GAZA, PALESTINE — At least 73 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured while waiting for humanitarian aid in northern Gaza on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, in what has become yet another deadly episode in the besieged enclave’s spiraling humanitarian catastrophe.
Eyewitnesses and health officials said Israeli forces opened fire on crowds gathered near a humanitarian aid convoy in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Many of the victims reportedly had been camping near the route for hours, hoping to secure basic necessities such as flour, water, and canned food. Video footage from the scene showed blood-soaked bodies sprawled across rubble-strewn streets, while survivors carried the wounded on makeshift stretchers.
Gaza’s health system, already decimated by more than nine months of war, is on the brink of collapse. With hospitals operating on minimal power, medical staff relied on flashlights and rudimentary supplies to treat the wounded. The Palestine Red Crescent warned that without immediate international intervention, the death toll could climb significantly.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident. However, Tel Aviv has previously claimed that Hamas fighters often blend into civilian crowds to exploit humanitarian corridors, a justification that human rights observers say does not absolve Israel from adhering to the laws of war.
This latest tragedy further underscores the systematic collapse of Gaza’s aid delivery mechanisms. UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, confirmed that convoys had been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks, citing “dangerous and obstructive” conditions imposed by Israeli forces. The agency estimates that only 30% of necessary aid has reached northern Gaza since May.
The mass killing has triggered outrage across the Arab world. In Cairo, thousands rallied outside the Arab League headquarters demanding an arms embargo on Israel. In Türkiye, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounced the deaths as “a crime against humanity committed under Western cover.”
Even among Western allies, patience is wearing thin. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the incident “unconscionable,” adding that Europe’s support for Israel is “not unconditional.” Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a restrained statement urging “restraint on all sides,” a phrase that was met with fierce criticism from international rights groups.
The Gaza Ministry of Information labeled the killings a deliberate massacre aimed at punishing civilians for resisting Israeli occupation. Hamas issued a warning that it will respond “at the appropriate time and place,” fueling fears of renewed rocket fire into southern Israel.
According to Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 73 civilians were killed and 289 others injured during the attack on the aid seekers. The network emphasized that the majority of the victims were women and children, further highlighting the scale of the humanitarian disaster.
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the death toll from sectarian violence in southern Syria’s Sweida province had surpassed 1,000, with intense clashes involving Druze fighters, Bedouin tribal militias, Syrian government forces, and Israeli airstrikes. Although the Syrian interior ministry announced a ceasefire and declared the city of Sweida cleared of tribal fighters, sporadic skirmishes continued in the rural periphery. Humanitarian organizations, including the Syrian Red Crescent, deployed convoys under tense conditions as tens of thousands remained displaced and cut off from essential aid. According to The Guardian, at least 32 trucks carrying humanitarian assistance entered the area amid warnings of a widening crisis if the fragile calm does not hold.
