According to local medics and morgue officials, at least 94 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in different areas of Gaza—most while trying to obtain humanitarian aid. It was one of the deadliest days in recent months for those seeking food.
The highest number of casualties was recorded in the northern part of the enclave, near the Israeli border in the Zikim area. There, at least 81 people were killed while attempting to collect flour sacks intended for breadmaking from UN World Food Programme trucks that had entered from Israel.
People gather outside Shifa Hospital as the bodies of those who died while awaiting humanitarian aid are brought in.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces "opened fire on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid" north of Beit Lahia. The organization’s field hospital in Gaza received 95 injured people, some of whom are in critical condition.
The Israeli military stated that its troops encountered thousands of Palestinians gathered in northern Gaza and fired warning shots to "eliminate an immediate threat." The Israel Defense Forces said it is reviewing the incident, but that "a preliminary analysis suggests the reported number of casualties does not align with the data available to the IDF."
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Since May, the World Food Programme (WFP) has been delivering food to Gaza through a separate initiative, independent of the aid distribution system backed by the United States and Israel. Many of WFP’s trucks have been looted by armed groups and desperate civilians shortly after entering the enclave.
According to the agency itself, a convoy of 25 trucks was allowed through Israeli checkpoints on Sunday morning but soon encountered a massive crowd of "hungry civilians" and came under fire.
"WFP reiterates: any violence against civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable," the statement said. "We continue to call for the protection of all civilians and humanitarian workers delivering life-saving assistance."
Palestinians carry humanitarian supplies in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. July 20, 2025.
Amid severe food shortages and growing hunger, Sunday marked one of the deadliest days in recent weeks for Palestinians trying to access aid.
Among the wounded was Hassan Abu Marasah, who sustained shrapnel injuries to his head and leg from Israeli tank fire in northern Gaza. He is currently being treated at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
"Hunger drives you to desperation," he said, barely holding back tears. "There’s no food at home. I went out to feed my children. And this is what happened to me."
Later that day, Israel announced evacuations in a part of central Gaza where, according to the military, operations had not previously been conducted. Residents of the southwestern section of Deir al-Balah—a city roughly ten miles southwest of Gaza City—were urged to leave their homes for their own safety. The announcement came from Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces' Arabic-language spokesperson, in a post on X.
In the Arabic-language message, Adraee called on everyone nearby, including those in tents located in the area, to evacuate south toward Al-Mawasi without delay.
In a subsequent post on X, he strongly advised against returning to a number of areas in northern Gaza—among them Beit Lahia, Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, Shuja'iyya, Daraj, the Old City, Tuffah, Zaytoun, and surrounding neighborhoods. He described them as "dangerous combat zones" where the IDF is operating "with extreme intensity."