In a place where people are just trying to survive another day, even the simple act of waiting for food has become a matter of life and death.
Over the weekend, northern Gaza saw another horrifying tragedy—dozens of Palestinians reportedly gunned down while waiting near aid trucks, turning desperation into disaster yet again.
Aid Pickup Turns Into Bloodshed
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, Israeli forces opened fire near the Zikim crossing as hundreds of hungry Palestinians gathered around 25 incoming aid trucks from the United Nations.
The result was catastrophic: at least 79 people were killed in that northern Gaza incident alone, while the overall death toll across Gaza rose to at least 93 by Monday morning.
Video footage from the UN showed terrified men sprinting under a hail of gunfire.
Survivors described tanks surrounding them, trapping them amid bullets and chaos for hours.
One man, Ehab Al-Zei, said he had only come out looking for flour but vowed never to risk it again, even if it meant starving.
Israeli Military Defends Its Actions
The Israeli military acknowledged firing what it called “warning shots” to disperse a large crowd, claiming the group posed an “immediate threat.”
Officials also said casualty reports were likely inflated and insisted they never intentionally target aid convoys.
Still, that explanation offers little comfort to the families of those lost.
In southern Gaza, another six people reportedly died in a separate incident near an aid site.
It’s yet another layer in what’s become a repeating pattern: the very process of seeking food now risks becoming a fatal mission.
Pope Leo Condemns Violence and Calls for Peace
Pope Leo XIV did not hold back his words over the weekend, describing the war in Gaza as nothing short of “barbaric.”
During his Sunday address from his summer residence in Italy, he urged for an immediate end to the violence and criticized the indiscriminate use of military force, especially against civilians.
The Pope’s remarks followed a deadly Israeli strike on a Catholic church in Gaza just days earlier, an attack he said left him heartbroken.
The Holy Family Church had been sheltering around 600 people, many of them children and individuals with disabilities.
The Israeli government expressed regret and said an investigation is underway, but the damage—both physical and emotional—has already been done.
Mass Displacement and Growing Starvation
Meanwhile, Israel’s military issued fresh evacuation orders for central Gaza on Sunday.
This region had previously seen little ground troop activity, making it a relatively safer space for displaced people and aid groups.
But with new warnings and a growing military presence, thousands have begun moving again, leaving behind makeshift homes for yet more uncertainty.
Deir al-Balah, a central region packed with displaced families, came under aerial bombardment shortly after residents were urged to evacuate.
Israeli sources claim the area may house some of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, which could explain the sudden shift in operations.
Hostage Families Plead for Caution
Family members of the estimated 50 remaining hostages in Gaza—about 20 of whom are believed to still be alive—are now demanding reassurances that military action won’t come at the cost of their loved ones.
They are urging the Israeli government to tread carefully as operations in new zones expand.
Warnings From Health Officials: Famine Is Near
On top of the violence, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has reached terrifying levels.
Health workers say starvation is killing people faster than bombs in some areas.
Over 70 children have reportedly died from malnutrition during the war, with 60,000 others now showing signs of starvation-related illness.
Eighteen people died of hunger in just the last 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry revealed.
Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients suffering from extreme fatigue, dizziness, and collapse.
The limited aid that makes it through is not enough to go around, and the UN says many people are surviving on a single meal—or less—each day.
A Father’s Struggle to Feed His Family
Ziad, a father of five and a nurse, spoke with Reuters and described the desperation that now defines daily life in Gaza.
“I wake up before sunrise to find bread for my kids, but I come home empty-handed,” he said.
“If the bombs don’t kill us, hunger will.”
Another father said he leaves his tent early each morning just to avoid his children asking what they’ll eat today.
Fainting in the streets from hunger is becoming a common sight.
Aid Held Up as Supplies Sit at the Border
The UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, has been vocal about the crisis, stating that it has more than enough food stockpiled to feed Gaza’s entire population for over three months—but it’s being blocked at the border.
They’ve called on Israel to allow more aid trucks in immediately.
Israel’s military, for its part, insists it sees humanitarian assistance as critical and claims to be working with international groups to facilitate deliveries.
But on the ground, the disconnect between policy and reality remains sharp.
Ceasefire Talks Still Stalled
Behind the scenes, Israel and Hamas are said to be in indirect negotiations in Doha, exploring the possibility of a 60-day ceasefire and hostage exchange.
But so far, there’s no real sign of progress.
Some analysts speculate that Israel’s recent operations in Deir al-Balah are a pressure tactic, meant to push Hamas to compromise.
Whatever the strategy, the civilian toll continues to climb.
War’s Toll Keeps Rising
The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 during a cross-border attack on Israel, has since spiraled into one of the deadliest episodes in the region’s history.
More than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health officials, and nearly the entire population of Gaza—over two million people—has been displaced.
The territory is now facing a grim future: reduced to rubble, stripped of infrastructure, and caught in a cycle of violence, hunger, and political deadlock.
As Pope Leo and the international community renew their calls for peace and protection of civilians, the people of Gaza are left clinging to survival—one day, one aid truck, and one prayer at a time.