On July 28, 2025, Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 78 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, including a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered after her death but tragically also died, according to local health officials. The violence came amid desperate scenes as thousands sought food aid, with dozens killed while trying to access humanitarian supplies.
In response to mounting international pressure over the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza, Israel announced over the weekend a 10-hour daily pause in military operations in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Muwasi. The Israeli military designated secure routes for aid delivery, and international airdrops resumed. However, aid agencies warn these measures fall far short of addressing the dire situation on the ground.
Martin Penner, spokesperson for the U.N. food agency, told The Associated Press that all 55 of its aid trucks that entered Gaza on July 27 were unloaded by crowds before reaching their intended destinations, highlighting the chaotic and unsafe environment surrounding aid distribution. Another U.N. official noted that no alternative routes had been permitted and that the security situation remained unchanged. Despite Israel’s announcement, military operations continued alongside these humanitarian efforts.
One of the deadliest strikes on July 28 hit a house and neighboring tents in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis, killing 12 Palestinians, including the pregnant woman, Soad al-Shaer, who was seven months pregnant. Her newborn daughter died hours after a complex emergency cesarean delivery, despite being placed in an incubator and receiving ventilator support. Another airstrike struck a two-story house in Khan Younis, killing at least 11 people, more than half of them women and children. Additional strikes elsewhere in Gaza claimed at least five more lives. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on most of the strikes but reiterated that it targets only militants and blamed Hamas for civilian casualties, citing militants’ presence in densely populated areas.
Images of emaciated children in Gaza have sparked global outrage, including condemnation from Israel’s allies. U.S. President Donald Trump described the images as “terrible.” Israel has imposed varying degrees of aid restrictions throughout the conflict, cutting off all goods—including fuel, food, and medicine—in March 2025 to pressure Hamas to release hostages. Partial restrictions were lifted in May, accompanied by a new, U.S.-backed aid delivery system that has been plagued by chaos and violence.
COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for coordinating aid shipments, announced that U.N. agencies collected 120 trucks for distribution on July 27 and that another 180 trucks were allowed into Gaza. However, aid groups stress that Gaza requires 500 to 600 trucks daily to meet basic needs. The blockade and ongoing military operations have devastated nearly all local food production in the territory, home to roughly 2 million Palestinians.
On July 28, two air force planes from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped 17 tons of humanitarian aid in Gaza—an amount equivalent to less than a single aid truck. Aid organizations criticized airdrops as ineffective and dangerous, with supplies often landing in combat zones or areas where civilians risk injury. Jean Guy Vataux, emergency coordinator in Gaza for Doctors Without Borders, explained, “At the moment, 2 million people are trapped in a tiny piece of land, which makes up just 12% of the whole strip—if anything lands in this area, people will inevitably be injured.” He added that airdrops in areas under Israeli displacement orders force people into militarized zones, risking their lives for food.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, warned that airdrops are “expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians” and will not solve the crisis.
Tragically, at least 25 people, including four children, were killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid from a truck convoy passing through southern Gaza on July 28. The shooting occurred in a military corridor between Khan Younis and Rafah. Survivors and hospital records indicate Israeli forces fired toward crowds desperate for food. Since May 2025, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid, mostly near aid distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli-backed American contractor. The Awda hospital in central Gaza received bodies of seven Palestinians killed near a GHF site, with 20 others wounded. Fares Awad, head of Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service, reported that at least five Palestinians were killed and about 30 wounded by gunfire while waiting for aid trucks near the Zikim Crossing close to Gaza City.
Since the conflict’s escalation following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack—which killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages, with 50 still held—Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 59,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. This ministry, operating under Hamas, reports casualties without distinguishing between militants and civilians. International organizations consider it the most reliable source for casualty figures.
Beyond the immediate violence, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly. Aid shipments meant to alleviate famine in Gaza are systematically delayed, looted, or blocked under Israeli oversight, according to Egyptian and Palestinian sources. A senior Egyptian official revealed that out of 130 trucks entering Gaza on July 28, only 37 reached their intended recipients, with the rest returned or stranded. Many trucks were looted in the Morag Axis, an Israeli-occupied zone between Rafah and Khan Younis, with stolen goods—including flour, food parcels, and hygiene supplies—later sold in Gaza’s markets at prices beyond the reach of most residents.
Mohammed Abu Taha, living near Rafah, described organized gangs of young men always at the front of aid distribution crowds at GHF sites. The U.N. estimates up to 100,000 women and children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, with dozens dying from hunger-related causes over the past three weeks. Aid convoys permitted by Israel are frequently attacked by armed gangs or overwhelmed by desperate crowds in buffer zones controlled by the military. The U.N.’s World Food Program has stated it can only safely deliver aid once internal security is restored, likely requiring a ceasefire.
Footage from aid distribution sites shows chaotic scenes, with men racing down fenced corridors and scrambling for boxes. GHF has installed separate lanes for women and children and is increasing direct community deliveries. However, aid theft and resale remain widespread, with merchants offering to buy food from recipients and armed men stealing supplies.
For much of the war, U.N. agencies delivered aid safely, guarded by Hamas-led police. During a ceasefire earlier this year, Israel allowed up to 600 aid trucks daily, and food prices were lower. But the situation changed dramatically in March 2025 when Israel ended the ceasefire and halted all imports. As Hamas police vanished from Israeli-controlled areas, local tribes and gangs took over, complicating aid distribution.
Since May 2025, Israel has allowed an average of about 70 trucks daily, far below the 500-600 trucks the U.N. says are needed. On July 27, 180 trucks entered Gaza, and international airdrops resumed, though aid organizations remain critical of their effectiveness. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on July 28, “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.”
United Nations agencies warn the hunger crisis is evolving into a famine, with growing evidence of starvation and malnutrition. Gaza’s estimated 2 million residents face limited access to aid and the constant threat of violence at food distribution points. Gaza health authorities report more than 130 deaths from famine and malnutrition since the war began.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher condemned the situation: “Those trying to access food aid are being shot at, and children are wasting away from hunger.” UNRWA on July 29 warned that opening all crossings and flooding Gaza with aid is the only way to prevent further deterioration, noting thousands of trucks loaded with food, medicine, and hygiene supplies are waiting in Jordan and Egypt for clearance.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, accused Israel of weaponizing hunger against Gaza’s population. “What we are witnessing is not a logistical failure or accidental negligence, but a deliberate Israeli policy that uses hunger as a weapon against the people of Gaza,” he said. “This is taking place with international blessing, or the deadly silence of major powers.”
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, the world watches a population trapped between relentless military operations and a starvation crisis, with aid efforts hampered by violence, chaos, and political complexities. The question remains: can a lasting ceasefire and unrestricted aid delivery break the cycle of suffering in Gaza?
