Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian help 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 help would start Saturday evening in Gaza, and humanitarian corridors will likely be established for United Nations convoys, after rising accounts of starvation-related deaths.
The assertion late Saturday adopted months of consultants’ warnings of famine amid Israeli restrictions on help. 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 international 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 towards Hamas, and it asserted there’s “no hunger” within the territory, the place a lot of the inhabitants of over 2 million has been displaced right into a shrinking space with little infrastructure. The vast majority of individuals depend on help.
Witness accounts from Gaza have been grim. Some well being staff are so weakened by starvation that they put themselves on IV drips to maintain treating the badly malnourished. Dad and mom have proven their limp and emaciated youngsters. Wounded males have described determined dashes for help below gunfire.
The army assertion mentioned airdrops could be performed in coordination with worldwide help organizations. It was not clear the place they’d be carried out. And it wasn’t clear what position the lately created and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Basis — meant as an alternate to the U.N. help system — would possibly play. GHF chair Johnnie Moore in a press release mentioned the group stood prepared to help.
A minimum of 53 killed
Israeli airstrikes and gunshots killed no less than 53 individuals in Gaza in a single day and into Saturday, most of them shot useless whereas looking for help, in line with 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, no less than a dozen individuals ready for help vans had been killed, mentioned workers at Shifa hospital, the place our bodies had been taken. Israel’s army mentioned it fired warning photographs to distance a crowd “in response to a right away risk.”
A witness, Sherif Abu Aisha, mentioned individuals began operating after they noticed a lightweight that they thought was from help vans, however as they received shut, they realized it was Israel’s tanks. That is when the military began firing, he advised The Related Press. He mentioned his uncle was amongst these killed.
“We went as a result of there isn’t any meals … and nothing was distributed,” he mentioned.
On Saturday night, Israeli forces killed no less than 11 individuals and wounded 120 others after they fired towards crowds who tried to get meals from an coming into U.N. convoy, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa hospital, advised the AP.
“We predict the numbers to surge within the subsequent few hours,” he mentioned. There was no speedy 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 in your youngsters,” mentioned one man, Fayez Abu Riyala, skinny and sweating.
Within the southern metropolis of Khan Younis, Israeli forces shot useless no less than 9 individuals attempting to get help coming into by means of the Morag hall, in line with the hospital’s morgue information. There was no speedy army remark.
Elsewhere, these killed in strikes included 4 individuals in an condominium constructing in Gaza Metropolis and no less than eight, together with 4 youngsters, within the crowded tent camp of Muwasi in Khan Younis, hospitals mentioned.
Turning to airdrops, with a warning
The airdrops had 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 help and evacuate youngsters 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 stop help diversion.
Whereas Israel’s military has mentioned it permits help 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 felony looting. The Hamas-run police had offered safety for help supply, however it has been unable to function after being focused by airstrikes.
Israel on Saturday mentioned over 250 vans carrying help 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 led to March.
Israel faces rising worldwide stress. Greater than two dozen Western-aligned nations and over 100 charity and human rights teams have known as for an finish to the conflict, harshly criticizing Israel’s blockade and a brand new help supply mannequin it has rolled out.
Greater than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since Could whereas attempting to get meals, principally close to the brand new help 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, youngsters with no preexisting situations have begun to starve to demise.
“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 help, the Handala, livestreamed video displaying Israeli forces boarding round midnight. There was no speedy Israeli remark.
Stalled ceasefire talks
Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas had 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 “different choices” to talks. A Hamas official, nevertheless, mentioned negotiations had been anticipated to renew subsequent week and known as the delegations’ recall a stress 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, one in every of 50 nonetheless in Gaza from Hamas’ assault on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the conflict. Mor spoke at a weekly rally in Tel Aviv.
Greater than 59,700 Palestinians have been killed in the course of the conflict, in line with Gaza’s Well being Ministry. Its depend does not distinguish between militants and civilians, however the ministry says that greater than half of the useless are girls and kids. The ministry operates below the Hamas authorities. The U.N. and different worldwide organizations see it as probably the most dependable supply of knowledge on casualties.
