Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian assist convoy that reached Gaza Metropolis from the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, July 26, 2025.
Jehad Alshrafi/AP
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Jehad Alshrafi/AP
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s army introduced that airdrops of assist would start Saturday evening in Gaza, and humanitarian corridors can be established for United Nations convoys, after rising accounts of starvation-related deaths.
The assertion late Saturday adopted months of specialists’ warnings of famine amid Israeli restrictions on assist. Worldwide criticism, together with by shut allies, has grown as a number of hundred Palestinians have been killed in current weeks whereas attempting to succeed in meals distribution websites.
The army assertion didn’t say the place the airdrops or humanitarian corridors could be. It additionally mentioned the army is ready to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas. Israel’s overseas ministry mentioned late Saturday the humanitarian pauses would begin Sunday in “civilian facilities” together with humanitarian corridors.
The army “emphasizes that fight operations haven’t ceased” in Gaza in opposition to Hamas, and it asserted there may be “no hunger” within the territory, the place many of the inhabitants of over 2 million has been displaced right into a shrinking space with little infrastructure. Nearly all of individuals depend on assist.
Witness accounts from Gaza have been grim. Some well being employees are so weakened by starvation that they put themselves on IV drips to maintain treating the badly malnourished. Mother and father have proven their limp and emaciated kids. Wounded males have described determined dashes for assist beneath gunfire.
The army assertion mentioned airdrops could be carried out in coordination with worldwide assist organizations. It was not clear the place they might be carried out. And it wasn’t clear what position the not too long ago created and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Basis — meant as an alternate to the U.N. assist system — may play. GHF chair Johnnie Moore in an announcement mentioned the group stood prepared to help.
Not less than 53 killed
Israeli airstrikes and gunshots killed not less than 53 individuals in Gaza in a single day and into Saturday, most of them shot lifeless whereas looking for assist, based on Palestinian well being officers and the native ambulance service.
Lethal Israeli gunfire was reported twice near the Zikim crossing with Israel within the north. Within the first incident, not less than a dozen individuals ready for assist vans have been killed, mentioned workers at Shifa hospital, the place our bodies have been taken. Israel’s army mentioned it fired warning pictures to distance a crowd “in response to a right away menace.”
A witness, Sherif Abu Aisha, mentioned individuals began operating after they noticed a light-weight that they thought was from assist vans, however as they obtained shut, they realized it was Israel’s tanks. That is when the military began firing, he informed The Related Press. He mentioned his uncle was amongst these killed.
“We went as a result of there isn’t a meals … and nothing was distributed,” he mentioned.
On Saturday night, Israeli forces killed not less than 11 individuals and wounded 120 others after they fired towards crowds who tried to get meals from an getting into U.N. convoy, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa hospital, informed the AP.
“We expect the numbers to surge within the subsequent few hours,” he mentioned. There was no fast army remark.
AP video confirmed a bunch of weary Palestinian males carrying a physique together with sacks of flour. They mentioned he was hit by a truck however had no particulars. “You die to fetch some meals to your kids,” mentioned one man, Fayez Abu Riyala, skinny and sweating.
Within the southern metropolis of Khan Younis, Israeli forces shot lifeless not less than 9 individuals attempting to get assist getting into via the Morag hall, based on the hospital’s morgue information. There was no fast army remark.
Elsewhere, these killed in strikes included 4 individuals in an residence constructing in Gaza Metropolis and not less than eight, together with 4 kids, within the crowded tent camp of Muwasi in Khan Younis, hospitals mentioned.
Turning to airdrops, with a warning
The airdrops have been requested by neighboring Jordan, and a Jordanian official mentioned they primarily will drop meals and milk method. The United Arab Emirates mentioned airdrops would begin “instantly.” Britain mentioned it plans to work with companions to airdrop assist and evacuate kids requiring medical help.
However the head of the United Nations company for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that airdrops are “costly, inefficient and may even kill ravenous civilians” and will not reverse the rising hunger or forestall assist diversion.
Whereas Israel’s military has mentioned it permits assist into the enclave with no restrict on the vans that may enter, the U.N. says it’s hampered by army restrictions on its actions and prison looting. The Hamas-run police had supplied safety for assist supply, but it surely has been unable to function after being focused by airstrikes.
Israel on Saturday mentioned over 250 vans carrying assist from the U.N. and different organizations entered Gaza this week. About 600 vans entered per day in the course of the newest ceasefire that Israel resulted in March.
Israel faces rising worldwide strain. Greater than two dozen Western-aligned international locations and over 100 charity and human rights teams have referred to as for an finish to the struggle, harshly criticizing Israel’s blockade and a brand new assist supply mannequin it has rolled out.
Greater than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since Might whereas attempting to get meals, largely close to the brand new assist websites run by the GHF, an American contractor, the U.N. human rights workplace says.
The charities and rights teams mentioned their very own workers struggled to get sufficient meals.
Inside Gaza, kids with no preexisting situations have begun to starve to loss of life.
“We solely need sufficient meals to finish our starvation,” mentioned Wael Shaaban at a charity kitchen in Gaza Metropolis as he tried to feed his household of six.
In the meantime, an activist boat attempting to succeed in Gaza with assist, the Handala, livestreamed video exhibiting Israeli forces boarding round midnight. There was no fast Israeli remark.
Stalled ceasefire talks
Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have been at a standstill after the U.S. and Israel recalled negotiating groups on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Friday his authorities was contemplating “various choices” to talks. A Hamas official, nevertheless, mentioned negotiations have been anticipated to renew subsequent week and referred to as the delegations’ recall a strain tactic.
Egypt and Qatar, which mediate alongside the US, mentioned talks would resume however didn’t say when.
“Our family members should not have time for one more spherical of negotiations, and they won’t survive one other partial deal,” mentioned Zahiro Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Munder, considered one of 50 nonetheless in Gaza from Hamas’ assault on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the struggle. Mor spoke at a weekly rally in Tel Aviv.
Greater than 59,700 Palestinians have been killed in the course of the struggle, based on Gaza’s Well being Ministry. Its rely does not distinguish between militants and civilians, however the ministry says that greater than half of the lifeless are girls and kids. The ministry operates beneath the Hamas authorities. The U.N. and different worldwide organizations see it as essentially the most dependable supply of information on casualties.
