The Israeli military struck a group of Palestinians gathered for humanitarian aid in the Sudania area in northern Gaza on Thursday. According to the Gaza government media office, 51 people were killed and 648 wounded in the attack.
The incident occurred as a group of Palestinians were heading to Sudania for flour and other food supplies delivered from the Zikim area. Gaza authorities said the humanitarian convoy came under direct fire from Israeli forces.
“This bloodshed once again confirms that Israel is using hunger as a weapon, deliberately attacking peaceful civilians seeking food,” the official statement said. It also emphasised that such actions grossly violate international law.
According to the authorities, only 112 humanitarian trucks were allowed into Gaza that day. Due to the chaos, which, according to Gaza officials, was deliberately created, most of the cargo was looted. At the same time, at least 600 trucks with food and fuel are needed every day to meet the minimum needs of the population.
Due to the ongoing blockade, which local authorities call “suffocating and bloody,” it is impossible to establish full humanitarian aid deliveries.
The process of peace talks on the Gaza issue
Negotiations to end the war in the Gaza Strip are continuing, but without success. On July 22, Israel said that its patience with the agreement was running out: the country wants a truce, but it is unclear whether Hamas has the same desire. Two days later, after talks with the group, the US stated that Hamas was “clearly demonstrating a lack of desire to achieve a ceasefire.” Shortly before that, the group said that Israel had rejected proposals for a truce and announced its readiness for a long war.
At the same time, France and the UK announced their readiness to recognise a Palestinian state. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that this was one of the steps towards transforming “the much-needed ceasefire into a lasting peace.”
The conflict between Israel and the Hamas group, which controls the Gaza Strip, began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded southern Israel and took hostages. In response, Israel launched a counter-terrorism operation called “Iron Swords,” which resulted in the bombing and complete blockade of the Palestinian enclave. In the most densely populated region of the world, home to over 2 million people, a huge number of people have been killed, primarily civilians.
