Live: 54 Palestinians killed, 831 wounded in 24 hours

Oxfam International has criticised limited Israeli moves on aid access, warning they fall far short of what’s needed to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

“Deadly airdrops and a trickle of trucks won’t undo months of engineered starvation in Gaza,” said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead for Israel and Palestine.

She called for the full reopening of all border crossings to allow unimpeded aid delivery throughout the Gaza Strip and demanded a lasting ceasefire.

“What’s needed is the immediate opening of all crossings for full, unhindered, and safe aid delivery across all of Gaza and a permanent ceasefire,” Khalidi said. “Anything less risks being little more than a tactical gesture.”

The Israeli military has carried out several attacks across Gaza, killing over 53 people - including 32 aid seekers - despite announcing a "tactical suspension" of operations in three areas. 

According to Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary, air strikes hit an Israel-designated "safe zone" in Gaza City.

A bakery was targeted in the attack, with at least five Palestinians killed - including a woman and her four children - and several others wounded, according to health officials.

Early on Sunday, the Israeli army announced a 10-hour daily pause of military operations from 10am (7am GMT) to 8pm (5pm GMT) in the areas of al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City. 

The military said this was part of a framework of "humanitarian efforts to expand the entry of aid", adding that the plan included "sustainably secured corridors" from 6am to 11pm. 

Read more: Israel attacks so-called 'safe zone' despite military pause

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) has accused Israel of fabricating claims that Hamas was stealing large amounts of aid, saying the allegations were designed to push out humanitarian groups and tighten Israeli control over food distribution in Gaza.

“No proof of aid diversion in Gaza,” Unrwa Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote on social media.

He said the accusations were part of a deliberate effort to damage the reputation of international relief agencies.

“Claims were only aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the humanitarian community & attempting to replace it with a diabolic and politically motivated distribution scheme,” he added. “It’s time for principled and at scale humanitarian response including through Unrwa.”

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has accused the United Nations, The New York Times, and Hamas of spreading “lies and propaganda” to undermine aid operations and destabilise Gaza.

Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel and an evangelical preacher, made the remarks in response to footage showing desperate Palestinians climbing onto an aid truck.

“Is the UN, NY Times, and Hamas all happy now?” he asked in a social media post. “I’m sure Hamas is. Their lies and propaganda destroyed the ceasefire deal, tried to discredit safe and functioning GHF effort, emboldened Hamas and will result in this complete balagan [chaos]! Most sad for hostage families—grief prolonged.”

His comments come as international experts continue to blame Israel’s near-total blockade of food and supplies for the collapse of civil order and widespread hunger in Gaza.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says its teams are treating Palestinians wounded while trying to collect food, warning that Gaza’s health system has all but collapsed.

Felicity Gapes, the ICRC’s deputy health coordinator in Gaza, described the desperation driving women and children to brave deadly conditions just to feed their families.

“I spoke to a mother who had gone with her 15-year-old daughter to try and access food for their family. Many of these women are now the main provider for their extended families,” she said.

According to Gapes, one girl witnessed her mother being shot. “They told me they thought it would be safe, but now they know ‘nowhere in Gaza is safe.’”

Gapes added that hospitals in the besieged enclave can no longer cope. “The healthcare system is in catastrophic condition,” she warned, urging for immediate deliveries of medical supplies, staff, and essential equipment.

The Israeli army has denied that famine is gripping the Gaza Strip, despite widespread reports of severe malnutrition, starvation deaths and aid restrictions.

“There is no hunger in the Strip,” an Israeli army spokesperson declared on Sunday.

Speaking at a press briefing, the spokesperson claimed Israeli forces are facilitating humanitarian assistance: “We are working to bring aid into Gaza and ensure it reaches the people, not Hamas.” 

The UN, the US and Iraeli army officers speaking anonymously to the New York Times have said that Hamas does not have access to the aid.

The official also defended the continuation of the war, saying: “I am not comfortable with bringing aid into Gaza, but that gives us legitimacy to continue the war.”

Israel has faced growing international criticism for obstructing the flow of food and medicine into Gaza, particularly into the north, where aid groups say famine conditions have been present for months.

Israeli authorities have issued a week-long ban on the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with the possibility of an extension. 

Speaking to the local Wafa news agency, Muhammad Ahmad Hussein said he was summoned by Israeli intelligence for an interrogation. 

The ban follows a sermon he lead on Friday at the mosque, where he condemned Israel's siege and starvation of Gaza's population.

A letter signed by 341 prominent Israeli academics and professors has urged an end to the targeting of civilians, calling for "moral limits on military operations in Gaza."

"The wound of October 7 remains open, and 50 of our citizens are being held by Hamas in unbearable conditions. But at the height of this pain, the suffering our actions cause to others cannot be ignored," the letter read.

The signatories demanded immediate entry of food, water, and medical aid into the besieged enclave, describing the situation as a "serious humanitarian collapse."

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a dangerous level of decline. Continuing this path will cause irreparable harm, not only to the residents of the Strip, but also to our values and the future of Israeli society. These are moral and psychological scars that will haunt future generations.

"We address the government, the military, the media, and all citizens: This is a moment to test our values, and basic human principles must not be allowed to become a point of political controversy. History will record our actions... and our silence."

The Israeli military has carried out several attacks across Gaza, killing over 53 people - including 32 aid seekers - despite announcing a "tactical suspension" of operations in three areas. 

Early on Sunday, the Israeli army announced a 10-hour daily pause of military operations from 10am (7am GMT) to 8pm (5pm GMT) in the areas of al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City. 

The military said this was part of a framework of "humanitarian efforts to expand the entry of aid", adding that the plan included "sustainably secured corridors" from 6am to 11pm. 

However, several areas across the besieged enclave reported shelling, including relief distribution and delivery zones. 

The death toll from Israel's war on Gaza has risen to 59,821, with over 144,851 wounded since 7 October 2023.

Read more: Israel attacks so-called 'safe zone' despite military pause

Three soldiers from the Nahal Brigade have been sentenced to prison for refusing to participate in military operations in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority announced.

Public sympathy for Palestinians has notably increased in Britain as the humanitarian disaster worsens in Gaza due to Israel’s blockade, according to a new poll reported by The Times.

The findings, by the think tank More in Common, revealed that 29 percent of respondents sympathised more with the Palestinian side in the war, compared to 15 percent who sympathised more with Israel. 

This marks an 11-point rise in support for Palestinians since November 2023, just weeks after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

This growing support comes against the backdrop of catastrophic conditions in Gaza, where at least 127 Palestinians, including more than 85 children, have died of starvation since Israel's blockade resumed in March.

More than 1,121 Palestinians have also been killed while seeking aid at distribution sites manned by Israeli soldiers and US security contractors. 

Read more: Poll shows support for Palestinians in UK rises amid humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

Israel bombed an area in Gaza City it designated earlier on Sunday as a "safe-zone".

According to Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary, a bakery was targeted in the attack, killing and wounding a number of Palestinians. 

Gaza's government media office warned that the besieged strip is "facing a real humanitarian catastrophe" as Israel stifles aid deliveries. 

"The Gaza Strip needs 600 relief trucks daily and 250,000 cartons of formula monthly for infants. The radical solution is to open the crossings and break the siege immediately," it said in a statement. 

Israel has closed crossings leading into Gaza and severely limited humanitarian relief for the past few months, leading to severe malnutrition and starvation across the territory. 

The Palestinian health ministry announced six new deaths, including two children, in the past 24 hours as a result of the famine and malnutrition spreading across the besieged enclave. 

This brings the total death toll from famine to 133 people, including 87 children. 

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest developments in Israel's war on Gaza:

• Israel announces a 10-hour pause in military operations in three areas across the Gaza Strip, including al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City. Meanwhile, at least 43 Palestinians have been reported killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks since dawn on Sunday. 

• On Sunday morning, Israel said that it had airdropped humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave, following weeks of mounting international pressure to allow the unrestricted delivery of food and vital supplies to the territory amid the worsening hunger crisis. Several organisations and international groups have warned that airdropping aid could endanger civilian lives.

• Hamas has condemned Israel's decision to airdrop aid, saying it "represents a blatant policy aimed at managing starvation, not ending it, and at establishing forced facts on the ground under the fire of bombardment and hunger."

• The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that six Palestinians, including two children, died in the past 24 hours as a result of starvation and malnutrition.

• The Handala flotilla arrived at the Ashdod port following the Israeli raid on the ship.