By Nadine Osman
London, (The Muslim News): At least 83 Palestinians were killed and more than 550 injured across the Gaza Strip on Friday amid a wave of Israeli indiscriminate attacks, according to medical sources, as global alarm grows over the rising number of civilians killed while attempting to access humanitarian aid.
The deadliest single incident was reported near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, where at least 13 people were killed and over 90 wounded after Israeli forces targeted a crowd waiting for food assistance.
In the north-west of the enclave, Israeli shelling in the Zikim area killed at least 25 Palestinians and wounded dozens more. Another airstrike in the Karama district claimed the lives of seven people, including security personnel escorting aid convoys, according to medics.
In Gaza City, 18 were killed in bombardments of the Zeitoun and Shejaiya neighbourhoods. Further north, two Palestinians died, and several others were injured in a strike on a house in the Al-Faluja area of Jabalia refugee camp.
Southern Gaza also saw deadly violence. An Israeli drone attack on tents sheltering displaced civilians in Al-Mawasi, western Khan Younis, killed four and injured four more. In a nearby strike, a woman died, and others were injured when a tent was hit near Tiberias Station. In yet another incident, Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd waiting for aid in Khan Younis, killing three and wounding at least 73.
In central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, four people were killed in an airstrike targeting a residential area. Israeli forces also bombed a building in Gaza City’s Al-Rimal district and a house near Sheikh Radwan cemetery, resulting in additional casualties.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll from Israel’s ongoing military offensive, which began on 7 October 2023, has now surpassed 60,300, with more than 147,000 injured. Women and children account for most of the victims.
Beyond the bombings, the deepening humanitarian crisis continues to claim lives. On Saturday, the Health Ministry reported three additional deaths from hunger and malnutrition—two of them children—bringing the total number of starvation-related fatalities to 162, including 92 children.
UN alarmed Palestinians continued to be killed accessing humanitarian aid
The United Nations has once again sounded the alarm over the scale of suffering. Speaking in New York on Friday, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said: “According to our human rights colleagues, more than 100 people were killed in the past two days alone, with hundreds of others injured along food convoy routes or near Israeli militarised distribution hubs.”
Quoting the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Haq added: “No one should ever be forced to risk their life to find food. Civilians must always be protected, and community-level aid delivery at scale must be facilitated, not obstructed.”
The crisis has been intensified by Israel’s complete closure of Gaza’s border crossings since 2 March, cutting off humanitarian aid and worsening already dire shortages of food, medicine and fuel. The blockade has driven much of Gaza’s population into what aid agencies now describe as famine-like conditions.
The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that one in four people in Gaza is now facing catastrophic levels of hunger, with around 100,000 women and children suffering from acute malnutrition. Last week, the agency said that one-third of the population had gone without food for several consecutive days.
In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel is also the subject of a separate genocide case before the International Court of Justice.
Despite mounting international condemnation and growing calls for an immediate ceasefire, the Israeli military campaign has continued unabated since 18 March, following the end of a two-month truce. Since then, more than 9,100 Palestinians have been killed and 35,000 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
[Photo: Palestinians search for food scraps or saleable materials spending hours in the garbage dumps around the Firas Market despite the heavy odor in Gaza City, Gaza on August 2, 2025. Due to Israel’s ongoing attacks and its policy of starvation in Gaza, many Palestinians are forced to turn to garbage dumps to meet their basic needs. Photojournalist: Dawoud Abo Alkas/AA]
