By Elham Asaad Buaras
London, (The Muslim News): At least 52 more Palestinians, including five who died from starvation, were killed in Gaza on Sunday as the Israeli army maintained a relentless blockade and attacks, intensifying the humanitarian crisis, medics reported.
Among those killed deliberatly were four Palestinian journalists killed in an Israeli strike near Al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City. Al Jazeera Arabic confirmed that correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, alongside camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, were killed in the attack.
Anas al-Sharif, described by Gaza-based writer and analyst Muhammad Shehada as a “very young boy, loved by everyone, by his entire community,” was said to hold “enormous influence” in Gaza. Shehada told Al Jazeera that Israel’s claim to label al-Sharif as a Hamas militant was contradicted by their own documents, which inconsistently identified him as both “an elite combat militant” and, elsewhere, as incapacitated by injuries that would have prevented militant activity.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Sunday that at least 61,430 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023. In the last 24 hours alone, 61 bodies were brought to hospitals, with 363 people injured, bringing the total injuries to 153,213 since the onset of the conflict. The ministry added that many victims remain trapped under rubble or on roads inaccessible to rescuers.
Israeli strikes continued to devastate the enclave, killing at least 52 Palestinians on Sunday alone. Among the dead were civilians targeted while waiting for humanitarian aid in southern Gaza.
A medical source at Nasser Medical Complex reported five bodies and multiple injuries among aid-seekers shot near the Morag Corridor south of Khan Yunis. Another civilian was killed, and one was injured in an Israeli drone strike on a displaced persons’ tent in al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis.
In eastern Gaza City, four were killed in an Israeli strike on the Shejaiya neighbourhood, with two more dying near the Al-Sudaniya area. Al-Awda Hospital confirmed that three Palestinians were killed and three injured in a separate strike on a crowd waiting for aid near a distribution point in central Gaza.
A further eight civilians were killed when an Israeli drone targeted a gathering and a tent sheltering displaced families in Khan Yunis, with casualties also reported from Israeli gunfire on aid seekers in the area.
Near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for humanitarian aid, killing two and injuring several others.
Four more Palestinians were killed, and three were injured, in a strike north of Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Local health officials have repeatedly warned that attacks on aid distribution points are exacerbating Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis, with famine looming under the choking blockade.
Since May 27, at least 1,778 aid seekers have been killed and 12,894 injured by Israeli army fire.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports the ongoing blockade, and attacks are causing widespread malnutrition, with five starvation deaths, including two children, in the last 24 hours, raising the toll to 217, including 100 children, since October 2023.
Israel has kept all Gaza crossings closed since March 2, blocking aid convoys despite hundreds of trucks waiting at the border. Only limited amounts of aid have been allowed in, far below what is needed to avert famine.
Amid escalating civilian suffering and international concern over Israel’s plans for Gaza City, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency session on Suday to address the worsening crisis and mounting condemnation.
Assistant UN Secretary-General, Miroslav Jenca, warned that Israel’s latest decision marks “yet another dangerous escalation” that could trigger “another horrific chapter,” with consequences beyond Israel and Palestine. He called for an immediate permanent ceasefire, unconditional hostage releases, and the implementation of the two-state solution outlined in the July New York Declaration.
Five members of the Security Council — Slovenia, Britain, France, Denmark, and Greece — issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s plan to expand military operations in Gaza, warning it risks violating international humanitarian law and endangering civilian lives and hostages.
Slovenia’s Ambassador, Samuel Zbogar, decried the worsening conditions, noting that children are dying of starvation and civilians risk death at aid distribution sites while attempting to feed their families. The statement called on Israel to reverse its decision, lift restrictions on aid deliveries, and remove “unreasonable visa and registration requirements” for international NGOs.
The World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, underscored the escalating crisis, describing Israel’s plans to occupy Gaza City as “deeply worrying” amid an already dire humanitarian and health emergency. He warned that further military escalation would place more children at risk from malnutrition and restricted healthcare access, renewing urgent calls for unimpeded aid deliveries, the release of hostages, and a permanent ceasefire.
Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, stressed at the Security Council that condemnation alone is insufficient. “Israel proved long ago it does not care about the Charter, international law, or this council’s resolutions if not accompanied by consequences,” Mansour said. He urged member states to take concrete action, including recognising Palestinian statehood, warning that current measures fail to match the scale of crimes committed and lack a deterrent effect.
Meanwhile, an Arab League emergency meeting condemned Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza as “a blatant act of aggression” threatening regional security and stability. The pan-Arab body called for international pressure on Israel to halt its genocidal war and starvation policy, denouncing the Israeli government’s decisions as violations of international law, aggression against Arab states, and a threat to peace. However, it did not suggest any action against Israel.
Israel building new illegal settlements in East Jerusalem
In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities reported Israeli bulldozers have begun constructing a new illegal settlement northeast of East Jerusalem, in the town of Hizma, under army protection.
The Jerusalem Governorate condemned the project as a “crime aimed at altering the area’s features and Judaising it,” accusing the Israeli government of accelerating land confiscation and settlement expansion in defiance of UN resolutions.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,014 Palestinians and injured more than 7,000 in the West Bank.
The International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion last July declared Israel’s occupation illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
[Photo: Starving Palestinians including women and children, wait to receive food distributed by a charity organization as Israel continue to block humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip on August 10, 2025. Photojournalist: Khames Alrefi/AA]
