As Gaza Bleeds Again, Aid Lines Turn To Front Lines

94 dead from Israeli strikes in less than 24 hours

Israeli airstrikes and gunfire killed at least 94 Palestinians across Gaza between late Wednesday and Thursday, July 1 and July 2, 2025, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and local hospitals.

The dead include 45 people who were reportedly trying to access humanitarian aid when they were shot or shelled.

Among the casualties were families sleeping in makeshift shelters, children at food stands, and displaced people sheltering in schools.

One of the deadliest strikes targeted a tent camp in southern Gaza, killing 13 members of a single family, including six children under the age of 12.

“My children, my children … my beloved,” cried Intisar Abu Assi as she wept over the bodies of her children and grandchildren at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Nearby, another woman kissed the forehead of a lifeless girl wrapped in a blanket, her face filled with grief.

In central Gaza, the morgue at Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital saw more heartbreak.

A young boy tenderly touched the face of his 6-year-old sister, Heba Abu Etiwi, killed alongside another sibling when a missile struck a falafel stand.

Meanwhile, a separate strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City killed at least 15.

As airstrikes continue, violence is also surging around aid distribution.

Hospital sources report that 40 Palestinians were killed in recent days while waiting for United Nations aid trucks at various locations across the territory.

Another five were shot near food-distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new U.S.-backed aid operation supported by Israel.

Eyewitnesses say Israeli troops routinely open fire on crowds gathering around GHF sites and along roads leading to food distribution points.

More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded since the GHF’s operations began in May.

The Israeli military claims it uses warning shots to control crowds or respond to perceived threats, while armed American contractors guard the GHF’s operations.

Human rights organizations are raising alarm. Amnesty International, in a report issued Thursday, accused Israel of weaponizing hunger and “using starvation of civilians as a tool of war,” labeling the practice part of what it called a continuing genocide against Palestinians.

The group criticized the GHF initiative as a superficial attempt to deflect international criticism while failing to deliver adequate food.

“By maintaining a deadly, dehumanizing, and ineffective militarized ‘aid’ scheme, Israeli authorities have turned aid-seeking into a booby trap for desperate, starved Palestinians,” Amnesty said.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the report, accusing Amnesty of siding with Hamas and promoting “propaganda lies.”

Israel denies allegations of genocide and is contesting related charges at the International Court of Justice, brought by South Africa.

Israel argues that the GHF was created to prevent aid from being diverted by Hamas, a claim disputed by both the U.N. and other aid groups.

These organizations warn that GHF not only fails to meet Gaza’s needs but also exposes civilians to further danger and undermines neutral humanitarian channels.

From October through March, Israel had completely blocked food and supplies from entering Gaza.

The blockade, intended to pressure Hamas into negotiations, pushed the population to the brink of famine.

Though restrictions were partially eased in March, only around 28 trucks of aid enter Gaza daily, far below the hundreds per day needed, according to aid agencies.

Israel says it has facilitated over 3,000 aid trucks since May 19.

GHF claims to have delivered food boxes equivalent to 52 million meals, each box containing staples like lentils and rice.

However, witnesses say chaos surrounds GHF distributions, with food boxes often ending up in markets at inflated prices, leaving many hungry and empty-handed.

As humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate, diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire are showing tentative progress.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Israel had agreed to terms for a 60-day truce and urged Hamas to accept the deal before the situation worsens further.

Hamas insists any deal must lead to a permanent end to the war.

The war, which began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took about 250 hostages, has devastated Gaza.

Over 57,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

More than 90% of the population, nearly 2.3 million people, has been displaced, often multiple times, as Gaza’s urban landscape lies in ruins.

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