At least 67 killed by Israel near aid truck in Gaza
At least 67 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire on Sunday while waiting for UN aid trucks in northern Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Starving Palestinians were waiting for humanitarian aid in al-Sudaniya, northwest of Gaza City, when Israeli forces opened fire.
The total number of Palestinians killed while attempting to access humanitarian aid has reached 891, with more than 5,754 wounded.
Israel's blockade of Gaza is having a devastating impact on the population of the enclave.
Palestinian health officials said hundreds of people could soon die as hospitals are inundated with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to the scarcity of food.
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"We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger," the health ministry said.
'Hundreds could die' from starvation
A four-year-old girl has already died from severe malnutrition and hunger in the Gaza Strip, according to the Wafa news agency.
Medics at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed that the girl, identified as Razan Abu Zaher, died on Sunday due to complications arising from acute malnutrition.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) has warned of a sharp rise in child malnutrition. Between March and June, Unrwa's health centres conducted nearly 74,000 screenings for children under the age of five.
These screenings revealed approximately 5,500 cases of severe acute malnutrition and over 800 were classified as the most critical.
Pope Leo called for an end to the "barbarity of war" on Sunday, as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza.
Three people died and several were injured, including the parish priest, in the Israeli strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City on Thursday.
Photos show the church’s roof struck near the main cross, its stone facade scorched and its windows shattered.
Speaking after his Angelus prayer, the pope read out the names of those killed in the incident.
"I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population," he said.
Earlier this week, Pope Leo was criticised for making a "vague" statement about the attack and failing to mention Israel.
At least 58,895 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, while virtually the entire population has been displaced.
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