From 29m ago 10.17 BST At least eight reported dead as Israeli tanks enter Deir Al-Balah Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern areas of the Gazan city of Deir Al-Balah for the first time on Monday, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes some of the remaining hostages may be being held by Hamas, Reuters reports. Gaza medics said at least three Palestinians were killed and several were wounded in tank shelling that hit eight houses and three mosques in the area, and which came a day after the military ordered residents to leave, saying it planned to fight Hamas militants. The raid and bombardment pushed dozens of families who had remained to flee and head west towards the coastal area of Deir Al-Balah and nearby Khan Younis. In Khan Younis, earlier on Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed at least five people, including a man, his wife, and their two children, in a tent, medics said. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis incidents. Smoke and flames rise from a residential building hit by an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on 21 July 2025. Photograph: Khamis Al-Rifi/Reuters Israel’s military said it had not entered the districts of Deir Al-Balah subject to the evacuation order during the current conflict and that it was continuing “to operate with great force to destroy the enemy’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area.” Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out is that they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to be still alive. Families of the hostages expressed their concern for their relatives and demanded an explanation from the army of how it would protect them. Share Updated at 10.19 BST

5m ago 10.40 BST Barrack added that when it comes to the conflict between Lebanon and Israel, the US cannot compel Israel to do anything, Reuters reports. He said in a press conference in Beirut: The U.S. has no business in trying to compel Israel to do anything… America could only influence,” he said in a press conference in Beirut. We are not going to have more boots on the ground in an adversarial nature anywhere. Share

17m ago 10.29 BST A US envoy doubled down on Washington’s support for the new government in Syria, saying on Monday there is “no Plan B” to working with the current authorities to unite the country still reeling from a nearly 14-year civil war and now wrecked by a new outbreak of sectarian violence, the Associated Press (AP) reports. Tom Barrack, who is ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria and also has a short-term mandate in Lebanon, took a critical tone toward Israel’s recent intervention in Syria, calling it poorly timed and saying that it complicated efforts to stabilise the region.

Over the weekend, Barrack announced a ceasefire between Syria and Israel, without giving details. Syrian government forces have redeployed in Sweida to halt renewed clashes between the Druze and Bedouins, as evacuations of civilians began on Monday. Share

29m ago 10.17 BST At least eight reported dead as Israeli tanks enter Deir Al-Balah Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern areas of the Gazan city of Deir Al-Balah for the first time on Monday, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes some of the remaining hostages may be being held by Hamas, Reuters reports. Gaza medics said at least three Palestinians were killed and several were wounded in tank shelling that hit eight houses and three mosques in the area, and which came a day after the military ordered residents to leave, saying it planned to fight Hamas militants. The raid and bombardment pushed dozens of families who had remained to flee and head west towards the coastal area of Deir Al-Balah and nearby Khan Younis. In Khan Younis, earlier on Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed at least five people, including a man, his wife, and their two children, in a tent, medics said. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis incidents. View image in fullscreen Smoke and flames rise from a residential building hit by an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on 21 July 2025. Photograph: Khamis Al-Rifi/Reuters Israel’s military said it had not entered the districts of Deir Al-Balah subject to the evacuation order during the current conflict and that it was continuing “to operate with great force to destroy the enemy’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area.” Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out is that they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to be still alive. Families of the hostages expressed their concern for their relatives and demanded an explanation from the army of how it would protect them. Share Updated at 10.19 BST

36m ago 10.09 BST Tehran on Monday accused the UK, France and Germany of failing to respect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, after they threatened to reimpose sanctions over its atomic programme, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. The 2015 deal, reached between Iran and the UN security council’s permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the US – plus Germany imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. But it unravelled when the US in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first term as president, unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed sweeping sanctions. The Europeans had pledged continued support for the deal, but the mechanism intended to offset US sanctions never materialised effectively and many western firms were forced to exit Iran, which has since faced a deepening economic crisis. “The European parties have been at fault and negligent in implementing” the nuclear agreement, said Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei. The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country currently enriching uranium to 60% – far beyond the 3.67% cap set by the 2015 accord. That is a short step from the 90% required for a nuclear weapon. Share

51m ago 09.54 BST A trilateral meeting between Iran, Russia and China will take place on Tuesday regarding Tehran’s nuclear programme and the United Nations snapback mechanism, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, Reuters reports. The UN snapback mechanism refers to efforts to reimpose international sanctions on Iran. Share

1h ago 09.41 BST Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that defence minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the Israeli military “has just struck terror targets of the Huthi terror regime at the port of Hodeida and is forcefully enforcing the prevention of any attempt to restore the previously attacked terror infrastructure.” In a separate statement, the army said that “among the military infrastructure struck were engineering vehicles… fuel containers, naval vessels used for military activities and force against the State of Israel and vessels in the maritime zone adjacent to the port, and additional terror infrastructure used by the Houthi terrorist regime.” Share

1h ago 09.33 BST The Israeli military is attacking Houthi targets in Yemen’s Hodeidah port, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Monday, Reuters reports. Katz said the army is “forcefully countering any attempt to restore the terror infrastructure previously attacked”. Since Israel’s war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel has responded by launching attacks on Houthis, who control the most populous part of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port. Katz said: As I have made clear – Yemen’s fate is the same as Tehran’s. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for launching missiles toward the State of Israel. Share

1h ago 09.19 BST Clashes reportedly continue in Syria as families evacuated After talks for a hostage swap fell through late on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor and activist groups in Sweida reported hearing what they said were Israeli airstrikes and helicopters over villages where some skirmishes took place between the Bedouins and Druze militias.

The Israeli military said it was “not aware” of any overnight strikes in Syria. It comes at the Syrian government on Monday started evacuating Bedouin families trapped inside the city of Sweida, where Druze militiamen and Bedouin fighters have clashed for over a week.

The UN International Organization for Migration said about 128,571 people were displaced in the hostilities that started with a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks a week ago.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that Syrian state media said early on Sunday that the government had coordinated with some officials in Sweida to bring in buses to evacuate about 1,500 Bedouins in the city. Syrian interior minister Ahmad al-Dalati told SANA that the initiative will also allow displaced civilians from Sweida to return, as the fighting has largely stopped and efforts for a complete ceasefire are ongoing. The minister told the Syrian state-run news agency: We have imposed a security cordon in the vicinity of Sweida to keep it secure and to stop the fighting there. This will preserve the path that will lead to reconciliation and stability in the province. Buses filled with Bedouin families were accompanied by Syrian Arab Red Crescent vehicles and ambulances. Some families left on trucks with their belongings.

Syrian authorities did not give further details about the evacuation and how it ties into the broader agreement. View image in fullscreen This aerial view shows evacuating members of the Bedouin community riding atop a truck moving along a road in Taarah, in Syria’s southern Sweida province on the way to Daraa, on 21 July 2025. Photograph: Rami Al Sayed/AFP/Getty Images Share Updated at 09.30 BST

2h ago 09.00 BST At least 17 people have been killed in Gaza from Israeli attacks, medical sources have reportedly told Al Jazeera. The outlet said that the figure included three who had died from Israeli shelling in Deir al-Balah and the Bureij camp in Gaza. Al-Shifa hospital told Al Jazeera that several people had been wounded by a strike on an apartment in the al-Nasr neighbourhood. Share

2h ago 08.47 BST The BBC is reporting a new ground and air assault from Israeli forces on the city of Deir al-Balah. The outlet said the operation began early on Monday, after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the city the day before. Local journalists said Israeli tanks and military vehicles had entered the city from the Kisufim checkpoint under heavy artillery and air cover. “Dozens of shells” were also reported to have struck the Abu al-’Ajin and Hikr al-Jami’ neighbourhoods. The Israeli military was approached by the BBC for comment. Share

2h ago 08.39 BST The head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), Tom Fletcher, said on Sunday that UN staff would “stay to help” civilians in Deir al-Balah despite Israeli airstrikes “intensifying”. Fletcher said in a post on X that he had just spoken to Jonathan Whittall, head of the Ocha in Palestine. He said: [Whittall is] in Deir el Balah, Gaza, with Israeli airstrikes intensifying. Surrounded by our team, and civilians we stay to help. Share

3h ago 08.14 BST More than 650,000 students have had no access to education since the start of the Israel-Gaza war, according to the UN children’s agency, Unicef, the Associated Press (AP) reports. The figure includes nearly 40,000 students who were unable to take university entry exams that largely determine their career prospects. The outlet reported the current situation as being the first time in decades that the exams were not administered in Gaza.

Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced 90% of Gaza’s population. School-age children in crowded shelters and tent camps are often forced to help their families find food, water and firewood.

Local education officials, working with Unicef and other aid groups, set up hundreds of learning spaces to try and provide education during the war. Mohamed al-Asouli, head of the education department in the southern city of Khan Younis, said: We’re trying to salvage what we can of the educational process, so that the next generation doesn’t slip through our fingers. Share Updated at 08.14 BST

3h ago 08.00 BST Iran could withhold security commitments if European states invoke a UN mechanism to reimpose international sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a member of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission said on Monday, according to Borna news, Reuters reports. Abbas Moqtadaei said in reference to Tehran’s potential countermeasures to the reimposition of international sanctions: We have many tools in our disposition. We can withhold our commitment to security in the region, Persian Gulf and Hormuz Strait as well as other maritime areas. He was speaking ahead of a meeting on Friday between Iranian deputy foreign ministers and British, French and German diplomats in Istanbul. The three European states, known as E3, have said they would restore international sanctions on Iran by the end of August if the country did not enter productive talks on its nuclear programme with western powers, notably the US. E3 countries and Iran have in recent months held inconclusive talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, in parallel to indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Israel’s attack on Iran in June led to the suspension of such talks. Moqtadaei said in an interview with Iran’s semi-official Borna news agency: Europe is not in a position to endanger itself in the… Hormuz Strait when it is itself in political, economic and cultural conflicts with Russia, China and even the United States. Share

3h ago 07.48 BST At 93 reported dead while seeking aid in Gaza Gaza’s civil defence agency said at least 93 Palestinians had been killed queueing for food on Sunday, while Israel issued fresh evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced people. The territory’s health ministry said scores were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for UN aid trucks entering through the northern Zikim crossing with Israel. It was one of the highest reported death tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed by Israeli fire. Elsewhere nine others were reportedly shot dead near an aid point close to Rafah in the south, where dozens of people lost their lives just 24 hours earlier, while four were killed near another aid site in Khan Younis, spokesperson for the civil defence agency, Mahmud Basal, said. Israel’s military said soldiers had shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who it claimed posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties. But it said the numbers reported by officials in Gaza were far higher than its initial investigation found. It did not immediately comment on the incidents in the south. Before the reports of the latest Israeli shootings emerged, Pope Leo XIV called for “an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict” at the end of the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence near Rome. View image in fullscreen Pope Leo XIV gives his blessing during the Angelus prayer from the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, where the pontiff is spending his summer vacation, on 20 Jul 2025 Photograph: Maria Grazia Picciarella for Vatican Pool/Shutterstock Share Updated at 07.50 BST

At least 73 people were killed and about 150 injured on Sunday by Israeli gunfire in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The victims were reportedly trying to collect humanitarian aid when they were shot.

Of the 73 dead, 67 were killed in northern Gaza, and six in Khan Younis, in the south.

It’s unclear if all the northern deaths happened in a single location or across multiple areas.

This marks one of the deadliest recent incidents involving people trying to access aid.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops fired warning shots to respond to an “immediate threat.”

They claimed “a gathering of thousands of Gazans was identified in the northern Gaza Strip.”

“The IDF is aware of the claim regarding casualties in the area, and the details of the incident are still being examined,” the Israeli military said.

No casualty numbers were confirmed by the IDF.

Separately, the military warned civilians to stay away from several parts of northern Gaza.

IDF Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee said, “These areas are active combat zones and extremely dangerous.

“The Israel Defense Forces are operating in these areas with very intense force. For your safety, movement to these areas is strictly prohibited. Those who heard have been warned.”

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its Al-Saraya Field Hospital received 120 injured people on Sunday.

Some were in critical condition. Two others were pronounced dead.

“Israeli forces targeted civilians waiting for aid arriving from the Zikim area, north of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip,” the group said.

“Due to the large number of casualties received by the hospital, new beds were urgently opened,” it added.

The hospital’s capacity is only 68 beds, the organization noted.

In central Gaza, residents in Deir Al Balah were told to evacuate on Sunday.

Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets across neighborhoods warning people to leave.

A resident, Thurayya Abu Qunneis said, “The planes came and dropped many leaflets on us.

“The entire sky was covered with leaflets on the houses, the streets and everywhere, stating that we had to evacuate from certain areas.

“We are living on edge. We can’t sleep, eat or drink. There is no flour, no anything, and we are hungry.

“We are dying, and our children are dying of hunger.”

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) warned that Israel’s evacuation orders could worsen Gaza’s already-crumbling healthcare system.

“These orders endanger vital humanitarian and primary healthcare sites… and are accelerating the systematic dismantling of Gaza’s already-decimated healthcare system,” the group said.

MAP added that several humanitarian organizations were told to evacuate immediately.

Nine clinics, five shelters, and one community kitchen were forced to shut down.

A similar deadly incident occurred on Saturday.

At least 32 people were killed near an aid distribution point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The Israeli military said it had identified suspects approaching troops during a nighttime operation in Rafah, around one kilometer from the aid site.

“Troops called on the suspects to distance themselves, and after they did not comply, the troops fired warning shots,” the IDF said.

It added that it was aware of reports of casualties and was reviewing the incident.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Government Media Office, 995 people have died while trying to access aid since May 27.

Earlier this month, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said nearly 800 Gazans had been killed seeking aid between late May and July 7.

(CNN)

A large number of starving people in the Gaza Strip have been killed by Israeli fire while waiting for UN aid trucks, the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP) said on Sunday.

Shortly after crossing through the northern Zikim crossing into Gaza, a 25 WFP truck convoy encountered large crowds of civilians waiting to access food supplies, the UN agency said on X.

“As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire.”

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The incident resulted in the loss of “countless lives” with many more suffering critical injuries, WFP said.

“These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation. This terrible incident underscores the increasingly dangerous conditions under which humanitarian operations are forced to be conducted in Gaza.”

Local health authorities reported 67 Palestinians were killed, while Palestinian news agency WAFA reported 58 dead and at least 60 injured.

WFP said called for the protection of all civilians and aid workers delivering life-saving assistance.

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“Shootings near humanitarian missions, convoys and food distributions must stop immediately. Any violence involving civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable.”

Gaza’s hunger crisis had reached new levels of desperation, WFP said as it reiterated calls for a ceasefire.

“An agreed ceasefire is long overdue. All hostages should be released, and humanitarians should be able to reach the civilian population in Gaza with critical food supplies in a consistent, predictable, orderly and safe manner – wherever they are across the Gaza Strip.”

CNN —

At least 73 people were killed and around 150 people injured by Israeli gunfire in Gaza while seeking aid on Sunday, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Some 67 people were killed in northern Gaza, the ministry said, while six others were killed in Khan Younis in the south of the Strip. It is unclear whether the 67 people reported killed in northern Gaza were all killed in the same place or in multiple incidents. It marks one of the highest reported death tolls among recent, repeated cases in which aid seekers have been killed.

The Israel Defense Forces said that troops had “fired warning shots in order to remove an immediate threat posed to them” after “a gathering of thousands of Gazans was identified in the northern Gaza Strip.”

“The IDF is aware of the claim regarding casualties in the area, and the details of the incident are still being examined,” the Israeli military said, without disclosing any casualty figures.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said a 25-truck convoy carrying vital food assistance crossed the Zikim border on Sunday morning aiming to reach communities in northern Gaza.

“Shortly after passing the final checkpoint beyond the Zikim crossing point into Gaza, the convoy encountered large crowds of civilians anxiously waiting to access desperately needed food supplies,” the WFP wrote on X. “As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire.”

Shooting near humanitarian missions, convoys and food distributions “must stop immediately,” the WFP added, and said the latest incident “underscores the increasingly dangerous conditions under which humanitarian operations are forced to be conducted in Gaza.”

The Israeli military on Sunday also issued a warning to residents in a number of areas in northern Gaza, including the cities of Beit Lahia, Jabalya and Beit Hanoun.

“These areas are active combat zones and extremely dangerous,” the IDF’s Arabic language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said Sunday. “The Israel Defense Forces are operating in these areas with very intense force. For your safety, movement to these areas is strictly prohibited. Those who heard have been warned.”

According to Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, people were shot at by the Israeli army on Sunday morning while attempting to get aid northwest of Gaza City, which is in the north of the enclave.

“Al-Shifa Medical Complex is in a catastrophic state due to the overwhelming number of martyrs, injuries and starving civilians,” Abu Salmiya told CNN in a statement.

“There have been a large number of deaths and injuries among those seeking aid, and ambulances and civilian vehicles have not stopped arriving, transporting the wounded and the dead from the northwestern areas of Gaza,” he continued.

“A significant number of civilians, and even medical staff, are arriving in a state of fainting or collapse due to severe malnutrition,” he said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that its Al-Saraya Field Hospital in Gaza City received 120 injured people, some of them in critical condition, on Sunday. It said it also received two dead bodies.

Palestinians gather as they carry aid supplies in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on July 20, 2025. Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters

“Israeli forces targeted civilians waiting for aid arriving from the Zikim area, north of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. Due to the large number of casualties received by the hospital, new beds were urgently opened to ensure adequate treatment for the injured, as the hospital’s capacity is estimated at only 68 beds,” the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

Meanwhile, residents in the central Gaza city of Deir Al Balah said they were forced to evacuate on Sunday after the IDF dropped flyers warning them to leave the area.

“The planes came and dropped many leaflets on us; the entire sky was covered with leaflets on the houses, the streets and everywhere, stating that we had to evacuate from certain areas,” one resident, Thurayya Abu Qunneis, told CNN.

“We are living on edge. We can’t sleep, eat or drink. There is no flour, no anything, and we are hungry,” she said. “We are dying, and our children are dying of hunger.”

Another resident, Mohammad Al Najiri, told CNN: “We were sitting here in the morning when suddenly they sent us messages and warnings telling us to leave. Where should we go? There is no place to evacuate to… we don’t know where to go.”

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said in a statement Sunday that Israel’s evacuation orders “endanger vital humanitarian and primary healthcare sites… and are accelerating the systematic dismantling of Gaza’s already-decimated healthcare system,” adding that several humanitarian organizations’ offices were “ordered to evacuate immediately,” and nine clinics, five shelters and a community kitchen were forced to shut down amid the orders.

In another incident on Saturday, at least 32 people were killed while seeking aid near a distribution point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the Palestinian health ministry and witnesses.

The Israeli military said troops had “identified suspects who approached them during operational activity in the Rafah area” about one kilometer from the aid site “at night-time when it’s not active.”

The IDF said troops had called on the suspects “to distance themselves, and after they did not comply, the troops fired warning shots.” It said it was aware of reports regarding casualties and the incident was under review.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Government Media Office, some 995 people have been killed while attempting to obtain food near aid distribution sites between May 27 and Sunday.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said earlier this month that nearly 800 Gazans had been killed trying to access aid between late May and July 7.

CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Abeer Salman contributed to this report.

STORY: :: Pope Leo calls for an end to the ‘barbarity of war’ after an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church

:: July 20, 2025

:: Vatican City

:: Pope Leo

“I express my deep sorrow for the attack by the Israeli army on the Catholic parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City.”

“This act, sadly, adds to the ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza. Once again, I call for an immediate end to the barbarity of war.”

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“I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population. I call on to our beloved Middle Eastern Christians, I am close to you in your feeling of helplessness in the face of such a dramatic situation. You are in the heart of the Pope and of the whole Church. Thank you for your witness of faith.”

Three people died and several were injured, including the parish priest, in the strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City on Thursday. Photos show its roof has been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and shattering windows.

Speaking after his Angelus prayer, Leo read out the names of those killed in the incident.