Israeli attacks, forced starvation kill more than 70 Palestinians in Gaza

The Israeli subject has killed dozens of radical in Gaza arsenic the starvation situation successful the territory deepens amid an planetary outcry, with much Palestinians dying of malnutrition.

Medical sources told Al Jazeera that Israeli attacks killed astatine slightest 71 radical crossed Gaza connected Saturday, including 42 desperately seeking aid.

The Ministry of Health successful Gaza besides said that hospitals person recorded 5 much deaths owed to hunger caused by the Israeli blockade of the enclave, bringing the full decease toll from malnutrition to 127 since the warfare began. The victims see 85 children.

With choler crossed the satellite mounting over the crisis, Israel announced precocious connected Saturday that it would instrumentality a intermission to its battle “in civilian centers and successful humanitarian corridors to alteration the organisation of assistance supply” connected Sunday.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not specify which circumstantial areas would spot a “humanitarian pause”.

The ministry besides again blamed the United Nations for failing to administer assistance successful Gaza, a assertion that has been rejected by some the UN and aggregate assistance and rights groups.

UN officials person said that this Israeli talking constituent is false, stressing that they person not received the indispensable permits to safely administer assistance successful the besieged enclave.

Airdrops’ effect is ‘equivalent to none’

The Israeli subject besides said it carried retired airdrops of planetary assistance implicit Gaza. The United Arab Emirates, which has adjacent economical and diplomatic ties with Israel, besides said it volition statesman airdropping assistance into Gaza “immediately”.

But humanitarian experts person been informing since past twelvemonth that airdrops are unsafe to radical connected the crushed and cannot service arsenic a substitute for harmless onshore routes to distribute food and aesculapian supplies.

Earlier connected Saturday, Philippe Lazzarini, the caput of the UN bureau for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, called airdrops an expensive, inefficient “distraction” that would “not reverse the deepening starvation”.

Lazzarini called for Israel to “lift the siege, unfastened the gates [and] warrant harmless movements [and] dignified entree to radical successful need”.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud raised questions implicit the recently announced Israeli steps.

He said the airdrops’ effect is “equivalent to none”.

“We’re talking astir lone 7 pallets of assistance filled with flour and different basal necessities. That’s astir the load of 1 truck, oregon fractional of a truck, coming from the crossings into the Gaza Strip,” Mahmoud said.

He cited witnesses who said the airdrops took spot adjacent a restricted military area successful bluish Gaza, making retrieving them successful the acheronian particularly difficult.

Equally, Israel’s program to let for alleged “humanitarian pauses” successful Gaza starting connected Sunday volition person nary large effect connected the starvation crisis, Mahmoud said.

“Again, this is not a solution erstwhile we speech astir passing the tipping constituent of this enforced starvation, and according to aesculapian sources we spoke to earlier today, they confirmed that astatine this constituent we’re going to spot wide standard starvation mortality,” helium said.

As starvation spreads, Israel has pressed connected with its regular bombardment of Gaza.

At slightest six radical were killed successful an Israeli drone onslaught connected a structure campy successful al-Mawasi adjacent Khan Younis connected Saturday. The country designated arsenic a harmless portion by Israel has travel nether changeless deadly onslaught by its forces.

Meanwhile, the Civil Defence bureau successful Gaza says nary of its vehicles volition beryllium capable to connection lifesaving services soon owed to disrepair and deficiency of fuel, calling connected the planetary assemblage to act.

“We accent the request for an urgent involution to unit the Israeli concern authorities to let substance and repair parts for vehicles to enter,” the Civil Defence said successful a statement.

While immoderate Western countries person made strongly-worded statements against Israel’s policies successful Gaza, advocates person been calling for real consequences to guarantee accountability and deter further Israeli abuses. Punitive sanctions against Israel person been raised arsenic possibilities.

Handala vessel intercepted

Shortly aft making its airdrops announcement, the Israeli subject raided a vessel of planetary activists carrying babe formula, nutrient and aesculapian supplies to Gaza.

A livestream showed Israeli soldiers boarding and intercepting the Handala vas with 19 activists onboard. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the assistance ship, said the vas was violently seized successful planetary waters.

“The unarmed vessel was carrying life-saving supplies erstwhile it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized,” the conjugation said successful a statement. “The interception occurred successful planetary waters extracurricular Palestinian territorial waters disconnected Gaza, successful usurpation of planetary maritime law.”

#handala has been intercepted by the state concern forces pic.twitter.com/0Mw1gZUNyi

— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) July 26, 2025

It is not wide what volition hap to the advocates. Last month, Israel intercepted the Madleen assistance vessel and towed it to an Israeli vessel earlier detaining the activists, and past interrogating and deporting them.

Ann Wright, a subordinate of the Freedom Flotilla Steering Committee, called for the extortion of the planetary activists by their location countries.

“Protect guiltless planetary radical who are simply accompanying a tiny magnitude of assistance – aesculapian and nutrient – arsenic a awesome of the planetary outrage astatine what Israel is doing,” Wright told Al Jazeera.

The Gaza Government Media Office called the interception of Handala a crime of piracy.

“This blatant aggression represents a large usurpation of planetary instrumentality and the rules of maritime navigation, and it shows erstwhile much that the [Israeli] concern acts similar a bully extracurricular the authorization of the law,” the bureau said successful a statement.