KEY POINTS
- EU, UK, Japan and 24 other partners urge Israel to allow unrestricted aid access to Gaza.
- Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 61,599 Palestinians killed since October 2023.
- WHO says 52% of essential medicines are out of stock; hospitals operating at over double capacity.
- Israeli strikes kill at least 89 Palestinians, including 31 aid seekers, in the past 24 hours.
- Gaza ceasefire efforts continue amid gaps over Israeli troops’ withdrawal and Hamas disarmament.
BRUSSELS: The European Union, Britain and Japan, along with other international partners, on Tuesday called for urgent action to stop “famine” in the Gaza Strip, as the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s military campaign has risen to 61,599, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
In a joint statement, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from 24 countries, including Canada and Australia, said: “The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation.”
The statement urged Israel to “provide authorisation for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating.”
Seventeen EU member states signed the document, among them France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain.
Germany, a long-time supporter of Israel, was notably absent despite its recent move to halt military exports to Israel.
The EU last month announced a deal to expand aid access to Gaza, but senior officials have said the agreement has not been fully implemented.
Global warnings of catastrophe
UN-mandated experts have warned that Gaza is slipping into famine, with international organisations blaming Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it was unable to pre-stock vital medicines ahead of an expected Israeli military push into Gaza City due to “cumbersome procedures” and items still being denied entry.
WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn said 52 percent of essential medicines had run out, and only half of hospitals and 38 percent of primary health centres were partially functioning.
Bed occupancy had reached 240 percent at Al-Shifa Hospital and 300 percent at Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza, he added.
Starvation and malnutrition
Nearly 12,000 children under five were suffering from acute malnutrition in July, the highest monthly figure to date, with 2,562 in severe condition.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said five more people, including two children, had died of starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 227 deaths since October 7, 2023.
Record journalist deaths
Amnesty International UK said Gaza had recorded the highest number of journalists killed in any modern conflict.
It accused Israeli forces of “targeted killings” and labelled the deaths of 242 Palestinian journalists since October 2023 a “war crime”.
The targeted killing of Anas al-Sharif and five other journalists on Sunday means at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of October 2023.
No conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed. pic.twitter.com/0oi0nTNNHf
— Amnesty UK (@AmnestyUK) August 12, 2025
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also condemned the killing of six journalists on Sunday, holding Israel responsible for “egregious violations” and calling for international accountability measures.
#OIC Condemns Assassination of Six Journalists in #Gaza Strip: https://t.co/L4bNESvZ4F pic.twitter.com/YD9HbxuBoi
— OIC (@OIC_OCI) August 12, 2025
Elders group warns of ‘genocide’
The Elders, a group of former heads of state and senior global figures founded by Nelson Mandela, said Israel’s blockade was causing a “human-caused famine” and an “unfolding genocide”.
After visiting border crossings in Egypt, members Helen Clark and Mary Robinson urged the opening of the Rafah crossing for aid deliveries and called on world leaders to pressure Israel to end “atrocity crimes”.
Israeli attacks kill 89 more
The Health Ministry in Gaza reported that at least 89 Palestinians, including 31 aid seekers, were killed in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.
Since dawn Tuesday, 67 people have been confirmed dead, including 14 aid seekers, Al Jazeera Arabic reported citing medical sources.
Medics said Israeli air and ground strikes continued overnight in eastern Gaza City, killing 11 people in Zeitoun and the city centre.
In the south, nine people were killed in Khan Younis and coastal Mawasi.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet has approved plans to expand the offensive in Gaza City, which Israeli forces initially captured and withdrew from early in the war.
Critics, including Israel’s military chief of staff, have warned the move could endanger hostages and risk heavy Israeli casualties.
Ceasefire talks
Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel’s military campaign since October 7, 2023, has killed 61,599 Palestinians and wounded 154,088.
The offensive began after Hamas-led fighters entered southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Ceasefire talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar remain stalled, with disagreements over Israeli troop withdrawals and Hamas disarmament.
Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya is due in Cairo for talks to revive a US-backed ceasefire plan, Reuters reported.
The latest round of indirect talks in Qatar ended in deadlock in late July, with Israel and Hamas trading blame over the lack of progress on a US proposal for a 60-day truce and hostage release deal.
Israel has since said it will launch a new offensive and seize control of Gaza City, which it captured shortly after the war’s outbreak in October 2023 before pulling out.
A Palestinian official with knowledge of the ceasefire talks said Hamas was prepared to return to the negotiating table, Reuters reported.
However, the gaps between the sides appear to remain wide on key issues, including the extent of any Israeli military withdrawal and demands for Hamas to disarm, which it has ruled out before a Palestinian state is established.
Mediators Egypt and Qatar have not given up on reviving the negotiations, and Israel’s decision to announce its new Gaza City offensive plan may not be a bluff, but served to bring Hamas back to the negotiating table, Reuters reported, citing diplomatic sources.
