At least 67 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded as Israeli forces opened fire near a UN aid convoy in northern Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday, in one of the deadliest incidents in recent weeks involving civilians seeking food.
The World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that its 25-truck convoy encountered “massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire” shortly after crossing into Gaza from Israel and clearing checkpoints. The UN agency termed the violence against aid seekers “completely unacceptable”, adding that 90,000 women and children were in urgent need of treatment for malnutrition.
The Israeli military acknowledged firing “warning shots” in the area but disputed the reported death toll, claiming it acted to “remove an immediate threat”. However, survivors described chaotic scenes of gunfire, shelling, and panic.
Eyewitness Qasem Abu Khater told AFP he had attempted to retrieve a bag of flour but instead found himself amid “deadly overcrowding and pushing”.
“Tanks were firing shells randomly, and sniper soldiers were shooting as if they were hunting animals in a forest,” he said. “Dozens were martyred right before my eyes.”
Many of the casualties were taken to Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, where the medical director, Dr Hassan al-Shaer, said the facility was “overwhelmed”. A woman outside the hospital told BBC Arabic: “The whole population is dying. Children are dying of hunger… People are surviving on just water and salt.”
Rising death toll, deepening famine
In a separate update, Gaza’s civil defence agency said that a total of 93 Palestinians had been killed across Gaza on Sunday due to Israeli fire. This includes 80 fatalities in northern Gaza, nine people shot dead near an aid point in Rafah, and four more in Khan Younis.
The health ministry also reported 18 deaths from famine within a 24-hour period, highlighting the worsening humanitarian crisis. “Hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger,” the ministry said on Saturday.
According to the WFP, “nearly one person in three is not eating for days.” Since late May, there have been near-daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking food.
Some of the recent incidents have occurred near aid sites operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by the US and Israel and uses private security firms to distribute aid inside Israeli military-controlled zones. Other attacks have taken place near UN-run convoys.
Fresh evacuation orders spark fear
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for parts of central Gaza, including Deir al-Balah, where it has yet to launch a ground offensive. Leaflets dropped from aircraft on Sunday instructed residents and displaced persons to move toward the coastal town of al-Mawasi.
The move has sparked panic among tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians already living in makeshift tents. It has also alarmed Israeli families who fear their relatives, held hostage by Hamas, could be located in the area.
“The Defense Forces continue to operate with great force to destroy the enemy’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area,” the Israeli army said, without specifying a timeline for any ground operations.
Israeli sources quoted by Reuters said the military had so far refrained from entering the affected areas due to the possibility that hostages might be held there. According to Israeli estimates, at least 20 of the 50 hostages believed to remain in Gaza are still alive.
Calls for ceasefire grow
Pope Leo XIV added his voice to growing international calls for an immediate ceasefire, urging an “end to the barbarity of the war” and condemning the “indiscriminate use of force.” His remarks followed a deadly Israeli strike that hit Gaza’s only Catholic Church—an incident Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government deeply regretted.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza began after the October 7, 2023, attacks led by Hamas, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 others taken hostage. Since then, more than 58,895 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air and ground operations, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures, which are widely cited by the UN as the most reliable available.
With most of Gaza’s population of over two million displaced at least once, and food insecurity rising rapidly, aid agencies have reiterated urgent calls for unfettered humanitarian access and a sustainable ceasefire.
