KEY POINTS
- Israeli strikes kill 79 Palestinians, including 41 aid seekers; death toll surpasses 60,839.
- Six more people die of hunger in 24 hours; total starvation deaths rise to 175.
- Red Crescent staffer killed in Israeli strike on clearly marked HQ in Khan Younis.
- Aid distribution in chaos; UN calls GHF delivery points “death traps”.
- UN Office in Geneva said one million women and girls in Gaza are now starving.
GAZA CITY, Palestine: At least 79 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Sunday, including 41 humanitarian aid seekers, Wafa news agency reported, citing medical sources, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The Palestinian territory’s health ministry said on Sunday that six more people, including children, died of starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the total number of people who have died from hunger since the war began has risen to 175, including 93 children.
Hospitals across the enclave, suffering from severe fuel shortages, have been forced to prioritise only the critically ill and injured, leaving thousands without access to adequate care.
Humanitarian mismanaged and attacked
Despite international calls for an urgent scale-up in humanitarian access, the limited aid trickling into Gaza has often failed to reach those most in need.
According to aid groups and UN agencies, supplies are frequently looted by gangs or seized amid chaos at distribution points, many of which are located in or near Israeli-controlled military zones, Al Jazeera reported.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private entity backed by Israel and the United States, has taken over distribution from UN agencies since May, but operates only four distribution points—described by the UN as “death traps”.
Over the past two months, 859 people have been killed near GHF sites, and hundreds more have died along the routes of UN-led aid convoys, the United Nations reported.
Witnesses, cited by Al Jazeera, have described Israeli troops opening fire on hungry crowds advancing toward trucks or aid drop zones.
Hamza Matter, a Palestinian aid seeker in central Gaza, told AP: “Troops were trying to prevent people from advancing. They opened fire and we fled. Some people were shot.”
At least five people were killed and 27 wounded on Sunday near the Netzarim corridor, according to Awda Hospital.
Red Crescent staff killed in Israeli strike
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) confirmed that one of its staff members, Omar Mansour Isleem, was killed and three others injured when Israeli forces struck the PRCS headquarters in Khan Younis on Saturday night.
The building was “clearly marked”, the organisation said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
🚨A video captures the initial moments of the Israeli forces’ attack on the Palestine Red Crescent Society headquarters in Khan Younis, which sparked a fire in the building, killing one staff member and injuring three others.#NotATarget #Gaza pic.twitter.com/lZ8bEh5jGz
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) August 2, 2025
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned the attack and expressed outrage, stating: “It is unacceptable that first responders in Gaza — like Omar and staff and volunteers of the PRCS — go to work every day fearing they may not return to their families.”
The ICRC noted that dozens of humanitarian workers have been killed or injured in the past 21 months, and reiterated that humanitarian personnel “must never be attacked”.
We are appalled to learn that last night @PalestineRCS staff member, Omar Mansour Isleem, was killed and two others were injured at the PRCS headquarters in Khan Younis. pic.twitter.com/wpUHrpLQXJ
— ICRC in Israel & OT (@ICRC_ilot) August 3, 2025
Hospitals struggling amid fuel shortage
Egyptian state TV reported on Sunday that two trucks carrying 107 tonnes of diesel were set to enter Gaza—one of the first such deliveries in months.
However, there was no immediate confirmation from authorities on whether the shipment arrived.
The Israeli military agency COGAT claimed that 1,200 aid trucks had entered Gaza over the past week and were being collected by UN and international organisations.
Still, the UN and other humanitarian bodies have said Gaza needs at least 600 aid trucks daily to avert famine.
Fuel shortages have forced hospitals to shut down key services. Gaza’s health ministry reported that 119 bodies and 866 wounded were received at hospitals in the past 24 hours, many of them victims of strikes at or near aid distribution sites.
Malnutrition crisis
The UN Office in Geneva said on Sunday that one million women and girls in Gaza are now starving.
Global Nutrition Cluster partners, which include UN health and food agencies, reported that more than 6,000 children are receiving treatment for malnutrition.
The situation on the ground has become increasingly desperate. Aid convoys are often intercepted or attacked, according to Al Jazeera.
Amir Zaqot, speaking to AFP, said: “Hunger has driven people to turn on each other. People are fighting each other with knives.”
Jean Guy Vataux, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), described the aid distribution scene as an “ultra-capitalist system” where aid is looted and sold at exorbitant prices. A 25kg bag of flour can sell for over $400 in Gaza City.
The UN, Oxfam, and other agencies have criticised Israel for restricting border crossings, impeding aid convoys, and failing to provide safe access routes.
Death toll surpasses 60,839
The Gaza Health Ministry said 60,839 Palestinians have been killed and 149,588 injured since Israel launched its military offensive in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and led to the abduction of 251 people.
Of the hostages, about 50 remain in captivity, and around 20 are believed to be alive.
Hamas has stated it will not disarm unless a fully sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is established.
Meanwhile, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid called for an end to the war, saying the Netanyahu-led government no longer has the public’s support or legitimacy to continue.
