KEY POINTS
- Over 59,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign since October 2023.
- Hamas submitted its response to a proposed 60-day ceasefire.
- Israel recalled its negotiators from Doha to discuss Hamas’s response.
- Gaza’s health ministry reported two more famine-related deaths, bringing the total to 113.
- UN agencies warned of severe child malnutrition, with over 6,000 aid trucks blocked from entering Gaza.
GAZA CITY, Palestine: Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip killed at least 51 Palestinians on Thursday, according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera, as efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered a critical phase amid a worsening hunger crisis.
A source at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, cited by Al Jazeera, said that seven bodies were brought in after an Israeli airstrike in the city’s eastern sector.
The Israeli military campaign has killed more than 59,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 2023, the territory’s health ministry said.
Despite the ongoing violence, hopes for a ceasefire remained alive. A senior Hamas official, cited by Reuters, said that a truce deal was still possible in the coming days, though he accused Israel of deliberate stalling.
The official said Hamas had submitted its formal response to a 60-day ceasefire proposal, including a clause aimed at preventing Israel from resuming hostilities if a permanent agreement is not reached by the end of the truce.
In response, the Israeli government recalled its negotiators from Doha for further consultations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated: “In light of the response Hamas provided this morning, it has been decided to return the negotiating team to continue consultations in Israel. We appreciate the efforts of mediators Qatar and Egypt, and the efforts of US envoy Steve Witkoff to bring about a breakthrough.”
The mediators have relayed Hamas's response to the Israeli negotiation team; it is currently being evaluated.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 24, 2025
Two sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that Israel’s decision to pull back its delegation did not necessarily signal a breakdown in talks.
Local media reports, however, noted that significant gaps remained, particularly over the extent of Israeli military withdrawal during any potential truce.
Meanwhile, conditions inside Gaza continue to deteriorate. The enclave’s Health Ministry reported two more deaths from famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of such fatalities to 113.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said one in every five children in Gaza City is now malnourished.
“When child malnutrition surges, coping mechanisms fail, access to food and care disappears, and famine silently begins to unfold,” UNRWA posted on X.
“Most children our teams are seeing are emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying if they don’t get the treatment they urgently need.”
" 'People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses': a colleague in #Gaza told me this morning.
Meanwhile, according to UNRWA latest findings: one in every five children is malnourished in Gaza City as cases increase every day.
When child malnutrition… pic.twitter.com/mfBGGWPyYs
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 24, 2025
Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, said families are breaking down, unable to care for their children due to extreme hunger. “Parents are too hungry to care for their children,” he warned.
“Those who reach UNRWA clinics don’t have the energy, food or means to follow medical advice.”
He added that over 6,000 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid are waiting in Jordan and Egypt, unable to enter Gaza due to Israeli restrictions.
The United Nations said it remains unable to verify how many trucks are waiting at the crossings due to a lack of access.
“Despite our repeated requests, Israel has not allowed the UN to be present at the crossings, which are militarised areas,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), as reported by AFP. “We therefore cannot verify the amount of supplies currently at the crossing.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also raised alarm, with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warning that 2.1 million people in Gaza are facing starvation.
Meanwhile, leading media organisations including AFP, Reuters, AP and the BBC issued a joint appeal urging Israel to allow journalists into Gaza.
“We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,” they said.
“We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza.”
Joint statement on Gaza from @AFP, @AP, @BBCWorld and @Reuters pic.twitter.com/0zJ6U8qGPy
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 24, 2025
In a separate statement, the Gaza government media office said the enclave requires at least 500,000 bags of flour weekly to avert complete humanitarian collapse.
It denied claims of large-scale aid deliveries, calling them a “dangerous alignment” with what it described as the “misleading narrative” of the Israeli occupation.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares also called for an immediate end to the violence and starvation in Gaza.
“The violence in Gaza must stop now. The famine, which is also causing deaths, must end now,” he wrote on X. “We urge a ceasefire.”
