
Gaza medical sources: 25 killed by Israeli gunfire, some while waiting for aid
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July 22, 2025: Gaza death tolls rise due to starvation as Israel ramps up offensive
Staying in Deir al-Balah, and The World Health Organization’s (WHO) staff residence and main warehouse were attacked by the Israeli military on Monday. Israeli tanks rolled into the central Gazan city on Monday, for the first time since the start of the 21-month war, according to media reports. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment. The WHO will remain in the city to “deliver and expand its operations,” it said.
Israeli tanks rolled into the central Gazan city on Monday, for the first time since the start of the 21-month war, according to media reports.
WHO’s main warehouse was damaged after an attack caused explosions and fire inside it, the organization said, as “part of a pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities.” The warehouse was later looted by “desperate crowds,” according to a WHO statement published Monday.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
The WHO staff residence was also attacked three times, it said, with staff members and their families, including children, “exposed to grave danger and traumatized after airstrikes caused a fire and significant damage.”
Women and children were forced to evacuate the premises by Israeli troops, while the men were “handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint,” according to WHO.
Four people were detained by Israeli forces, with three later being released, it said.
“With the main warehouse nonfunctional and the majority of medical supplies in Gaza depleted, WHO is severely constrained in adequately supporting hospitals, emergency medical teams and health partners, already critically short on medicines, fuel, and equipment,” the organization said.
The location of all WHO premises are known to all relevant parties to the conflict, it continued, adding that the WHO will remain in Deir al-Balah to “deliver and expand its operations.”
“WHO is appalled by the dangerous conditions under which humanitarians and health workers are forced to operate. As the security situation and access continue to deteriorate, red lines are repeatedly crossed, and humanitarian operations pushed into an ever-shrinking space to respond,” it said, calling for the release of its staff member, the protection of its staff and premises, and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip unimpeded.
Gaza Medical Sources: At Least 25 Killed by Israeli Gunfire, Some While Waiting for Aid – Israel News – Haaretz.com
Israeli settlers torched structures and forced Palestinian families to flee the village of Deir al-Aja. The attack follows the establishment of a settler outpost in the village earlier this week. The IDF said troops detained several suspects but did not specify how many.
According to residents, a group of around 30 settlers arrived in the village Thursday night, vandalized property and threatened to burn down homes if villagers did not leave. Israeli soldiers had briefly visited the site earlier that day but departed after about 30 minutes without taking action, locals said.
Fourteen families left the village Friday night, and three more planned to leave on Saturday. The IDF said troops detained several suspects but did not specify how many. A resident told Haaretz that the village has been attacked multiple times in recent months, while villagers have faced arrests and heavy fines for what he said were false charges.
The attack comes amid a sharp rise in settler violence across the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7. Rights groups and UN officials have warned that settlers, often with military backing or acquiescence, have escalated efforts to drive Palestinians off their land, particularly in isolated farming communities.
At least 25 people killed by Israeli gunshots and strikes in Gaza, mostly while seeking food
Palestinians in desperate search for food killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunshots. Most of the victims were killed by gunfire as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel. Those killed in strikes include four people in an apartment building in Gaza City, among others, local health officials and the ambulance service said. The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have hit a standstill after the US and Israel recalled their negotiating teams on Thursday. Nearly one in three people in Gaza hasn’t been eating for days at a time, warning that malnutrition is rising with around 90,000 children and women now in need of urgent treatment. Israel says it has allowed in around 4,500 aid trucks since it lifted a total blockade in May and that it allows in around 70 truckloads a day, far less than the several hundred the UN says are needed each day.
According to staff at the Shifa hospital, most of the victims were killed by gunfire as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel.
Israel’s army didn’t respond to a request for comments about the latest shootings.
Those killed in strikes include four people in an apartment building in Gaza City, among others, hospital staff, and the ambulance service said.
The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have hit a standstill after the US and Israel recalled their negotiating teams on Thursday, throwing the future of the negotiations into further uncertainty.
Palestinians in desperate search for food
On Saturday, thousands of desperate Palestinians made their way to the Zikim crossing in the Gaza Strip, risking their lives in search of food.
Hospital officials reported that some Palestinians were killed in recent weeks in the area near the crossing, in the north of the Palestinian territory.
Some reports claim that when aid is given, criminal gangs and sizable groups of desperate people frequently overrun trucks as they enter and remove the supplies.
Earlier this week, Israel’s military reported that it was aware of some casualties when soldiers opened fire on a group of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who were posing a threat.
Displaced mother Smoud Wahdan, cradling her infant son, made the journey to the crossing from a school in Gaza City where they are sheltering.
She acknowledged the journey carried a lot of risk, but said that she had to face this danger in order to feed her children.
Palestinians mourn during the funeral of people who were killed while trying to reach aid trucks entering northern Gaza through the Zikim crossing with Israel, at Shifa Hospit (Palestinians mourn during the funeral of people who were killed while trying to reach aid trucks entering northern Gaza through the Zikim crossing with Israel, at Shifa Hospit)
“I have come all this way, risking my life for my children. My children have not eaten for a week,” she explained.
Experts have warned that Gaza is being pushed closer to famine, after months of Israel entirely blocking food or letting in only limited amounts.
The number of people dying from causes related to malnutrition has accelerated this month.
International outrage grows over starvation deaths
According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), nearly one in three people in Gaza hasn’t been eating for days at a time, warning that malnutrition is rising with around 90,000 children and women now in need of urgent treatment.
The warning comes just as over 100 human rights and charitable organisations, as well as more than two dozen Western-aligned nations, have called for the Gaza war to be brought to an end.
Their severe criticism has been directed at Israel’s new aid delivery mechanism and blockade.
Israel says it has allowed in around 4,500 aid trucks since it lifted a total blockade in May and that it allows in around 70 truckloads a day, one of the lowest rates of the war and far less than the several hundred the United Nations says are needed each day.
Despite the growing international outrage, Israel maintains it lets in enough aid and faults UN agencies for not doing enough to retrieve and get it to those in need.
The UN says its delivery of aid is being hampered by Israeli military restrictions on its movements and incidents of criminal looting.
In an update on Friday, the UN’s OCHA said that the starvation crisis is deepening across Gaza, with the local health authorities announcing that two more people had died from starvation the previous day.
Gaza: UK and 27 other nations condemn Israel over civilian suffering
The statement by the 27 countries also says Israeli proposals to move Gaza’s entire 2.1 million into a so-called “humanitarian city” in the southern Rafah area are unacceptable. They urge Israel, Hamas and the international community to “bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein rejected the criticism. He said claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it.
They urge Israel, Hamas and the international community to “bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire”.
And they warn that they are “prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace”.
That is seen by many as code for recognising a state of Palestine, something many countries have done but not all, including the UK and France.
Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein rejected the criticism.
“All statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it,” he said.
“Instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, Hamas is busy running a campaign to spread lies about Israel. At the same time, Hamas is deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid,” he added.
The Israeli military said earlier this month that it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed while seeking aid and that it was working to minimise “possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible”.
The Israeli military body responsible for co-ordinating aid, Cogat, also said on Monday that Israel “acts in accordance with international law and is leading efforts to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza in co-ordination with the international organisations”.
A spokesperson for the GHF meanwhile appealed to UN agencies to join its operation while also blaming them for “stopping” work and for failing to deliver supplies across the territory.
Chapin Fay told journalists that he had been to border crossings where he saw aid supplies “rotting” because UN agencies would not deliver them.
The Israeli foreign ministry said on Sunday that 700 lorry loads of aid were waiting to be picked up by the UN from crossings.
The UN has said it struggles to pick up and distribute supplies because of the ongoing hostilities, Israeli restrictions on humanitarian movements, and fuel shortages.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 59,029 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May, the U.N. says
Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May, the U.N. says. The Gaza Health Ministry says 80 children have died from starvation since the beginning of the war. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, without providing evidence of widespread diversion. The military says it has only fired warning shots near aid sites, witnesses and Palestinian officials say it regularly fire toward crowds of people heading to the aid sites.”This is famine — there is no bread or flour,” says a woman who lives in a tent with her husband and three children. “I do it for my children,” she says, as she lines up for a bowl of watery tomato soup at a charity kitchen in Gaza City. “The aid delivery model is dangerous and deprives Gazans of dignity,” says the United Kingdom, which signed a statement condemning Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. “This is a deliberate and human-made disaster,” says Joseph Belliveau, the executive director of a charity working in Gaza.
toggle caption Jehad Alshrafi/AP
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed 25 people across Gaza, according to local health officials.
Desperation is mounting in the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel’s blockade and nearly two-year offensive. A breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting and contributed to chaos and violence around aid deliveries.
Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid — without providing evidence of widespread diversion — and blames U.N. agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. The military says it has only fired warning shots near aid sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, rejected what it said were “false and exaggerated statistics” from the United Nations.
toggle caption Jehad Alshrafi/AP
The Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, said Tuesday that 80 children have died from starvation since the beginning of the war, while 21 adults have since Sunday. The ministry only recently began tracking deaths from malnutrition in adults.
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The deaths could not be independently verified, but U.N. officials and major international aid groups say the conditions for starvation exist in Gaza. During hunger crises, people can die from malnutrition or from common illnesses or injuries that the body is not strong enough to fight.
Israel eased a 2½-month blockade in May, allowing a trickle of aid in through the longstanding U.N.-run system and the newly created GHF. Aid groups say it’s not nearly enough.
“I do it for my children”
Dozens of Palestinians lined up Tuesday outside a charity kitchen in Gaza City, hoping for a bowl of watery tomato soup. The lucky ones got small chunks of eggplant. As supplies ran out, people holding pots pushed and shoved to get to the front.
toggle caption Jehad Alshrafi/AP
Nadia Mdoukh, a pregnant woman who was displaced from her home and lives in a tent with her husband and three children, said she worries about being shoved or trampled on, and about heat stroke as daytime temperatures hover above 90 F (32 C).
“I do it for my children,” she said. “This is famine — there is no bread or flour.”
The U.N. World Food Program says Gaza’s hunger crisis has reached “new and astonishing levels of desperation.” Ross Smith, the agency’s director for emergencies, told reporters Monday that nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and a third of Gaza’s population is going without food for multiple days in a row.
MedGlobal, a charity working in Gaza, said five children as young as 3 months had died from starvation in the past three days.
“This is a deliberate and human-made disaster,” said Joseph Belliveau, its executive director. “Those children died because there is not enough food in Gaza and not enough medicines, including IV fluids and therapeutic formula, to revive them.”
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The charity said food is in such short supply that its own staff members suffer dizziness and headaches.
Aid delivery model criticized
Of the 1,054 people killed while trying to get food since late May, 766 were killed while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the U.N. human rights office. The others were killed when gunfire erupted around U.N. convoys or aid sites.
Thameen al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the U.N. rights office, says its figures come from “multiple reliable sources on the ground,” including medics, humanitarian and human rights organizations. He said the numbers were still being verified according to the office’s strict methodology.
Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces regularly fire toward crowds of thousands of people heading to the GHF sites. The military says it has only fired warning shots, and GHF says its armed contractors have only fired into the air on a few occasions to try to prevent stampedes.
toggle caption Jehad Alshrafi/AP
A joint statement from 28 Western-aligned countries on Monday condemned the “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians.”
“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” read the statement, which was signed by the United Kingdom, France and other countries friendly to Israel. “The Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.”
Israel and the United States rejected the statement, blaming Hamas for prolonging the war by not accepting Israeli terms for a ceasefire and the release of hostages abducted in the militant-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the fighting.
Hamas has said it will release the remaining hostages only in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will keep fighting until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed.
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Strikes on tents sheltering the displaced
Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people Tuesday across Gaza, according to local health officials.
One strike hit tents sheltering displaced people in the built-up seaside Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The Israeli military said that it wasn’t aware of such a strike by its forces.
The dead included three women and three children, the hospital director, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, told The Associated Press. Thirty-eight other Palestinians were wounded, he said.
An overnight strike that hit crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks in Gaza City killed eight, hospitals said. At least 118 were wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
“A bag of flour covered in blood and death,” said Mohammed Issam, who was in the crowd and said some people were run over by trucks in the chaos. “How long will this humiliation continue?”
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on that strike. Israel blames the deaths of Palestinian civilians on Hamas, because the militants operate in densely populated areas.
Israel renewed its offensive in March with a surprise bombardment after ending an earlier ceasefire. Talks on another truce have dragged on for weeks despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack, and killed around 1,200 people. Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.
More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.