At least 73 Palestinians were killed and around 150 injured on Sunday, July 20, 2025, after Israeli forces opened fire on crowds gathered to receive much-needed humanitarian aid across the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The majority of fatalities occurred in northern Gaza, particularly near the Zikim area, northwest of Gaza City, as thousands awaited incoming aid trucks.
Eyewitnesses report that Israeli tanks and soldiers surrounded the aid seekers as they waited for food, trapping them before opening fire. Many of those injured sustained critical wounds, and local hospitals struggled to treat the influx of casualties.
Health and Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
- At least 67 of the victims were killed in the northern region, with several more fatalities reported near aid centers in southern Gaza.
- The UN World Food Program acknowledged that aid convoys attracted massive, desperate crowds and described the violence as “completely unacceptable.”
- According to medical officials at Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals, hospitals remain overwhelmed and under-resourced as Gaza faces mass hunger and widespread displacement.
Israeli Military and International Response
- The Israeli military admitted its troops fired on large gatherings of Palestinians, claiming some posed a threat, but stated that the number of casualties reported by Gaza officials was “far higher than our initial investigation found.”
- Humanitarian organizations and eyewitnesses dispute these claims, pointing out that violence has become a tragic and regular occurrence at aid sites since international agencies began distributing relief under military oversight.
- Calls are growing for an independent investigation into aid distribution methods and the repeated lethal violence around these sites.
Broader Context
This incident comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, with aid deliveries insufficient for Gaza’s starving population. Hospitals are running out of supplies, and recent Israeli evacuation orders for central Gaza threaten to displace even more vulnerable civilians.