GAZA CITY, Palestine: At least 98 Palestinians, including 38 aid seekers, were killed across the Gaza Strip on Saturday as Israeli forces intensified their attacks, the territory’s health ministry said, amid faltering ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
Of the total fatalities, 38 were reported among Palestinians who were queuing for humanitarian aid, the ministry added.
Medical sources, cited by Al Jazeera, said that 71 of the deaths occurred since dawn, with nine bodies recovered from under the rubble in various locations.
The surge in Israeli attacks comes as indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha, mediated by Qatar and the United States, face a serious impasse.
Palestinian and Israeli sources familiar with the talks told Reuters and AFP that the key sticking point is Israel’s refusal to fully withdraw its forces from Gaza.
According to a Palestinian source cited by AFP, Israel has presented a map proposing to retain military presence in over 40 percent of the Gaza Strip, including all of southern Rafah and parts of northern and eastern Gaza.
Hamas has rejected the proposal, viewing it as a “redeployment” rather than a genuine withdrawal.
“Hamas’s delegation will not accept Israeli maps that legitimise reoccupation and isolate Gaza into fragmented zones,” the source said as cited by AFP.
Despite the deadlock, negotiations are expected to continue. The White House confirmed that US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who helped craft the latest ceasefire proposal, will travel to Doha in the coming days to join the talks.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier expressed hope that a deal could be reached “within a few days,” to pave the way for broader talks on ending the war.
However, two Israeli sources told Reuters that Hamas is demanding Israel return to positions it held during a previous ceasefire before resuming its offensive in March.
The Gaza health ministry reported that since Israel broke the truce on 18 March, at least 7,311 Palestinians have been killed and 26,054 wounded.
Overall, the death toll in Gaza since Israel launched its relentless bombardment campaign in October 2023 has risen to 57,882, with over 138,000 wounded.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate rapidly. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned that a critical fuel shortage is threatening the survival of 2.1 million people.
“Fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza. It powers hospitals, water systems, sanitation networks, and humanitarian operations,” the UNDP said in a statement.
.@UN agencies & humanitarian partners cannot overstate the urgency of this moment: fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistent flow to sustain life-saving operations.
Our statement with @UNOCHA @UNFPA @UNOPS @UNRWA @WFP & @WHO: https://t.co/4pKJNmVSug pic.twitter.com/ZZvv9I80Lc
— UN Development (@UNDP) July 12, 2025
The agency stressed that without fuel, basic services such as ambulance operations, bakery production, and clean water access would collapse.
A separate statement by Gaza’s health ministry said hospitals are being forced to ration fuel, cutting off electricity to departments and halting critical services including kidney dialysis.
Ambulance shortages have led residents to transport patients using animal-drawn carts.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said that 86.1 percent of Gaza now falls within Israeli militarised zones or under forced evacuation orders.
At least 188 UNRWA installations, more than half of its facilities in Gaza, are currently impacted. Four new displacement orders issued by Israel between 2 and 8 July have affected 37 UNRWA installations.
Our latest on the situation in📍#Gaza and the #WestBank:
🔹In Gaza, schools sheltering forcibly displaced people continue to be hit, causing casualties, fear, and additional forced displacement
🔹UNRWA was not allowed to bring in any humanitarian aid including medicines and… pic.twitter.com/q7QrdA2HYL
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 12, 2025
According to the UN, more than 725,000 people have been displaced again since mid-March. Many families have been forced to flee repeatedly, some more than 10 times.
The humanitarian crisis is especially acute for children. A statement by Gaza’s government said at least 67 children have died of famine so far, with 650,000 now at risk of starvation.
It described the situation as “one of the most severe crimes of collective siege in modern times.”
In the past 48 hours alone, the Israeli military claimed to have conducted 250 strikes across Gaza, targeting what it described as “terrorist” infrastructure in neighbourhoods such as Shujayea and Zeitoun.
Israeli forces continue to operate across five divisions within the Palestinian enclave.
UNRWA renewed its appeal on Saturday, urging Israel to lift the blockade and allow aid to reach the population.
“No soap, no clean water. Children in Gaza can’t be bathed properly,” it stated on X, warning of dire health consequences due to overcrowded shelters and soaring summer temperatures.
No soap, no clean water.
Children in #Gaza can’t be bathed properly because of the ongoing siege.
This, coupled with overcrowded shelters and summer heat, can lead to dire health consequences.
The siege must be lifted. UNRWA must be allowed to resume delivering humanitarian… pic.twitter.com/JTKhIguIEe
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 12, 2025
Meanwhile, Hamas issued a statement rejecting Netanyahu’s claims that Israel will retrieve all hostages and force Hamas to surrender.
“Gaza will not surrender,” the group said. “It has become clear there is no way to secure the release [of captives] except through a serious deal with the resistance.”
