At least 67 Palestinians were killed on Sunday after Israeli forces opened fire near a U.N. aid convoy in northern Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The WFP said its convoy encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire shortly after crossing from Israel.
The agency condemned the violence, calling it completely unacceptable, and noted that nearly one in three people in Gaza is not eating for days, with 90,000 women and children urgently needing treatment for malnutrition.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and carnage.
The tanks were firing shells randomly at us, and Israeli sniper soldiers were shooting as if they were hunting animals in a forest.
said Qasem Abu Khater, a survivor.
Others reported tanks and drones surrounding the crowds and firing indiscriminately.
Israel’s military acknowledged firing warning shots to disperse what it called an immediate threat but disputed the death toll reported by Gaza’s health authorities. It said it does not intentionally target humanitarian operations.
Gaza’s civil defence agency later raised the total number of Palestinians killed across the territory on Sunday to 93, with 80 deaths in northern Gaza alone. Additional casualties occurred near aid points in Rafah and Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
The latest killings have intensified scrutiny of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, where hunger is rampant and aid access remains heavily restricted.
Gaza’s health ministry reported 18 deaths due to hunger in just the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of child deaths from malnutrition during the war to at least 71. More than 60,000 other children are reportedly suffering from symptoms of malnutrition.
Meanwhile, Israel issued new evacuation orders for parts of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, densely packed with displaced people and humanitarian agencies.
Leaflets dropped by Israeli aircraft urged civilians to move to al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian zone on the coast. The move sparked panic and raised alarm among international groups, many of which operate in the affected areas.
Israeli officials suggest the evacuation could be linked to suspicions that hostages taken in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks might be held in the region. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages are believed to still be alive.
Families of Israeli hostages have voiced concern, demanding reassurances that the evacuation won't endanger their loved ones.
Can anyone promise us this won’t cost the lives of our family members?
one group asked in a public statement.
Pope Leo XIV added his voice to the global outcry on Sunday, calling for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war. His comments followed last week’s Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which left three people dead.
The war, triggered by Hamas’ October 2023 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to 251 being taken hostage, has so far killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Most of Gaza’s 2 million residents have been displaced, many multiple times, in what the U.N. has called a rapidly escalating humanitarian disaster.
Ceasefire talks in Doha between Hamas and Israel remain deadlocked. Some analysts believe Israel’s latest military moves, including the Deir al-Balah evacuation, are meant to pressure Hamas into making concessions.
Picture credit: Reuters Gaza Aid Crisis Photos
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