Over 100 people killed in Gaza in 24 hours, officials say, marking deadliest day in a week
The Gaza health ministry said 123 people were killed, adding to the tens of thousands of fatalities during the near two-year war raging in the Strip.
It comes as officials said Israel's planned re-seizure of Gaza City, which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing, is likely weeks away.
Eastern areas of Gaza City were bombed heavily by Israeli planes and tanks, according to residents, who said that many homes were destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods overnight.
Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Zeitoun.
Israeli tanks also destroyed several homes in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Palestinian medics said.
2:17
They added that in central Gaza, Israeli gunfire killed nine people seeking aid in two separate incidents. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) did not comment on this.
The number of Palestinians who died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza has risen to 235, including 106 children, since the war began, following the death of eight more people, including three children, in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said.
The malnutrition and hunger death figures have been reported by the Hamas-run ministry and have been disputed by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday: "If we had a starvation policy, no one in Gaza would have survived after two years of war."
He also repeated the allegation that Hamas has been looting aid trucks and claimed uncollected food has been "rotting" at the border, blaming the UN for not distributing it.
The latest death figures come as Hamas held further talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo with a focus on stopping the war, delivering aid and "enduring the suffering of our people in Gaza", an official for the group said in a statement.
Egyptian security sources said the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire would also be discussed.
This would see Hamas relinquish governance in Gaza and concede its weapons, with a Hamas official saying the group was open to all ideas as long as Israel would end the war and pull out of Gaza.
But the official added that "laying down arms before the occupation is dismissed as impossible".
Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu reiterated that Palestinians should simply leave Gaza, an idea which has also been enthusiastically floated by US President Donald Trump.
"They're not being pushed out, they'll be allowed to exit," Mr Netanyahu told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. "All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us."
World leaders have rejected the idea of displacing the Gaza population, and Mr Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, which Israeli sources said could be launched in October, has increased global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger in the enclave.
0:59
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is at "unimaginable levels", Britain and 26 partners said in a statement on Tuesday, warning: "Famine is unfolding before our eyes."
The statement added: "Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised."
It was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
The war in Gaza began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas killed about 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and abducted 251 others in its attack.
Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. It is believed Hamas is still holding 50 captives, with 20 believed to be alive.
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The Guardian
14 hours ago
- The Guardian
Gaza's sick children wait in torturous limbo for medical evacuations
Abdel Karim Wahdan no longer has the energy to speak. When visitors arrive, the eight-year-old pretends to be sleeping so that no one looks at him. Between his frequent dialysis sessions, he cries. His bones hurt, he says. Abdel Karim is dying. His death should be preventable but because he lives in Gaza he cannot access the treatment that would save his life. What started as acute kidney failure is now chronic: his small body has begun to swell and he spends his days between hospital beds and injections that he hates. 'My son suffers greatly. The hospital has become his home. The doctors stand helpless and I can only watch and pray,' said his mother, Najwa Wahdan. As the sickness progressed, Abdel Karim was also diagnosed with malnutrition as food began to disappear from Gaza's markets. His only hope is to be evacuated from Gaza to receive medical treatment abroad. Wahdan filed a medical referral four months ago but is still waiting. Abdel Karim is one of thousands of people in Gaza waiting for treatment abroad. Getting approved for a medical evacuation is a long, arduous process that can take years. Zahir al-Wehadi, the head of the information department at the Gaza ministry of health, said: 'We have more than 16,000 patients [in Gaza] who need treatment abroad. We have already lost more than 600 patients who died while still waiting to travel.' Tens of thousands of people in Gaza have been wounded by Israeli strikes and gunfire over the past 22 months of a war that has killed more than 61,000 people. Disease and sickness, much of which were not present in Gaza prior to the war, are rife in the territory as solid waste accumulates and people live tightly packed together with limited access to clean water or hygiene products. Repeated Israeli attacks on Gaza's hospitals and Israel's blockade of basic goods into the territory have left the medical sector devastated. Doctors in Gaza say that often they do not have the supplies to treat patients. In those cases they write a referral for the patients to be evacuated abroad. Israel controls who enters and leaves Gaza. People who need medical treatment abroad must have their exit approved by Cogat, the Israeli military agency in charge of humanitarian affairs for Palestinians. In December, the World Health Organization said the pace of medical evacuations out of Gaza was so slow that it would take five to 10 years to clear the backlog. Cogat has been approached for comment. Waiting for medical evacuation is torturous. Patients and their families have no ability to speed up the process and can do nothing but hope that approval comes before death does. During their long wait, Abdel Karim's physical and mental state has deteriorated. He has lost the ability to walk and when his blood pressure drops too low he temporarily goes blind and has seizures. 'What I loved most about Abdel Karim was his calmness; he never caused trouble like other children,' his mother said. 'He loved studying Arabic and English. He once wanted to become a doctor.' But the months of sickness have taken its toll on the once happy child. 'For the last three months he has been withdrawn, irritable, yelling often and not speaking to anyone – this is not the calm son I knew before,' Wahdan said. Many children have died while waiting for their evacuation approval. Amina al-Jourani was not too worried when in January 2024 her 15-year-old son, Nidal, came home with a foot injury. Israel had bombed a nearby house and Nidal had gone to the scene to help transport wounded people to the hospital on his bicycle. When he returned to his home he had a small gash on his foot. 'At first we didn't pay it much attention. It seemed like a simple, ordinary wound,' Jourani said. But in the following days Nidal developed a fever. He began to lose weight and his skin was covered with red spots. It was a year and a half before doctors approved a request to transfer Nidal abroad, as his condition, though persistent, did not seem to be life-threatening. The hospital he was staying in, the European hospital, was bombed and he was sent home. His fever spiked and his foot turned blue. Nidal went to another hospital where they diagnosed him with kidney failure. He died two days later, on 2 June 2025. Doctors say it is impossible to deal with the caseload, particularly as the humanitarian situation has worsened since Israel instituted a harsh blockade of aid on Gaza in March. Aid groups have said a worst-case famine scenario is unfolding in Gaza. Israel denies there is a starvation crisis in Gaza and says the UN is to blame for poor distribution of aid – a claim that aid bodies uniformly reject. Ragheb Warsh Agha, the head of the gastroenterology department at al-Rantisi children's hospital, said: 'Many children die because of the lack of resources or the lack of response to transfer requests. In many cases the child's treatment is simple – for example, we may need basic medicines, specific treatments that are unavailable, or to conduct tests for which the necessary equipment does not exist.' Agha said the overcrowded hospital often had to place three children in a single bed, which encouraged the spread of disease. Gaza's starvation crisis has also meant disease spreads more easily. Lack of food weakens people's immune systems and makes them more susceptible to sickness. Recovery is more difficult when the body does not have food. For parents waiting for the mechanisms of bureaucracy to give them the slip of paper that means life for their children, the helplessness is agonising. Jourani said: 'At the height of his illness, Nidal gave me 100 shekel he had saved and he told me: 'Mom, keep this for me so I can buy lots of sweets, chocolate and snacks when the [border] crossing opens.' Two and a half months after Nidal's death, his mother received a message: his referral had been approved, his request to be evacuated granted. 'Nidal died and the money is still in my purse,' she said through tears. 'He died waiting for the crossings to open.'
Sky News
18 hours ago
- Sky News
Over 100 people killed in Gaza in 24 hours, officials say, marking deadliest day in a week
More than 100 people have been killed in Gaza within 24 hours, officials there have said - the deadliest day recorded in a week. The Gaza health ministry said 123 people were killed, adding to the tens of thousands of fatalities during the near two-year war raging in the Strip. It comes as officials said Israel's planned re-seizure of Gaza City, which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing, is likely weeks away. Eastern areas of Gaza City were bombed heavily by Israeli planes and tanks, according to residents, who said that many homes were destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods overnight. Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Zeitoun. Israeli tanks also destroyed several homes in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Palestinian medics said. 2:17 They added that in central Gaza, Israeli gunfire killed nine people seeking aid in two separate incidents. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) did not comment on this. The number of Palestinians who died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza has risen to 235, including 106 children, since the war began, following the death of eight more people, including three children, in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said. The malnutrition and hunger death figures have been reported by the Hamas-run ministry and have been disputed by Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday: "If we had a starvation policy, no one in Gaza would have survived after two years of war." He also repeated the allegation that Hamas has been looting aid trucks and claimed uncollected food has been "rotting" at the border, blaming the UN for not distributing it. The latest death figures come as Hamas held further talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo with a focus on stopping the war, delivering aid and "enduring the suffering of our people in Gaza", an official for the group said in a statement. Egyptian security sources said the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire would also be discussed. This would see Hamas relinquish governance in Gaza and concede its weapons, with a Hamas official saying the group was open to all ideas as long as Israel would end the war and pull out of Gaza. But the official added that "laying down arms before the occupation is dismissed as impossible". Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu reiterated that Palestinians should simply leave Gaza, an idea which has also been enthusiastically floated by US President Donald Trump. "They're not being pushed out, they'll be allowed to exit," Mr Netanyahu told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. "All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us." World leaders have rejected the idea of displacing the Gaza population, and Mr Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, which Israeli sources said could be launched in October, has increased global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger in the enclave. 0:59 The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is at "unimaginable levels", Britain and 26 partners said in a statement on Tuesday, warning: "Famine is unfolding before our eyes." The statement added: "Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised." It was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The war in Gaza began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas killed about 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and abducted 251 others in its attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. It is believed Hamas is still holding 50 captives, with 20 believed to be alive.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Scientists discover how terrifying cancer-causing parasitic worm can penetrate your body... without you feeling a thing
If a worm was trying to burrow into your skin, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd feel it gnawing at your flesh—but scientists have identified how one wriggling parasite does so without you noticing. Schistosoma mansoni—also known as a blood fluke—is a 17mm-long flatworm which causes a chronic disease called intestinal schistosomiasis, which kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. It is the most prevalent parasite in humans—in 2021, the World Health Organisation estimated that there were 251.4 million people living with schistosomiasis across the globe—with the disease most widespread in Africa, parts of South America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Infection occurs during contact with infested water through activities like swimming, washing clothes, and fishing, when larvae—hosted in snails who have eaten eggs contained in infected human faeces—penetrate the skin. Once inside, it releases thousands of eggs that can spread through the body infecting vital organs. A new mouse study by researchers at the Tulane School of Medicine explored why blood flukes don't cause pain or itching when it penetrates the skin. Their findings show that the worm—referred to in scientific circles as S. mansoni— causes a reduction in the activity of TRPV1+, a protein that sends signals the brain interprets as heat, pain, or itching. Surprisingly, this also means that the worm often evades detection by the immune system, unlike other bacteria or parasites that typically cause pain, itching, or rashes. However, while the discovery, published in The Journal of Immunology, is undeniably skin-crawling, researchers hope that it could have some medical benefit. Study lead Dr. De'Broski R. Herbert, Professor of Immunology at Tulane School of Medicine, said that the worms could lead to new advances in pain medication, anti-inflammatories, and even preventative treatment against intestinal schistosomiasis He said: 'If we identify and isolate the molecules used by [parasitic worms] to block TRPV1+ activation, it may present a novel alternative to current opioid-based treatments for reducing pain. 'The molecules that block TRPV1+ could also be developed into therapeutics that reduce disease severity for individuals suffering from painful inflammatory conditions.' In May, it was reported that the number of British travellers who have brought the parasite home with them had reached a record high. Also called snail fever or bilharzia schistosomiasis, the infection can cause infertility, blindness, severe organ damage, and even bladder cancer if left untreated. Scientists speaking at Wellcome Trust in London in May said while the disease was once confined to sub-Saharan Africa, it is now spreading in parts of southern Europe. Outbreaks have been reported in the freshwater lakes and rivers of European holiday favourites like Spain, Portugal and parts of France. Official UK Government data shows an increasing number of British travellers are also being infected. The UK Health Security Agency recorded 123 cases in Britain in 2022, more than double the number tallied in the previous year and nearly triple the number recorded before the Covid pandemic. Bonnie Webster, principal researcher at the Schistosome Snail Resource at the Natural History Museum, said the worm is believed to have reached Europe from African travellers. 'It was people travelling from Africa, particularly Senegal, who imported the parasites,' she said according to The Telegraph. What is schistosomiasis? Schistosomiasis is an infection caused by a burrowing parasitic worm that lives in freshwater in tropical regions of Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. It affects around 600 million people worldwide and kills 300,000 a year. Although the infection usually does not cause symptoms at first, it can gradually damage organs such as the bladder, kidneys and liver. Within a few weeks of infection, people may suffer fever, rashes, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. In the long term, schistosomiasis can cause organs to become permanently damaged, leading to seizures if the brain is affected, coughing up blood if the lungs are damaged and anaemia if the digestive system was targeted. 'Once one snail is infected, they infect a whole population of snails which then infect a whole population of humans.' Experts believe importation by tourists, combined with climate change making European waters warmer and more hospitable for the worms, are behind a rise in infections on the continent. However, as snail fever can be mistaken for host of other conditions, and sometimes cause no symptoms, many more people may be infected than official figures suggest. Infected humans can contaminate freshwater sources with the worm by shedding eggs in their urine and faeces. From there the worm infects a freshwater snail, where it grows to a size that enables it to infect a human. Infections can initially manifest as an itchy bumpy rash, colloquially known as 'swimmers itch'. As the illness develops, symptoms include fever, more rashes, a cough, diarrhoea, muscle and joint pain, stomach ache and a general sense of being unwell. These symptoms aren't caused by the worm itself but rather the body's reaction to it releasing thousands upon thousands of eggs. Experts say snail fever is often misdiagnosed at this stage as the result of some other infection. While the disease generally clears up on its own, patients are still at risk of long term health complications like organ damage as the parasite remains in their body. In rare cases, the eggs can reach the brain and spinal cord where it can cause a host of serious health problems. The NHS advises people who experience signs of infection, and who have been in an area where the worms are found, to contact their GP for advice. Treatment for snail fever involves taking a drug called praziquantel which kills the worms. People can reduce their risk of snail fever by avoiding swimming or paddling in fresh water as the worms cannot survive in the sea or in chlorinated swimming pools.
