More than 90 killed waiting for aid in Gaza - as Israel issues evacuation order ahead of ground offensive
At least 90 people have died while attempting to access aid at locations across Gaza, the health ministry in the Palestinian territory has said.
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The largest toll was in the northern part of the territory, where 67 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel.
More than 150 people were injured, with some of them in a critical condition, hospitals said.
Seven Palestinians were also killed while sheltering in tents in Khan Younis, including a five-year-old boy, according to the Kuwait Specialised Field Hospital, which received the casualties.
It was not immediately clear whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs, or both. But some witnesses said the Israeli military shot at the crowd.
Writing on X on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV condemned attacks against civilians and places of worship in Gaza and called again for an end to the "barbarism" of the war and a "peaceful resolution" to the conflict.
The pope also expressed his "profound sadness" regarding an Israeli strike that hit Gaza's only Catholic Church on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of three people and the injury of Father Gabriel Romanelli, an associate of the pope.
Sadly, this act adds to the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza. I again call for an immediate halt to the barbarism of the war and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. I renew my appeal to the international community to…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) July 20, 2025
The latest attacks on Palestinians near humanitarian aid sites come as the Israeli military has published new evacuation warnings for parts of central Gaza, in one of the few areas the military has rarely operated with ground troops.
The evacuation cuts access between the city of Deir al-Balah and the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in the narrow enclave.
The announcement comes as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs.
The Israeli military said soldiers had shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat, and that it was aware of some casualties. But it said the numbers being reported by teams in Gaza were far higher than the military's initial investigation found.
The military added it is attempting to facilitate the entry of aid, and blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians.
On Saturday, more than 30 people were killed after Israeli troops opened fire towards crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid.
The deaths occurred near distribution hubs operated by the US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the Teina area.
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 25 bodies, along with dozens of wounded, on Saturday.
Read more: 10 children queuing for nutritional supplements killed in Israeli strike in Gaza, hospital says
The GHF said there were no incidents "at or near" their sites.
It said that the reported IDF activity "occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometres away from the nearest GHF site."
The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while waiting for food and aid.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that expanding military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas to negotiate, though negotiations have been stalled for months.
Earlier this month, the Israeli military said it controlled more than 65% of the Gaza Strip.
Gaza's population of more than two million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Hamas triggered the 21-month war when militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty hostages remain, but fewer than half are thought to be alive.
Israel's military offensive that followed has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It does not say how many militants are among the dead but says more than half of those killed have been women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas government but the UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organisation that represents many of the families of hostages, condemned the evacuation announcement and demanded that Mr Netanyahu and the Israeli military explain what they hope to accomplish in the area of central Gaza, accusing Israel of operating without a clear war plan.
It said: "Enough. The Israeli people overwhelmingly want an end to the fighting and a comprehensive agreement that will return all of the hostages."
On Saturday night, tens of thousands of protesters once again marched in Tel Aviv to call for an end to the war.