In one of the bloodiest events involving people seeking food in recent weeks, Israeli forces opened fire near a UN relief truck in northern Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 67 Palestinians and wounding scores more, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Shortly after entering Gaza from Israel and passing through checkpoints, the World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that their convoy of 25 trucks ran with “massive crowds of hungry civilians, which came under gunfire.” The violence against aid workers was deemed “completely unacceptable” by the UN organization, which also noted that 90,000 women and children urgently needed nutritional treatment.
The Israeli military denied the alleged death toll but admitted to firing “warning shots” in the vicinity, saying it was necessary to “remove an immediate threat.” Survivors, however, recounted frantic gunfights, bombardment, and fear.
When witness Qasem Abu Khater tried to get a bag of flour, he was surrounded by “deadly overcrowding and pushing,” he told AFP.
He claimed that “sniper soldiers were shooting as if they were hunting animals in a forest, and tanks were firing shells at random.” “In front of my eyes, dozens were martyred.”
Many of the victims were sent to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which was described as “overwhelmed” by Dr. Hassan al-Shaer, the medical director. “The entire population is dying,” a lady told BBC Arabic outside the hospital. Children are starving to death. People only need salt and water to survive.
An increasing death toll and worsening starvation
According to a different version from Gaza’s civil defense organization, Israeli fire killed 93 Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday. Nine people were shot dead close to an aid post in Rafah, four more in Khan Younis, and 80 in northern Gaza.
In a 24-hour period, the health ministry also reported 18 famine-related deaths, underscoring the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The ministry stated on Saturday that “hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger.”
“Nearly one person in three is not eating for days,” the World Food Program reports. Reports of Palestinians being slain while attempting to obtain food have been almost every day since late May.
Recent events have happened close to aid locations run by the contentious Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has US and Israeli support and distributes aid inside Israeli military-controlled areas using private security companies. There have been other strikes close to convoys operated by the UN.
Fear is sparked by new evacuation orders.
Parts of central Gaza, notably Deir al-Balah, where the Israeli force has not yet launched a ground offensive, have been ordered to evacuate. On Sunday, leaflets dropped from airplanes told locals and displaced people to head toward the seaside town of al-Mawasi.
Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians already living in makeshift tents are in a state of terror as a result of the relocation. Israeli families are especially concerned because they think their relatives who are being taken captive by Hamas may be in the neighborhood.
Without giving a timeframe for any ground operations, the Israeli army stated, “The Defense Forces continue to operate with great force to destroy the enemy’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area.”
According to Israeli sources cited by Reuters, the military has so far avoided going into the impacted regions because of the potential for hostages to be held there. At least 20 of the 50 hostages thought to be still alive in Gaza are still alive, according to Israeli estimations.
Ceasefire calls increase
Pope Leo XIV condemned the “indiscriminate use of force” and called for an “end to the barbarity of the war,” joining the swelling chorus of worldwide voices calling for an immediate truce.
His comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his nation greatly regretted the tragic Israeli strike that struck Gaza’s sole Catholic church.
Following Hamas-led strikes on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 Israelis and the hostage-taking of 251 more, Israel launched its offensive in Gaza. Since then, Israeli air and ground operations have killed over 58,895 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry numbers, which the UN frequently cites as the most accurate available.
Aid organizations have reaffirmed their urgent requests for unrestricted humanitarian access and a permanent truce, given that the majority of Gaza’s population of over two million has been uprooted at least once and that food shortages is quickly increasing.
