza’s civil defence agency said that Israeli fire killed 93 Palestinians and injured hundreds more in Gaza on Sunday. According to the report, 80 people were murdered in northern Gaza, while nine were shot near an aid point in Rafah and four more near an aid point in Khan Younis, both in south Gaza. Qasem Abu Khater told AFP that he attempted to obtain a sack of flour in Gaza City but was faced with a desperate mob and “deadly overcrowding and pushing”.
Many of the incidents have taken place near sites run by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which uses private security contractors to distribute aid from sites in Israeli military zones, but some have taken place near aid brought in by the UN.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for a populous area of central Gaza where it has not launched a ground operation during its 21-month war with Hamas. The IDF warned on Sunday that inhabitants and displaced Palestinians sheltering in Deir al-Balah should leave immediately and relocate to al-Mawasi on the Mediterranean coast. The evacuation order, which could presage an impending attack, has sparked widespread alarm among tens of thousands of Palestinians, as well as families of Israeli captives who believe their loved ones are being held in the city. Although the IDF has conducted air attacks in the area, ground soldiers have yet to be sent.
On Sunday, the Israeli military dropped leaflets from the skies, telling residents in numerous neighbourhoods of southwest Deir al-Balah to leave their houses and travel south. “The (Israeli) Defence Forces continues to operate with great force to destroy the enemy’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area,” the military stated, noting that it had yet to penetrate these neighbourhoods throughout the war. The impacted areas of Deir al-Balah are overcrowded with displaced people living in tents. According to Israeli authorities, the army has so far avoided these regions because they believe Hamas is harbouring captives there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are reported to be alive.
The majority of the Strip’s population of over two million people has been relocated at least once during Israel’s war with Hamas, with successive Israeli evacuation orders encompassing huge areas of the region. On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV called for a “immediate end to the barbarity of the war” and warned against the “indiscriminate use of force”. His remarks come only days after a fatal Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic Church, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country sincerely regretted. Israel launched its war in Gaza in reprisal for the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 more captive.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 58,895 individuals. The UN and others refer to the ministry’s estimates as the most reputable source of casualty statistics.
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