- By Supratik Das
- Mon, 21 Jul 2025 10:07 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Israel-Gaza War: In yet another deadly incident amid the ongoing war, Gaza’s civil defence agency has claimed that Israeli forces opened fire on crowds of Palestinians trying to collect humanitarian aid on Sunday, killing at least 93 people and injuring dozens more. As reported by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), its 25-truck convoy of vital food supplies "faced massive throngs of starving civilians which came under fire" shortly after entering Gaza City from Israel. The cleared-through convoy was attacked as thousands had gathered for food relief in light of acute shortages. The Israeli military has disputed the civilian death toll and said its soldiers only fired warning shots “to remove an immediate threat posed to them.”
Mahmud Basal, a representative of Gaza's civil defence, reported that 80 were gunned down when truckloads of aid were delivered in northern Gaza and nine others were killed near an aid point in the south, close to Rafah, where dozens were killed a day before. Four more were killed near Khan Yunis, which is also in the south. Eyewitness accounts reported desperation and horror scenes. Qasem Abu Khater, who lives in Gaza City, said AFP tanks and snipers were shooting as people rushed for flour. "The tanks were indiscriminately firing at us and Israeli sniper soldiers were shooting as if Israeli soldiers were hunting animals in a forest," he stated to AFP.
UN Condemns Attacks On Aid Seers
The WFP also condemned attacks on civilians in pursuit of food assistance as "completely unacceptable." The UN reported last month that close to 800 Palestinians have been killed attempting to access aid convoys since late May. Media access restrictions complicate independent confirmation of the specific numbers and situations, but increasing reports speak to the appalling human cost of civilians under famine-like conditions.
At the same time, Israel's army ordered new evacuations Sunday, calling for Deir el-Balah residents to relocate south immediately because of "imminent operations." This has provoked another round of large-scale displacement, compelling already depleted families to flee once again. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 87.8% of Gaza is now either under evacuation orders or militarized, leaving more than two million civilians crammed into just 12% of the coastal strip. "This is another horrific blow to the already weak lifelines sustaining people," said OCHA.
In a related move, Israel revoked the residency permit of Jonathan Whittall, director of OCHA's office in Israel, for disseminating lies regarding the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued an apology to Pope Leo XIV following the death of three individuals seeking refuge at the Gaza Holy Family Church last week.". Pope Leo denounced the "barbarity" of the war, further stating that the bombing of churches and civilians should cease. The Latin Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, conducted mass in the damaged church on Sunday, calling for an immediate ceasefire and peace.
Negotiations Ongoing Amid Tensions
Negotiations go on for an agreed 60-day truce and the release of 10 surviving hostages. Of the 251 hostages taken in Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, 49 are still being held captive, including 27 that are positively identified as dead, the Israeli military says. The fighting, which had started with Hamas's fatal attack that killed 1,219 individuals in Israel, has up to now taken the lives of 58,895 Palestinians, predominantly civilians, the Gaza health ministry says.