Pope Leo XIV has condemned the “barbarity” of the war in Gaza and the “indiscriminate use of force” as Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that at least 93 Palestinians were killed while queuing for food. Meanwhile, Israel issued fresh evacuation orders for densely populated areas sheltering displaced people.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, dozens were killed by Israeli fire while awaiting UN food aid at the northern Zikim crossing. The incident marked one of the deadliest in a growing pattern of fatalities among Palestinians attempting to access humanitarian supplies of food.
Elsewhere in the enclave, nine people were reportedly shot dead near an aid distribution point in Rafah, where dozens were killed the day before, and four others died near a separate site in Khan Younis, according to civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Basal.
Israel's military said its forces had opened fire on a gathering of thousands in northern Gaza whom it claimed posed a threat, and acknowledged some casualties. However, it disputed the scale of deaths reported by Gaza officials. It did not comment on the southern incidents.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said a convoy of 25 aid trucks encountered “massive crowds of hungry civilians” near Gaza City, who then came under gunfire. “WFP reiterates that any violence involving civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable,” it said in a statement.
Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa hospital, said 48 bodies and 150 injured people had been brought in since Sunday morning after waiting for aid trucks expected to enter via Zikim. He could not confirm whether the gunfire had come from Israeli forces, armed groups, or both.
Before reports of the latest shootings emerged, Pope Leo XIV had called for “an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict” during the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence near Rome.
The pontiff also expressed anguish over the recent Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which killed three people and injured 10, including the parish priest. Israel has expressed “deep sorrow” over the incident and opened an investigation. The church was sheltering about 600 displaced people, many of them children and individuals with special needs.
“This act, unfortunately, adds to the ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza,” the pope said. He urged the international community to uphold humanitarian law, protect civilians, and end the use of collective punishment, indiscriminate force, and forced displacement.
Israel revoked the residency permit of Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Israel, after he criticised conditions in Gaza. Foreign minister Gideon Saar accused him of spreading misinformation.
Meanwhile, Israel issued new evacuation orders for parts of central Gaza, particularly Deir al-Balah—an area with limited Israeli ground troop presence and a hub for international aid distribution. Residents reported airstrikes on three houses and began fleeing with whatever belongings they could carry.
“They threw leaflets at us, but we don’t know where to go. We have no shelter or anything,” one resident told AFP.
OCHA said the order dealt “another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip”.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) accused Israel of “starving civilians in Gaza”, including one million children. It said it had enough food for the entire population of Gaza stored in Egyptian warehouses, but was being prevented from distributing it.
“Open the gates, lift the siege, allow Unrwa to do its work,” the agency urged.
Unrwa, previously the primary provider of humanitarian aid and essential services in Gaza, has been barred from operating in both Gaza and the West Bank by Israel, which accuses the agency of being infiltrated by Hamas. An independent review found Israel had not provided evidence to support this claim.
Since May, aid distribution has been led by the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), replacing the traditional UN-led system. Severe food shortages and soaring prices have followed the Israeli blockade imposed on 2 March.
The UN reported that, as of 13 July, 875 people had been killed in recent weeks while trying to access food, including 674 near GHF sites and 201 near UN or partner convoys. Children have reportedly been killed while fetching water.
Since the Israeli war started, at least 58,895 Palestinians have been killed and 140,980 injured in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
