Live: 54 Palestinians killed, 831 wounded in 24 hours

The UK’s charity regulator has issued an official warning to a British charity which raises funds to support Israeli soldiers over a "distressing" video posted on its website.

The Charity Commission said the London-based UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (UK-AWIS) had “breached their legal duties” after publishing a video appealing for donations to support Israeli forces involved in the war against Hamas.

“All of the trustees have failed to act in the charity’s best interests and manage its resources responsibly by exposing the charity’s reputation to unnecessary risk,” the commission said.

“This is a breach of trust or duty, or misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of the charity.”

Read more: The promotional video appears to show a person being killed as part of a montage

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza was an "unspeakable and indefensible" humanitarian catastrophe and called on Israel to urgently allow aid into the Palestinian enclave.

"The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe," Starmer said in a statement.

He will hold an emergency call with French and German partners on Friday to discuss what could be done to "stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need," Starmer said.

- Reporting by Reuters

Israel's Arabic-language military spokesperson Avichay Adraee on Thursday said Israel carried out several air strikes across southern Lebanon, targeting "weapons depots and a rocket projectile platform belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah."

One person, described as a Hezbollah "operative," was targeted and killed in the Ayta al-Shaab neighbourhood, Adraee said on X. 

"The presence of such combat means in that area and Hezbollah’s activities there constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," he added.

It is unclear whether any of the sites posed an imminent threat to Israel, per the terms of the shaky November ceasefire brokered by the Biden administration. 

An Israeli official has told the Reuters news agency that Tel Aviv intends to continue talks toward a Gaza ceasefire, via mediators Egypt and Qatar, despite the announcement of a US negotiation team withdrawal on Thursday. 

The Israeli official said any further progress, however, is dependent on concessions from Hamas. 

Israel's foreign ministry on Thursday slammed Brazil's decision to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), calling it "a profound moral failure."

"At a time when Israel is fighting for its very existence, turning against the Jewish state and abandoning the global consensus against antisemitism is both reckless and shameful," the statement said. 

US Special Envoy for Peace Missions, Steve Witkoff, announced on X on Thursday that the Trump administration is recalling its Gaza ceasefire negotiation team from Doha, Qatar after what he described as a "selfish" response from Hamas.

Witkoff did not detail what that response entailed, but Hamas has said publicly that it seeking nothing less than a full end to the war, rather than a short-term truce. The US and Israel have only proposed 60-day ceasefire deals.

Washington, Witkoff added, is now considering "alternative options" to locate the remaining captives in Gaza.

"We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza," Witkoff wrote.

"While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith," he added.

"We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza."

Akram Basheer’s children cry out in hunger. 

All he can do is hold them and promise: one day, when the Israeli siege ends, you’ll eat whatever you want.

But the Palestinian father of three knows he’s making a promise he can’t keep.

“There’s absolutely nothing I can do,” he told Middle East Eye. 

“I just support them psychologically. I tell them, 'Insha'Allah [God willing], things will improve and food will become available.' There is no other option.” 

Living in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Basheer, 39, spends each day searching for enough food to feed his children and elderly parents, whose health has sharply deteriorated.

Like nearly all of Gaza’s estimated 2.1 million population, he and his family have been starved under Israel’s total blockade of the Palestinian enclave in place since March. 

Read more: "We’ve all lost weight. Any small effort leaves us completely exhausted.”

A senior Hamas source told Reuters on Thursday that there was still a chance of reaching a Gaza ceasefire agreement but it would take a few days because of what he called Israeli stalling.

The source said Hamas' response to the latest ceasefire proposal included requesting a clause that would prevent Israel from resuming the war if an agreement was not reached within the 60-day truce period.

- Reporting by Reuters

Egypt's presidency pressured Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the world's foremost Islamic institution, to withdraw a statement condemning Israel's "genocidal starvation" of Gaza, sources told Middle East Eye.

The Cairo-based Al-Azhar said on Wednesday that it had deleted a strongly worded call to action over the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, citing its potential impact on ceasefire negotiations. 

In a statement, the institution said it "took the initiative to withdraw its statement with courage and responsibility before God when it realised that this statement could impact the ongoing negotiations regarding a humanitarian truce in Gaza to save innocent lives".

"Al-Azhar has prioritised the interests of preventing the daily bloodshed in Gaza, hoping that the negotiations will lead to an immediate halt to the bloodshed and provide the most basic necessities of life, of which the oppressed Palestinian people have been deprived," the statement said.

But two sources close to Al-Azhar and the Egyptian presidency confirmed to Middle East Eye that the statement was removed shortly after it was published on Tuesday following a request from President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi's office. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.

The reason for the withdrawal was that the statement referred to the complicy of third states in what Al-Azhar described as "fully fledged genocide" in Gaza.

Read more: Egypt presidency forced Al-Azhar to delete statement condemning Israel's starvation of Gaza

Standing beside the dry land that once fed his 120 sheep, Montaser al-Malki dreads the next Israeli settler attack.

A farmer in Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah, Malki is one of thousands of Palestinians caught in a worsening water crisis in the occupied West Bank, caused by systematic settler sabotage.

In recent weeks, Israeli settlers have repeatedly attacked Ein Samia, a key spring that supplies dozens of villages. They have destroyed pipes, pumps and access roads, cutting off clean water to entire communities.

On Monday, the Jerusalem Governorate Water Utility announced a complete shutdown of water pumping from Ein Samia. 

The Water Authority said it has lost all technical and administrative control over the system.

Water, once a lifeline, has become a tool of displacement, Palestinians say.

“I have a family of nine, and I own crops and livestock,” said Malki. “Our economic situation is dire. We’re exhausted by the seizure of pastures.”

Water supply cuts, sometimes lasting more than 10 days, have forced farmers like Malki to buy water from expensive tanks, and most of it is unfit for drinking.

“We fear the settlers' permanent control over Ein Samia,” he told Middle East Eye. “If I rely on tanked water, I won’t last a month. I’ll go bankrupt.”

Read more: ‘Policy to displace us’: How settler attacks are drying up the West Bank 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recalled his Gaza ceasefire and hostage release negotiation team from talks in Doha, Qatar to “continue consultations in Israel”, according to a statement released by his office. 

“We appreciate the efforts of mediators Qatar and Egypt and the efforts of [US special envoy Steve] Witkoff to bring about a breakthrough in the talks,” the statement added.

Progress in the talks, which began on 6 July, has been stalled for weeks. Israel broke a previous ceasefire agreement on 18 March to continue its war on Gaza, in which over 59,000 Palestinians have been killed. 

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has said that at least 79 Palestinians have been killed while 453 others were wounded in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours. 

Ten bodies were also recovered from the rubble of previous Israeli attacks, the ministry has said.

Israel has killed 59,587 Palestinians and wounded 143,498 others since 7 October 2023, the statement issued on Telegram said.

The ministry said that 1,083 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid and 7,275 others have been wounded.  113 people have died from starvation and malnutrition due to the Israeli-imposed blockade in Gaza as of 24 July. 

Israeli forces have killed more than 41 Palestinians in Gaza since this morning, Al Jazeera Arabic has reported, quoting hospital sources. 

Sources at the Nasser Hospital have said that they received seven dead bodies after an Israeli air raid near Khan Younis. 

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have written to the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, demanding an emergency meeting to sanction Israel. In the letter signed by over 60 MEPs, the lawmakers also demanded sanctions against the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and individuals within the organisation.

Belgian MEP Marc Botenga shared the letter on X with comments, “No more silence, no more complicity.” 

“We are writing to you today to demand immediate action is taken given the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza and the continued Israeli attacks on Palestinians at aid distribution sites which have so far resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people,” the MEPs wrote.

They said the recent EU-Israel aid agreement delivered “no tangible change” in conditions on the ground.

The MEPs also demanded that the EU top diplomat lobby member states to implement an arms embargo on Israel. 

With @LNBDublin and over 60 Members of the European Parliament, we wrote to EU High Representative @kajakallas to demand she immediately convene an emergency meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in order to propose action against Israel.

No more silence, no more complicity. pic.twitter.com/3WDmOoTulg

— Marc Botenga MEP (@BotengaM) July 24, 2025

The Palestinian Ministry of Health says 113 people have died from starvation and malnutrition in Gaza as of 24 July. 

• 81 of the dead are children, and 32 are adults, according to official data.
• Hunger-related deaths have surged this year: June: 5 deaths; July (so far): 48 deaths — including 28 children and 20 adults
• Health officials warn Gaza is now in Phase 5 famine — the most severe level on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification scale, indicating mass starvation.
• At least 28,677 cases of malnutrition in children under five have been reported in 2025. Over 260,000 children are in urgent need of nutritional support.
• Severe acute malnutrition and moderate acute malnutrition cases are climbing fast: June: 6,551 cases; First half of July: 6,910 new cases
• 100,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are facing severe nutritional deficiencies.
• Gaza has seen 1,556 preterm births and 3,120 stillbirths or miscarriages in 2025 — likely linked to maternal hunger and stress.
• More than 159,000 elderly people are at high risk of starvation.
• 18,000 wounded people remain at critical risk due to weak immunity and lack of nutrition and medicine.
• Health Ministry officials say these numbers only reflect confirmed cases — the real toll is likely much higher.