Israeli Troops Massacre Dozens of Starving Palestinians amid Gaza Aid Catastrophe
Israeli occupation forces opened fire on thousands of hungry Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in northern Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 67 people and intensifying an already catastrophic famine crisis, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Dozens more were wounded in the latest massacre near UN aid trucks, as Israel continues its systematic targeting of civilians under the pretext of “security threats.”
Sunday’s attack marked one of the deadliest among a growing pattern of Israeli assaults on aid seekers. Just a day earlier, 36 Palestinians were killed in a similar assault. An additional six were murdered near an aid site in southern Gaza.
The Zionist army claimed its forces had fired so-called “warning shots” toward a crowd it ludicrously described as a threat, attempting to downplay the staggering death toll. It denied intentionally targeting aid convoys — a claim repeatedly contradicted by the mounting civilian casualties and eyewitness reports.
The United Nations’ World Food Program confirmed that a 25-truck convoy was swarmed by starving civilians shortly before Israeli gunfire erupted.
“WFP reiterates that any violence involving civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable,” it said.
A Hamas official warned that the regime’s continued bloodshed and weaponization of famine would seriously endanger ceasefire talks underway in Qatar.
In total, Gaza health authorities reported 90 Palestinians killed across the enclave on Sunday due to Israeli gunfire and airstrikes.
In central Gaza, the occupation forces escalated forced evacuations. Warplanes struck three residential buildings in Deir al-Balah following Israeli leaflet drops ordering civilians to flee — despite the area housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Famine as a Weapon of War
After nearly two years of genocidal war, Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland. The health ministry warned that starvation is claiming lives at an accelerating pace.
“We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger,” said the ministry.
Hospitals, already overwhelmed, are unable to treat the surging number of malnourished children and adults. The ministry reported that at least 71 children have died of starvation, with 60,000 others suffering from acute malnutrition.
On Sunday alone, 18 people died of hunger.
The UN and humanitarian agencies echoed the alarm, demanding immediate access for aid. UNRWA said Israel continues to block the entry of food supplies that could feed the entire population for over three months.
Yet, in a hollow statement, the Israeli army claimed it views humanitarian aid as a “matter of utmost importance.”
Food prices have soared beyond affordability. Many families survive on a single meal or less.
“People who didn’t die from bombs will die of hunger,” said Ziad, a nurse and father of five.
“We want an end to this war now, a truce, even for two months.”
Ceasefire Negotiations and Ongoing Aggression
Observers suggest the assault on Deir al-Balah could be an attempt by the Zionist regime to pressure Hamas amid ongoing ceasefire talks in Doha.
Despite negotiations for a 60-day truce, there is no breakthrough.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian resistance forces launched a retaliatory attack against Israeli regime.
Since then, the Israeli regime’s genocidal campaign has murdered over 58,000 Palestinians, decimated infrastructure, and displaced nearly all of Gaza’s population, pushing the enclave into irreversible humanitarian collapse.