Dozens of Palestinians killed while waiting for humanitarian aid across Gaza, health ministry says
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
At least 67 more aid seekers killed in Israeli fire in Gaza
At least 67 people were killed by Israeli fire while they waited for UN aid trucks in northern Gaza on Sunday, the territory’s health ministry said. Israel issued new evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced Gazans, some of whom began to leave. The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots towards a crowd of thousands in northernGaza on Sunday to remove what it said was “an immediate threat” Israel’s military said it had not entered the districts 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” Palestinian health officials said hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals were inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food and a collapse in aid deliveries. At least 71 children had died of malnutrition during the war, and 60,000 others were suffering from symptoms of malnutrition, the Gaza health ministry says. The United Nations also said on Sunday that civilians were starving and needed an urgent influx of aid.
A Palestinian casualty of Israeli fire, who was seeking aid supplies, according to medics, is carried, after aid entered Gaza through Israel, amid a hunger crisis, in the northern Gaza Strip July 20, 2025. Photo: Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Medics say dozens killed and wounded waiting for aid trucks
Israeli military says it will expand operations in Gaza
Hostage families fear their relatives will be put at risk
Officials warn of growing hunger in Gaza, demand more aid
At least 67 people were killed by Israeli fire while they waited for UN aid trucks in northern Gaza on Sunday, the territory’s health ministry said, as Israel issued new evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced Gazans, some of whom began to leave.
The ministry said dozens of people were also wounded in the incident in northern Gaza, in one of the highest reported tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed, including 36 on Saturday. Six other people were killed near another aid site in the south, it said.
The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots towards a crowd of thousands in northern Gaza on Sunday to remove what it said was “an immediate threat”.
It said initial findings suggested reported casualty figures were inflated, and it “certainly does not intentionally target humanitarian aid trucks”.
It did not immediately comment on the incident in the south.
In total, health authorities said 88 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday.
After Israel’s military dropped leaflets urging people to evacuate from neighbourhoods in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, residents said Israeli planes struck three houses in the area.
Dozens of families began leaving their homes, carrying some of their belongings. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans have been sheltering in the Deir al-Balah area.
Israel’s military said it had not entered the districts 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 because they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to still be alive.
Hostage families demanded an explanation from the army.
“Can anyone (promise) to us that this decision will not come at the cost of losing our loved ones?” the families said in a statement.
STARVATION
Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war and there are fears of accelerating starvation.
Palestinian health officials said hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals were inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food and a collapse in aid deliveries.
“We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger,” the health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said.
The United Nations also said on Sunday that civilians were starving and needed an urgent influx of aid.
Residents said it was becoming impossible to find essential food such as flour. The Gaza health ministry said at least 71 children had died of malnutrition during the war, and 60,000 others were suffering from symptoms of malnutrition.
Later on Sunday, it said 18 people have died of hunger in the past 24 hours.
Food prices have increased well beyond what most of the population of more than two million can afford.
Several people who spoke to Reuters via chat apps said they either had one meal or no meal in the past 24 hours.
“As a father, I wake up in the early morning to look for food, for even a loaf of bread for my five children, but all in vain,” said Ziad, a nurse.
“People who didn’t die of bombs will die of hunger. We want an end to this war now, a truce, even for two months,” he told Reuters.
Others said they felt dizzy walking in the streets and that many fainted as they walked. Fathers leave tents to avoid questions by their children about what to eat.
UNRWA, the UN refugee agency dedicated to Palestinians, demanded Israel allow more aid trucks into Gaza, saying it had enough food for the entire population for over three months which was not allowed in.
Israel’s military said that it “views the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as a matter of utmost importance, and works to enable and facilitate its entry in coordination with the international community”.
TRUCE TALKS
Some Palestinians suggested the move on Deir al-Balah might be an attempt to put pressure on Hamas to make more concessions in long-running ceasefire negotiations.
Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a 60-day truce and hostage deal, although there has been no sign of breakthrough.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 58,000 Palestinians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
Gaza health ministry says Israeli fire has killed 67 Palestinians waiting for aid trucks as Pope Leo brands war ‘barbaric’ and calls for its end
Israeli fire has killed 67 Palestinians waiting for aid trucks, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has claimed. The ministry said dozens of people were also wounded in the incident in northern Gaza. It is one of the highest reported tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed, including 36 on Saturday. The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots towards a crowd of thousands on Sunday to remove what it said was ‘an immediate threat’ It said initial findings suggested reported casualty figures were inflated, and it ‘certainly does not intentionally target humanitarian aid trucks’ The latest tragedy comes as Pope Leo XIV slammed the ‘barbarity’ of the war in Gaza on Sunday and urged against the ‘indiscriminate use of force’ His intervention comes just days after a deadly strike by Israel’s military on a Catholic church. Israel issued new evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced Gazans, some of whom began to leave. Most of Gaza’s population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which is now in its 22nd month.
The ministry said dozens of people were also wounded in the incident in northern Gaza, in one of the highest reported tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed, including 36 on Saturday.
Six other people were killed near another aid site in the south, it claimed.
The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots towards a crowd of thousands in northern Gaza on Sunday to remove what it said was ‘an immediate threat’.
It said initial findings suggested reported casualty figures were inflated, and it ‘certainly does not intentionally target humanitarian aid trucks’.
The latest tragedy comes as Pope Leo XIV slammed the ‘barbarity’ of the war in Gaza on Sunday and urged against the ‘indiscriminate use of force’.
His intervention comes just days after a deadly strike by Israel’s military on a Catholic church.
Pope Leo XIV has slammed the ‘barbarity’ of the war in Gaza on Sunday and urged against the ‘indiscriminate use of force’
An injured Palestinian is being transported to hospital after the shooting near the aid trucks
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, dozens of people lost their lives and were injured after the shooting near the aid truck
‘I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,’ Leo said at the end of the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence near Rome.
The pope, who spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the morning after Thursday’s strike, spoke of his ‘deep sorrow’ for the attack on the Holy Family Church.
The church was sheltering around 600 displaced people, the majority of them children, including dozens of people with special needs.
Israel expressed ‘deep sorrow’ over the damage and civilian casualties, adding that the military was investigating the strike.
‘This act, unfortunately, adds to the ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza,’ Leo said on Sunday.
‘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, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,’ he added.
The latest humanitarian disaster comes as Israel issued new evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced Gazans, some of whom began to leave.
The Israeli military on Sunday issued an evacuation order for Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, warning of imminent action against Hamas militants.
Most of Gaza’s population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which is now in its 22nd month.
I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,’ Leo said at the end of the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence near Rome
A young male Palestinian is transported to hospital to address his injuries after the shooting
Palestinians carry sacks of humanitarian aid unloaded from trucks convoy that had been heading to Gaza City on Sunday, July 20
The pope also expressed his ‘sympathy’ for the plight of ‘beloved Middle Eastern Christians’ and their ‘sense of being able to do little in the face of this dramatic situation’.
In total, health authorities in Gaza said 88 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday.
After Israel’s military dropped leaflets urging people to evacuate from neighbourhoods in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, residents said Israeli planes struck three houses in the area.
Dozens of families began leaving their homes, carrying some of their belongings. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans have been sheltering in the Deir al-Balah area.
Israel’s military said it had not entered the districts 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 because they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to still be alive.
Hostage families demanded an explanation from the army.
‘Can anyone (promise) to us that this decision will not come at the cost of losing our loved ones?’ the families said in a statement.
The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots towards a crowd of thousands in northern Gaza on Sunday to remove what it said was ‘an immediate threat’
Injured Palestinians are transported to hospitals after Israeli forces fired upon them
Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of war and there are fears of accelerating starvation.
Palestinian health officials said hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals were inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food and a collapse in aid deliveries.
‘We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger,’ the health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said.
The United Nations also said on Sunday that civilians were starving and needed an urgent influx of aid.
Residents said it was becoming impossible to find essential food such as flour. The Gaza health ministry said at least 71 children had died of malnutrition during the war, and 60,000 others were suffering from symptoms of malnutrition.
Later on Sunday, it said 18 people have died of hunger in the past 24 hours.
Food prices have increased well beyond what most of the population of more than two million can afford.
Several people who spoke to the Reuters news agency via chat apps said they either had one meal or no meal in the past 24 hours.
After Israel’s military dropped leaflets urging people to evacuate from neighbourhoods in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, residents said Israeli planes struck three houses in the area
Palestinians flee Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Sunday, July 20
‘As a father, I wake up in the early morning to look for food, for even a loaf of bread for my five children, but all in vain,’ said Ziad, a nurse.
‘People who didn’t die of bombs will die of hunger. We want an end to this war now, a truce, even for two months,’ he told Reuters.
Others said they felt dizzy walking in the streets and that many fainted as they walked. Fathers leave tents to avoid questions by their children about what to eat.
UNRWA, the UN refugee agency dedicated to Palestinians, demanded Israel allow more aid trucks into Gaza, saying it had enough food for the entire population for over three months which was not allowed in.
Israel’s military said that it ‘views the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as a matter of utmost importance, and works to enable and facilitate its entry in coordination with the international community’.
Some Palestinians suggested the move on Deir al-Balah might be an attempt to put pressure on Hamas to make more concessions in long-running ceasefire negotiations.
Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a 60-day truce and hostage deal, although there has been no sign of breakthrough.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 58,000 Palestinians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
Israeli military kills dozens of Palestinians waiting for aid, health officials say
At least 73 people were killed while trying to access aid in Gaza on Sunday, the health ministry said. The Israeli military said that soldiers had shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat. But it said that the numbers being reported by teams in Gaza were far higher than the military’s initial investigation found. The military added that it is attempting to facilitate the entry of aid, and blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians. The announcement came as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs. The evacuation cuts access between the city of Deir al-Balah and the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in the narrow enclave. The U.N. has been in contact with Israeli authorities to clarify whether U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund facilities are included in Sunday’s evacuation order, a U.n. official said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs.
The Israeli military said that soldiers had shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat, and that it was aware of some casualties. But it said that the numbers being reported by teams in Gaza were far higher than the military’s initial investigation found.
The military added that it is attempting to facilitate the entry of aid, and blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians.
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The largest toll, according to the Gaza ministry, was in the northern part of the territory, where at least 67 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering northern Gaza through the Zikim crossing with Israel, according to the ministry and local hospitals.
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More than 150 people were wounded, with some of them in critical condition, hospitals said. Seven Palestinians were also killed while sheltering in tents in Khan Younis, including a 5-year-old boy, according to the Kuwait Specialized Field Hospital, which received the casualties.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs or both. But some witnesses said that the Israeli military shot at the crowd.
The killings in northern Gaza didn’t take place near aid distribution points associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, or GHF, a U.S.- and Israel-backed group that hands out food packages to Palestinians. Witnesses and health workers say hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli fire while trying to access the group’s distribution sites.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military published new evacuation warnings for areas of central Gaza on Sunday, in one of the few areas where the military has rarely operated with ground troops.
The evacuation cuts access between the city of Deir al-Balah and the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in the narrow enclave.
The announcement came as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that expanding Israel’s military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas to negotiate, but negotiations have been stalled for months.
Earlier this month, the Israeli military said that it controlled more than 65% of the Gaza Strip.
Cutting off access
The area of Gaza under the evacuation order is where many international organizations attempting to distribute aid are located.
The United Nations has been in contact with Israeli authorities to clarify whether U.N. facilities in southwestern Deir al-Balah are included in Sunday’s evacuation order, according to a U.N. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.
The official said that in previous instances, U.N. facilities were spared from evacuation orders. The evacuation announcement covers an area stretching from a previously evacuated area all the way to the coast and will severely hamper movement for aid groups and civilians in Gaza.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that the military will attack “with intensity” against militants. He called for residents, including those sheltering in tents, to head to the Muwasi area, a desolate tent camp on Gaza’s southern shore that the Israeli military has designated a humanitarian zone.
Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Hamas triggered the 21-month war when militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty remain, but fewer than half are thought to be alive.
Israel’s military offensive that followed has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many militants are among the dead but says more than half of the dead have been women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government but the U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization that represents many of the families of hostages, condemned the evacuation announcement and demanded that Netanyahu and the Israeli military explain what they hope to accomplish in the area of central Gaza, accusing Israel of operating without a clear war plan.
“Enough! The Israeli people overwhelmingly want an end to the fighting and a comprehensive agreement that will return all of the hostages,” the forum said. On Saturday night, during the weekly protest, tens of thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv to the branch of the U.S. Embassy, demonstrating for an end to the war.
Humanitarian disaster grows
On Sunday morning, ambulances in front of three major hospitals in Gaza sounded their alarms simultaneously in an urgent appeal to shed light on the hunger crisis in the territory. The health ministry posted pictures on social media of doctors holding paper signs about malnourished children and lack of medication.
Zaher al-Wahidi, one of the spokespeople at the health ministry, said that at least nine children under 5 years old have died of malnutrition as of Sunday since Israel’s imposed aid entry blockade in March.
He explained that tracking the number of people dying of starvation is hard because some could be suffering from other medical conditions that could be worsened when compounded with severe hunger.
In northern Gaza, Shifa Hospital director Abu Selmiyah said that the hospital recorded 79 people who died of malnutrition in the past month.
Israeli bombardments continued to pound the Gaza Strip overnight. Large explosions in northern Gaza were visible from Israel as plumes of fire shot into the sky.
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Fatma Khaled reported from Cairo, and Melanie Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Samy Magdy contributed to this report from Cairo.
73 Palestinians killed while waiting for humanitarian aid across Gaza, health ministry says
Largest toll was in northern Gaza on Sunday, where at least 67 people were killed. More than 150 people were wounded, with some of them in critical condition. Most of those killed had been close to aid sites managed by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Israeli military published new evacuation warnings for areas of central Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that expanding Israel’s military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas to negotiate.
The largest toll was in northern Gaza on Sunday, where at least 67 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering northern Gaza through the Zikim crossing with Israel, according to the ministry and local hospitals.
UN says almost 800 killed near Gaza aid hubs in six weeks Photo shows GHF image Rafah The United Nations says most of those killed had been close to aid sites managed by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
More than 150 people were wounded, with some of them in critical condition, hospitals said.
It was not immediately clear whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs or both.
Some witnesses said that the Israeli military shot at the crowd.
The killings in northern Gaza did not take place near aid distribution points associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, or GHF, a US-and Israel-backed group that hands out food packages to Palestinians.
Witnesses and health workers say hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli fire while trying to access the group’s distribution sites.
The Israeli military did not immediately make any comment on Sunday’s killings.
IDF publish new evacuation orders
Meanwhile, the Israeli military published new evacuation warnings for areas of central Gaza on Sunday, in one of the few areas where the military has rarely operated with ground troops.
The evacuation cuts access between the city of Deir al-Balah and the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in the narrow enclave.
The announcement came as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that expanding Israel’s military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas to negotiate, but negotiations have been stalled for months.
Earlier this month, the Israeli military said that it controlled more than 65 per cent of the Gaza Strip.
AP
73 people killed waiting for humanitarian aid across Gaza, Palestinian Health Ministry says
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 73 people were killed while waiting for aid at locations across Gaza on Sunday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs or both. At least nine children under 5 years old have died of malnutrition as of Sunday since the Israel’s imposed aid entry blockade in March.
The largest toll was in northern Gaza, where at least 67 Palestinians were killed while attempting to access aid entering northern Gaza through the Zikim crossing with Israel, according to the Health Ministry and local hospitals.
More than 150 people were wounded, some critically, hospitals said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs or both. But some witnesses said that the Israeli military shot at the crowd.
The Israeli military didn’t immediately make any comment.
On Sunday morning, ambulances in front of three major hospitals in Gaza sounded their alarms simultaneously in an urgent appeal to shed light on the hunger crisis in the territory. The health ministry posted pictures on social media of doctors holding paper signs about malnourished children and lack of medication.
Zaher al-Wahidi, one of the spokespeople at the health ministry, said that at least nine children under 5 years old have died of malnutrition as of Sunday since the Israel’s imposed aid entry blockade in March.
He explained that tracking the number of people dying of starvation is hard because some could be suffering from other medical conditions that could be worsened when compounded with severe hunger.
In northern Gaza, Shifa Hospital director Abu Selmiyah said that the hospital recorded 79 people who died of malnutrition in the past month.
Israeli bombardments continued to pound the Gaza Strip overnight. Large explosions in northern Gaza were visible from Israel as plumes of fire shot into the sky.