Published 21/07/2025 15:16 | Edited 21/07/2025 15:42
The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza range reached alarming levels on Sunday (20), after at least 67 Palestinians were killed by shots fired while waiting for food help. Most victims were recorded in the north of the territory, near the passage of Zikim, where a humanitarian train of 25 UN trucks had just crossed the border with Israel.
The massacre adds to a long sequence of similar episodes in recent weeks and emphasizes the escalation of despair and violence in a region devastated by war, hunger and total collapse of civil services. The UN and humanitarian aid organizations denounced the attacks as “completely unacceptable”, demanding the immediate end of the shots at civilians who desperately try to get food.
What happened
According to the World Food Program (PMA), the train with 25 trucks charged with basic supplies faced a crowd of hungry civilians shortly after crossing the last Israeli control post. As the distribution was approaching, the civilians were shot by tanks and Israeli elite shooters. Witnesses describe scenes of panic and carnage.
“The train found large crowds of civilians eagerly waiting for food. As it approached, the crowd was hit by shots of tanks and franc-tiers,” the PMA said.
Israel’s defense forces (IDF), in turn, said soldiers “fired warning shots to eliminate an immediate threat” without providing evidence of the existence of this threat. The version is contested by survivors, NGOs and the UN, which warned of the aggravation of hunger and the collapse of security around humanitarian missions.
Tragedy numbers
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least 93 people were killed by Israeli shots only on Sunday: 79 in northern Gaza, 9 in Rafah and 4 in Khan Youis. In addition, 19 Palestinians have died from the last 24 hours, while the number of children who have died of malnutrition has exceeded 70 since the war began in October 2023.
“Hundreds of people are at risk of imminent death due to hunger. Their bodies have been consumed by malnutrition. It is a total collapse of human dignity,” said a ministry spokesman.
Hunger as a weapon of war
International organizations have been warning that hunger is being used as a weapon. The UN denounces the performance of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by Israel and USA, which uses private security companies to distribute food in Israeli military zones. Since May, nearly a thousand Palestinians have been killed around these centers.
“The Israeli block has been preventing supplies from entering the enclave. There is food across the border, but civilians are dying a few kilometers away from it,” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA head, UN arm to Palestinian refugees.
Displacement and new alerts
On the same Sunday, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders to crowded areas of the center of Gaza, including parts of Deir al-Balah, raising fears of a new terrestrial offensive. Pamphlets thrown from the sky generated panic among the tens of thousands of displaced people who already live in tents and ruins.
The suspicion, according to Israeli sources, is that Hamas still keep hostages alive in these regions. The war, which began after Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, has already killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health – numbers cited by the UN itself as the most reliable available.
Reactions and International Appeal
Pope Leo XIV condemned the violence and called for the “immediate end of the barbarism of war.” In the US, the American-Islamic Relations Council accused the US government of complicity in the use of hunger as a weapon.
“Western governments are watching, in real time, the genocide of innocent civilians and choose to do nothing. The story will remember this indifference with shame,” said Nihad Awad, director of Cair.
What is at stake
With about 2 million people displaced, the Gaza Strip is in full collapse. The international community faces increasing pressure to force a ceasefire, open humanitarian corridors and allow full flow flow.
Without an immediate response, Gaza can face an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century – hungry, thirst, disease, and violence by feeding on a cycle of destruction before the eyes of the world.
With information from Aljazira, BBC, AFP and UN agencies
Source: vermelho.org.br
