Key Points
- France begins airdropping aid in Gaza
- 159 die of starvation in Gaza
- Gaza death toll reaches 60,300
- UNRWA seeks urgent road access to Gaza
GAZA: Israel killed more starving Palestinians on fray as they attempted to reach desperately needed aid, just as US Envoy Steven Witkoff arrived in Gaza to help craft an aid plan.
At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in a series of Israeli military attacks across Gaza since early Friday morning, Al Jazeera reported, citing hospital sources.
Among the incidents, Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on civilians seeking aid near the Morag Corridor, south of Khan Younis. That assault left two people dead and more than 70 others injured, health officials said.
Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday that his visit to US-backed aid stations in Gaza would help Washington draw up a plan to deliver more aid to the Palestinian territory.
“Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza,” Witkoff said in a post on X, accompanied by a photo of himself wearing a protective vest and meeting staff at a distribution centre.
He added that the purpose of the visit was to “help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza”.
At @POTUS’s direction, @USAmbIsrael and I met yesterday with Israeli officials to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza — level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with @GHFUpdates and other… pic.twitter.com/aCtLuMuhq1
— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) August 1, 2025
France begins airdropping aid into Gaza
France has begun airdropping 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid into Gaza, while calling on Israel to grant full humanitarian access to the besieged territory, which it says is on the brink of famine.
“In response to the urgent humanitarian crisis, we have carried out a food airdrop operation in Gaza,” President Emmanuel Macron announced on the social media platform X, thanking Jordanian, UAE, and German partners, as well as French military personnel, for their support.
However, Macron stressed that airdrops alone are insufficient. “Airdrops are not enough. Israel must open full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine,” he stated.
Faced with an urgent humanitarian crisis, we just conducted a food airdrop over Gaza.
I thank our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, as well as our armed forces for their dedication.
But airdrops are not enough.… pic.twitter.com/KpWFhOLmbi
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 1, 2025
Gaza starvation death toll reaches 159
At least two more Palestinians have died from hunger in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of starvation-related deaths in Gaza to 159.
The hunger crisis has worsened since the start of Israel’s military campaign, with aid access severely restricted. United Nations officials have repeatedly urged Israel to allow the unhindered delivery of humanitarian supplies to prevent further loss of life.
Hamas calls for end to famine
Palestinian group Hamas has said it is prepared to “immediately” enter negotiations to end the war in Gaza on the condition that humanitarian aid is delivered and the ongoing famine is brought to an end.
“Continuing negotiations amid starvation strips them of meaning and purpose,” said a statement released on the group’s Telegram channel.
“This is especially true after the criminal Zionist occupation unilaterally withdrew from talks last week without justification, just as we were close to reaching an agreement.”
The statement follows Israel’s withdrawal from negotiations last week, despite what Hamas described as a “positive” and “constructive” response to the latest ceasefire proposal.
Gaza death toll tops 60,300
At least 60,332 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
A ministry statement said that 83 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 554 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 147,643 in the Israeli onslaught.
UNRWA seeks urgent road access
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has said that airdrops are at least 100 times more costly and less efficient than trucks.
Airdrops are at least 100 times more costly than trucks
Trucks carry twice as much aid as planes.If there is political will to allow airdrops – which are highly costly, insufficient & inefficient, there should be similar political will to open the road crossings.
As the…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 1, 2025
He called for the urgent need to open road crossings into Gaza. He said UNRWA, the largest UN agency on the ground, has 6,000 trucks loaded with aid stuck outside Gaza waiting for the green light to enter.
“The UN, including UNRWA + partners were able to bring in 500 to 600 trucks a day during the ceasefire earlier this year,” Lazzarini said on Friday in a statement shared on the X social media platform.
Lazzarini stressed that only a UN-coordinated response, with UNRWA at its core, can address the ongoing Israeli forceful starvation in Gaza.
