JUST IN: Israeli forces kill 140 in Gaza in 24-hour as focus shifts to Iran-Israel war

As the world watches Israel and Iran edge closer to a regional war, Gaza’s suffering continues in the shadows.

At least 140 Palestinians were killed within 24 hours, according to local health officials, bringing the total death toll from recent aid-seeking incidents and airstrikes to alarming levels.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Israeli gunfire and airstrikes accounted for dozens of the deaths, many of which occurred during desperate attempts by displaced Palestinians to secure food.

Several fatalities were reported from targeted strikes in Maghazi refugee camp, Gaza City, Khan Younis, and the Zeitoun neighborhood.

Among the dead were 14 civilians gunned down while waiting near U.N.-coordinated aid trucks on Salahuddin Road, medics confirmed.

In separate incidents, airstrikes flattened homes and tents, killing at least 26 more people, including children and elderly residents.

“Whoever doesn’t die from Israeli bombs dies from hunger,” said Adel, a resident of Gaza City.

“People risk their lives every day to get food, and they also get killed. Their blood smears the sacks of flour they thought they had won.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was reviewing the deaths of aid-seekers and reiterated that its operations are aimed at dismantling Hamas military capabilities.

A statement added that Israel takes “feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.”

However, Gaza’s health ministry reported that since late May, when Israel partially lifted a blockade, at least 397 Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect aid.

Over 3,000 others have been wounded.

The Iran-Israel conflict now in its sixth day, many Gazans feel abandoned by international attention, even as the death toll in the territory rises.

“People are being slaughtered in Gaza, day and night, but the world has turned its eyes to the Iran-Israel war,” said Adel.

“We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets,” added Shaban Abed, a 47-year-old father of five.

“But each new day of war costs more innocent lives. We just want peace. We are being forgotten.”

Israel now channels most humanitarian relief through the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the U.S. and staffed by private security contractors. Critics, however, say the system is failing.

“The current aid distribution system is a disgrace and a stain on our collective conscience,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Israel denies using starvation as a tactic, while Hamas rejects claims of intercepting aid supplies. But inside Gaza, hunger and despair continue to grow.

The war in Gaza began in October 2023 after a Hamas-led attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.

Since then, Israeli retaliation has killed nearly 55,600 Palestinians, displaced over 90% of the population, and plunged Gaza into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel faces international criticism and accusations of genocide and war crimes, which it strongly denies.

As war rages on multiple fronts, Palestinians in Gaza remain trapped in a cycle of violence, hunger, and silence. For many, their only plea now is not to be forgotten.

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