Death toll of starving Palestinians in Gaza rises over weekend even as aid air-drops of food and water land on the Strip and the military announces ‘safe zones across the enclave – Starmer to talk to Trump about crisis
At least eight Palestinians have starved to death in the past 24 hours in Gaza as well as 22 people killed this morning and 63 slaughtered on Sunday, according to local officials.
Israeli strikes have continued this morning and overnight, killing 38 on Sunday whilst they were seeking aid and the horror toll for those starved to death since war began is now 135.
The number of people who have died from hunger includes 87 children, according to local health officials. The Israeli military Sunday began limited pauses in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for ten hours a day, as concerns grow over surging hunger across the Strip. Israeli troops said the “tactical pause” from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, all with large populations, would increase humanitarian aid.
United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher welcomed Israel’s decision to support a “one-week scale-up of aid” and said “some movement restrictions appear to have been eased.” But he said action needs to be sustained, vast and fast. sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Whichever path we choose, we will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies.”
Images of emaciated children have fanned criticism of Israel, including by allies who call for the war’s end. srael has restricted aid to Gaza because it says Hamas siphons it off to bolster its rule.
Much of the population, squeezed into ever-smaller patches of land, now relies on aid. As the military had warned, combat operations continued otherwise. Health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed Palestinians from late Saturday into Sunday.
Local Sabreen Hassona said: “I came to get flour for my children because they have not tasted flour for more than a week, and thank God, God provided me with a kilo of rice with difficulty.” But Samira Yahya said in Zawaida in central Gaza, said: “We saw the planes, but we didn’t see what they dropped,” “They said trucks would pass, but we didn’t see the trucks.”
Israel’s military said 28 aid packages containing food were airdropped, and said it would put in place secure routes for aid delivery. The U.N. World Food Program said it had enough food in, or on its way, to feed all of Gaza for nearly three months. It has said nearly half a million people were enduring famine-like conditions.
Antoine Renard, WFP’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territories, said around 80 WFP trucks entered Gaza, while another over 130 trucks arrived via Jordan, Ashdod and Egypt. He said other aid was moving through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. He stressed it was not enough to counter the “current starvation.”
Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, Gaza Health Ministry’s director-general, called for a flood of medical supplies to treat child malnutrition. He said: “This truce will mean nothing if it doesn’t turn into a real opportunity to save lives.
“Every delay is measured by another funeral.” Ceasefire efforts appeared to be in doubt. Israel and the U.S. recalled negotiating teams from Qatar on Thursday, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering “alternative options.” Israel says it is prepared to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group has refused.
Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating delegation, said the group had displayed “maximum flexibility.” Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi said Israel’s change of approach on the humanitarian crisis amounted to an acknowledgment of Palestinians starving in Gaza.
After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies to Gaza for two monthsto pressure Hamas to release hostages. Fifty of them remain in Gaza, over half of them believed to be dead. Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May. Since then, the average of 69 trucks a day has been far below the 500 to 600 trucks the U.N. says are needed.
The U.N. says it has been unable to distribute much aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from trucks. In an attempt to divert aid delivery from U.N. control, Israel has backed the U.S.-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which in May opened four distribution centers.
Mercy Corps’ vice president of global policy and advocacy, Kate Phillips-Barrasso, said: “Gaza is not a remote island. The infrastructure and resources exist to prevent starvation; we just need safe, sustained access,” Israel’s military said two soldiers were killed in Gaza, bringing the total to 898 since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war.
Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in that attack, and took 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. British PM Starmer is expected to raise the prospect of reviving ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and the future of tariffs on British steel as he meets Donald Trump in Scotland.
More West Bank homes have been demolished west of Ramallah and tunnels are constructed to join up settler homes. There are close to 700,000 settlers in the Palestinian region. Locals report an increase in settler attacks.