At least 93 reported killed queuing for food in Gaza as Israel issues fresh evacuation orders – Middle East crisis live
Date: 2025-07-21T06:50:15.000Z
Title: At 93 reported dead while seeking aid in Gaza
Content: Gaza's civil defence agency said at least 93 Palestinians had been killed queueing for food on Sunday, while Israel issued fresh evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced people.
The territory's health ministry said scores were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for UN aid trucks entering through the northern Zikim crossing with Israel. It was one of the highest reported death tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed by Israeli fire.
Elsewhere nine others were reportedly shot dead near an aid point close to Rafah in the south, where dozens of people lost their lives just 24 hours earlier, while four were killed near another aid site in Khan Younis, spokesperson for the civil defence agency, Mahmud Basal, said.
Israel's military said soldiers had shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who it claimed posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties. But it said the numbers reported by officials in Gaza were far higher than its initial investigation found. It did not immediately comment on the incidents in the south.
Before the reports of the latest Israeli shootings emerged, Pope Leo XIV called for 'an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict' at the end of the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence near Rome.
Update:
Date: 2025-07-21T06:48:19.000Z
Title: Opening summary
Content: Hello and welcome back to the Guardian's coverage of the Middle East.
Gaza's civil defence agency said at least 93 Palestinians had been killed queueing for food on Sunday, while Israel issued fresh evacuation orders for areas packed with displaced people.
The territory's health ministry said scores were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for UN aid trucks entering through the northern Zikim crossing with Israel. It was one of the highest reported death tolls among repeated recent cases in which aid seekers have been killed by Israeli fire.
Elsewhere nine others were reportedly shot dead near an aid point close to Rafah in the south, where dozens of people lost their lives just 24 hours earlier, while four were killed near another aid site in Khan Younis, spokesperson for the civil defence agency, Mahmud Basal, said.
The UN World Food Programme said its 25-truck convoy carrying food aid 'encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire' near Gaza City, soon after it crossed from Israel and cleared checkpoints.
Israel's military disputed the death toll and said soldiers had fired warning shots 'to remove an immediate threat posed to them' as thousands gathered near Gaza City.
On Sunday morning, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the city of Deir al-Balah – a crowded part of central Gaza full of displaced Palestinian people with nowhere safe to flee relentless bombardments. Whole families were reportedly seen lugging their few belongings and heading south.
The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement that the order had dealt 'yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip.'
In other developments:
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar on Sunday said he had ordered the withdrawal of a senior UN humanitarian official's residency permit, accusing him of spreading lies about the war in Gaza. Whittall, a South African who lives in Jerusalem and frequently visits the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian conditions for the more than 2 million people living in the Palestinian territory.
Gaza's civil defence agency told Agence France-Presse (AFP) it has noted a rising number of infant deaths caused by 'severe hunger and malnutrition', reporting at least three such deaths in the past week. 'These heartbreaking cases were not caused by direct bombing but by starvation, the lack of baby formula and the absence of basic healthcare,' civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
Tens of thousands of Moroccans demonstrated on Sunday in the capital Rabat against the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, calling for the reversal of the kingdom's normalisation deal with Israel. Protesters gathered in the city centre, brandishing Palestinian flags and placards calling for the free flow of aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
Residents reported calm in Syria's Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and a US envoy signalled that a deal to end days of fighting was being implemented. The ceasefire announced on Saturday appeared to be holding after earlier agreements failed to end fighting between longtime rivals the Druze and the Bedouin that spiralled to draw in the Islamist-led government, the Israeli military and armed tribes from other parts of Syria.
The death toll from violence in Sweida province, the heartland of Syria's Druze minority, has risen to 1,120 since last weekend, a war monitor said on Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included 427 Druze fighters and 298 Druze civilians, 194 of whom were 'summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel'.
The first humanitarian aid convoy entered the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Sunday, a Red Crescent official said, a week after deadly sectarian violence erupted in the Druze heartland. The official said the convoy of 32 vehicles was carrying basics including food, medical and fuel supplies as well as body bags.
Iran confirmed on Monday fresh talks with European powers to be held on Friday in Istanbul, the country's state media reported, the first since the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago. Iranian diplomats will meet counterparts from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, after the trio warned that sanctions could be reimposed on Tehran if it does return to the negotiating table over its nuclear programme.
Iranian authorities have urged residents to limit water consumption as the country grapples with severe shortages amid an ongoing heatwave, local media said on Sunday. Water scarcity is a major issue in Iran, particularly in arid provinces in the country's south, with shortages blamed on mismanagement and overexploitation of underground resources, as well as the growing impact of climate change.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
David Lammy's condemnation of the atrocities in Gaza is an important breakthrough
The images coming out of Gaza of emaciated, dying children are, as the foreign secretary David Lammy says, appalling and sickening. They cannot be dismissed as propaganda, and even the Israeli authorities have not sought to do so. They are, in human terms and by any standard, atrocities – just as surely as those inflicted on innocent people by Hamas terrorists on 7 October 2023 were also atrocities. This latest wave of human suffering should evoke yet more anguish among all civilised peoples. It is time, as Mr Lammy and his colleagues from 27 other nations plead in an open letter, for the war in Gaza to end. Realistically, it will not – at least not immediately. The Israeli government, with unconscious irony, dismisses the calls for an end to the fighting as 'disconnected from reality' and 'sending the wrong message to Hamas'. As opposed, critics might wonder, to the 'message' the Netanyahu government is currently sending to Hamas, which is that peace will never come, the IDF is set on the literal destruction of Gaza as a place of human habitation, and that they, Hamas, as terrorists, therefore have nothing to lose, whether they release the remaining hostages or not (and which they should do, in any case, without delay). So there is no change yet in Israeli policy. It has even opened up a new front by intervening in Syria, unleashing more agonies, as The Independent 's Bel Trew reports. The Israeli Defence Force is engaged in another major military offensive, this time in central Gaza, and the shelling goes on. Tens of thousands of people have been told, yet again, to move to safety, when there is no sanctuary anywhere, not least because of the terrible shortages of the means of life – clean water, food, shelter. There are credible reports that Israeli forces are systematically destroying what few structures remain standing across Gaza. In planned demolitions, to already damaged buildings and ones that appear largely intact, former homes, schools and other civilian infrastructure are being blown up. The plan to crush millions of people into a cynically labelled 'humanitarian city', which will be anything but safe, is still in place. The equally misnomered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by Israel and the United States, is failing to deliver aid; instead, people are dying in the ensuing chaos. One witness, the British doctor Nick Maynard, says people at aid sites are being used as target practice (a claim rejected by the IDF). Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general with the UN Palestine aid agency, calls the sites a 'sadistic death trap'. There was a time when combatants in any war would not target United Nations agency posts and personnel. Not in the case of the Israeli occupying forces in Gaza, where the World Health Organisation's staff residence, main warehouse and health hub were attacked. The WHO reports that 'Israeli military forces entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint.' The suffering of the people of Gaza is on an apocalyptic scale, bombarded and besieged virtually without respite, and visited by conquest, war, famine and death. It seems hopeless – but the last thing the Palestinian people need from the West is a counsel of despair. Mr Lammy has called out what Israel has been doing, taken some, as yet inadequate action, and come as close as he can to condemning Israel for war crimes: 'Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.' Many would urge him to go further. Lord Sumption, a universally respected lawyer, has argued that 'the conduct of Israel in Gaza is grossly disproportionate and there's at least an arguable case that it's genocidal '. Mr Lammy and the other 27 foreign ministers have the option to echo that kind of language. He is urged to do so – but he is right to hold back, and, for the time being, await the International Court to come to a judgment. Why? Because the only consideration about what to do next should be whether it will have any appreciable impact on what's happening on the ground. Recognising a Palestinian state and setting up a British embassy in Ramallah wouldn't save the life of single Palestinian baby. Nor would an outright charge of genocide. Not yet, at any rate. What would matter is if the Americans can be persuaded to put pressure on Israel to end the war and the famine: after all, this is Donald Trump 's declared policy. Loyal as he is to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader has been testing President Trump's patience in recent months. When Karoline Leavitt, the forthright White House spokesperson, reveals that the president has been 'caught off guard' by recent Israeli bombings in Syria and of a church in Gaza, and called his friend Bibi to 'rectify' the situation, it does at least show that action is possible. In May, Mr Trump expressed concern about people starving, and perhaps, as with Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, the president may slowly be coming to realise that Mr Netanyahu has also been playing him along; he might take decisive action that would stop the killings in a day. But if Washington remains impassive, then once again a ' coalition of the willing ' must be formed to do whatever it takes to pressure Israel – diplomatic recognition of Palestine, a full arms embargo, trade sanctions and economic pressure. Especially if this is done in concert with Israel's influential regional neighbours, such as Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. ends the war in Gaza – now.
STV News
11 minutes ago
- STV News
Tram power lines shutdown after demonstrators 'ignore safety issues'
A pro-Palestinian demonstration is set to be rerouted to avoid protesters getting close to the tram line, after an emergency shutdown of power lines was needed at a march over the weekend. Police Scotland expressed concerns over the August 9 march after a demonstration on Saturday saw 'frantic calls' to get the power to the trams cut off over electrocution concerns. They said that the rally's route was changed two days before it started, which made policing it more difficult and led to road closures not being in place in time. The August 9 march, which is estimated to have 500 participants, is set to be held on the same day as a major Orange walk, which will see 1,500 participants descend on the city centre at the height of the festival. The city's licensing sub-committee considered two pro-Palestine demonstrations from the organisers of Saturday's march on Monday, with one set to run on August 2 and the other on August 9. Police sergeant Grant Robinson said: 'Our assessment was that serious safety issues were frankly ignored by participants and stewards. 'Many presented waving high flags and banners on approach to the Edinburgh Tram line. 'This resulted in an emergency shutdown of the overhead power cables, as if the flags or banners touched or came near these items, the electricity would have arced, causing serious injury or worse. 'It's essential that we have agreed routes with sufficient notice, so that safety measures can be put in place in advance, as this caused frantic calls between police and Edinburgh Trams to enable the shutdown.' A spokesperson for Edinburgh Trams confirmed that the power lines were shut down for 15 minutes on Saturday over safety concerns. Sergeant Robinson also said the 'number, ability and knowledge' of the protest stewards was concerning to the police service. He said Police Scotland was willing to arrange third-party free training sessions to 'upskill' stewards. The organisers of the event were not present, having asked if the council sub-committee meeting could be delayed so they could attend. Council officers proposed that the routes of the pro-Palestine rally on August 2 be swapped with one on the 9th, in order to space out the demonstrations happening on that day. Councillors elected not to swap the routes, but modified the route of the march on the 9th to keep it away from the Edinburgh Trams infrastructure. Liberal Democrat councillor Jack Caldwell asked if the organisers could be sanctioned for not attending the sub-committee meeting or for amending the routes of past demonstrations. Council officer Max Mitchell replied: 'This is not a license application, notification of parades. There is no sanction for not attending the committee. 'What the act simply says is that if the council makes an order, and the organiser departs from the terms of that order, that would potentially become a matter for Police Scotland, and would become a statutory offence under the act.' Sergeant Robinson said the police would only charge organisers as a last resort, continuing to say: 'We are very practical. We take an informed, reasonable approach. 'We're looking to do the, you know, engage encourage educate, before we really go down that route. 'I very much stress that we do not want to charge people for exercising their right [to protest], but it is a qualified right.' Addressing the request by council officers to swap the routes of the two marches, Conservative councillor and sub-committee convener Joanna Mowat said: 'I would be mindful not to alter their fundamental structure, as in, they want to go up to the American consulate. 'I don't know why they want to go on the second of August, but that's not relevant for us. 'I would be minded, because we are going to have to do something on the 9th, which is quite a big change that we're going to have to make to their routes, that I wouldn't alter the dates. 'I think public safety has asked us to do that, but I'm not sure we have justification to do that.' For the march on the 9th, committee agreed a new route intended to keep protesters away from the trams, which would run from Waverley Bridge and up Market Street, turning left at the Mound. The previous route had an ambiguous staging area of the Mound itself, which could take protesters close to the tramway at the junction with Princes Street. Cllr Mowat said: 'They shouldn't be going anywhere near tram lines with their banners at that point. 'I mean, obviously that's going to be a conversation public safety is going to have to have with them, because the next thing we're going to have to say is that there will be a no-banners march if they're going anywhere near the tram line.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
How Gaza's aid crisis broke Hamas and starved the Strip
When Israel launched its controversial US-backed aid plan for Gaza, it aimed to stop Hamas's alleged profiteering from the seizure and sale of humanitarian supplies. The aid delivery plan overseen by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has proved a blood-soaked catastrophe. The Gazan health authorities report that hundreds of people have been killed by gunfire as they queue for food at the GHF aid points controlled by Israeli troops and American contractors. It has also caused Hamas's worst financial crisis in decades, Israeli officials report. The terror group has been unable to pay its fighters or repair its network of tunnels and hideouts beneath the Strip. Cash shortages have also left Hamas reportedly unable to pay salaries for police or ministry employees. Money reserves amassed before, or during the early stages of, the war have run short, while Israeli strikes have devastated the leadership and fractured its grip on the besieged territory. Hamas for years received large sums from Iran, Qatar and others, and was also able to tax cross-border commerce. Israel has long alleged that Hamas also made money by seizing and selling international aid entering Gaza, though this has been denied by the United Nations and aid agencies. That income ended, officials say, when Israel imposed a blockade in March, and then began using the GHF, set up jointly by the US and Israel, to run aid hubs and bypass UN-run distributions. The UN, the European Commission and major international aid organisations have said they have no evidence that Hamas has systematically stolen their aid. The Israeli government has not provided proof. Twenty-eight countries including Britain, this week condemned the new aid arrangements, amid widespread reports of starvation, and hundreds of people being shot as they tried to get food. The countries' joint statement described as 'horrifying' the recent deaths of over 800 Palestinians who were seeking aid, according to the figures released by Gaza's Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, and the UN human rights office. 'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,' the countries said. 'The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.' Palestinian health officials have said at least 101 people have died of hunger during the conflict, most of them in recent weeks. Food that does arrive in the coastal Strip is often sold and resold at extortionate prices, said Rabiha Abdel Aziz, a 75-year-old mother of nine living in a displacement camp in western Gaza. 'I don't know how people can eat,' she told The Telegraph, explaining that the family can no longer even afford a kilo of flour, which currently costs £26. She said: 'My grandchildren wake up in the morning and ask me for a piece of bread that we don't will we get the money to buy food at this price? We are dying of hunger and bombing.' 'People collapse in the streets' Salem Jehad, a father of four who is living in a camp west of Gaza city, said he was unable to find milk for his newborn son. He said: 'All my children have lost half their weight, and I am the same. Most people don't have money. 'Two years without work during the war, with the crossings closed and aid entering scarcely, people are collapsing in the streets from weakness and hunger. We drink water with salt to satisfy our hunger.' Mr Jehad said access to food had dramatically worsened since GHF took over the distribution and he wanted a return to the previous UN-run model. The UN said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the GHF began operations in May. Aid distributions have been marred by chaotic scenes and frequent reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting to collect rations. Israel's military has disputed previous death tolls, but has said its troops have at times fired warning shots, and it is investigating accusations of civilian deaths. Mr Jehad said: 'Now we are running into death traps. Gazans are dying to bring a kilo of flour and rice. Hamas's mistake over 'strategy of suffering' Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who leads the Realign for Palestine lobby group, said that Hamas had counted on the humanitarian crisis to bring the war to an end. He told the Post: 'Hamas's strategy relied on the suffering of Gazans. 'But when this strategy failed, it foolishly doubled down on this approach, in large part because it had nothing else in its toolbox to deal with Israel's ferocious reaction to Oct 7 and the world's inability to stop it.' Lior Akerman, the head of national resilience at the Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS) at Reichman University, and a former chief of staff in Shin Bet, Israel's MI5, said Hamas had 'almost completely disintegrated in the Gaza Strip'. He said: 'All the senior commanders were killed and all the frameworks of the fighting disintegrated. 'Today, in the absence of commanders, Hamas members in the Gaza Strip are operating like independent, armed militias. 'In every area, the terrorists continue to do the best they can with the weapons they possess, and they are effectively waging a guerrilla war against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 'This type of fighting could last for years and wear down the IDF in a never-ending war.' Truce negotiations held up Israel and Hamas are holding indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a 60-day truce and a hostage release deal. But there has been no sign of a deal yet, and discussions have reportedly been held up by Hamas's negotiators in Doha being unable to reach representatives in Gaza since late last week. Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence analyst, said as Hamas had been degraded in Gaza, the group's centre of gravity had shifted to abroad. He said that with only Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, commander of the Gaza City Brigade, remaining as a senior figure in Gaza, 'a dramatic change has occurred'. 'The centre of gravity shifted from the Strip to Hamas abroad,' he said. 'And in particular to Khalil al-Khayya, who was very much involved in the planning of Oct 7 and continues to lead an extremist line from the Hamas base in Qatar.'
