At least 67 Palestinians were killed while waiting for United Nations aid in northern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, marking another tragic day in the territory’s deepening humanitarian crisis.
The incident occurred after a 25-truck convoy operated by the UN World Food Programme crossed into Gaza and was met by large crowds of starving civilians. The convoy, having cleared Israeli checkpoints, quickly came under gunfire.
“The 25-truck convoy encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire,” the WFP confirmed.
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged firing warning shots, saying it was in response to an “immediate threat,” but contested the number of deaths reported.
This comes amid escalating warnings about severe hunger in Gaza. On Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry reported that more residents were arriving at its facilities “in a state of extreme exhaustion and fatigue.”
“We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger,” the ministry said.
On Sunday, the ministry confirmed 18 additional deaths in the previous 24 hours alone, attributing them to famine.
Victims from the northern Gaza shootings were rushed to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The hospital’s medical director, Dr. Hassan al-Shaer, told BBC Arabic the facility had been “overwhelmed” by the influx.
Outside the hospital, a distraught woman echoed the despair of many Gazans. “The whole population is dying,” she said. “Children are dying of hunger because they have nothing to eat. People are surviving on water and salt… just water and salt.”
The Gaza civil defence agency later raised the death toll, reporting that a total of 93 people were killed by Israeli fire across the territory on Sunday alone.
Of those, 80 were in northern Gaza, while nine were shot dead near an aid distribution point in Rafah and four others near Khan Younis.
In Gaza City, a man identified as Qasem Abu Khater recounted his terrifying experience to AFP. He had gone in search of a bag of flour but was met with chaos.
“The tanks were firing shells randomly at us and Israeli sniper soldiers were shooting as if they were hunting animals in a forest,” he said. “Dozens of people were martyred right before my eyes and no one could save anyone.”
The WFP condemned the violence, calling any attacks on civilians seeking food “completely unacceptable.”
“Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment,” the WFP stated on X (formerly Twitter). “Nearly one person in three is not eating for days.”
Since late May, daily reports have emerged of Palestinians being killed while trying to access food. On Saturday alone, at least 32 people reportedly died from Israeli gunfire near aid distribution points in southern Gaza.
Some of the deadliest incidents have occurred near aid sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial initiative supported by the US and Israel that uses private security contractors.
However, attacks have also been reported near UN-run distribution points.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has ordered mass evacuations in Deir al-Balah, a densely populated area in central Gaza that has not yet experienced a ground invasion.
The IDF said residents and displaced individuals in the area should head toward al-Mawasi on the Mediterranean coast.
The announcement triggered widespread fear among civilians and families of Israeli hostages, many of whom believe their loved ones may be held in the city.
Though airstrikes have hit Deir al-Balah, no ground forces have been deployed. Leaflets dropped by Israeli aircraft instructed residents in several districts to evacuate immediately.
“The (Israeli) Defense Forces continues to operate with great force to destroy the enemy’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area,” the IDF said, clarifying that it has not yet entered these districts.
The affected neighborhoods, already overcrowded with displaced families living in tents, now face renewed uncertainty.
Israeli sources told Reuters the area may be housing hostages, possibly explaining the delay in launching a ground offensive.
Of the roughly 50 hostages still believed to be in Gaza, at least 20 are thought to be alive.
Israel’s war in Gaza began after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks that killed around 1,200 people in Israel and led to 251 people being taken hostage.
In response, Israeli forces have waged a months-long offensive that the health ministry in Gaza says has now killed more than 58,895 people.
Pope Leo XIV added his voice to the growing calls for an end to the conflict. “An immediate end to the barbarity of the war” is needed, he said on Sunday, denouncing “indiscriminate use of force.” His comments followed an Israeli airstrike that struck Gaza’s only Catholic Church, a move Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said Israel “deeply regretted.”
As the humanitarian situation worsens by the hour, global voices are calling for an urgent scale-up of aid access to prevent more deaths from starvation and violence.
