At least 1,054 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli military, UN says
'Palestinians in Gaza are starving to death,' the statement said.
Desperate, hungry people are approaching aid sites run by the controversial Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the statement said, 'even though between May 27 and July 21, 1,054 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military in Gaza while trying to access food.'
The GHF began operating in the Gaza Strip on May 27. Some 766 people were killed in the vicinity of their sites since then, the UN office said, while 288 were killed around aid convoys run by groups including the UN.
CNN has reached to the Israel Defense Forces for comment. In a post on X, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Hamas of shooting civilians trying to collect aid, but did not provide any evidence for this.
'The deaths and the horrendous physical and psychological suffering caused by hunger are the result of Israel's interference with and militarization of humanitarian assistance into Gaza,' the UN's statement said. 'The Israeli military must immediately stop shooting at people trying to get food. Firearms must never be used simply to disperse a crowd, even as a warning.'
The UN office called on Israel to allow more humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip and lift its restrictions on the UN and other humanitarian groups in the enclave. — CNN
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The military regime has responded with airstrikes, mass arrests and the restriction of humanitarian access, particularly in contested areas. Against this backdrop, sanctions targeting Myanmar's central bank and the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise had served as a key element of international pressure, restricting the regime's access to foreign currency and limiting its ability to finance military operations. The easing of these restrictions comes at a moment when the junta is under increasing pressure on the battlefield and in international forums. Supporters of the policy change point to the need for humanitarian flexibility and concerns over unintended consequences in the region's financial sector. Several banks in Southeast Asia had reportedly begun derisking operations involving Myanmar, making it harder for aid organizations and third-party financial institutions to operate. The updated policy aims to mitigate those effects while continuing to target individuals and entities directly involved in abuses. The policy shift has important consequences for the Rohingya, who remain some of the most vulnerable people in Myanmar. An estimated 600,000 Rohingya still live in Rakhine State under conditions of extreme repression, while nearly 1 million remain in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Humanitarian agencies continue to report that access to food, medicine and aid in northern Rakhine is severely restricted. A recent report by the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK detailed the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Rohingya areas, with dozens already reported dead from hunger and lack of medical care. Lifting some restrictions on financial transactions with state-owned enterprises does not directly address this crisis, but observers hope it could open new diplomatic channels and enable greater international engagement on humanitarian access. 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In addition, restoring limited financial access for Myanmar's central institutions could support nongovernmental and cross-border aid flows, allowing for greater humanitarian flexibility in areas not under junta control. A careful calibration of sanctions may be part of a broader strategy to preserve humanitarian space while maintaining pressure on the military leadership. Neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand and India will be watching these developments closely. Bangladesh, in particular, is bearing the brunt of the regional fallout, hosting hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees for more than seven years. With international support decreasing and no immediate solution in sight, Dhaka has repeatedly called for renewed efforts to facilitate the voluntary, safe and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar. 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