Trump envoy arrives in Israel amid rising death toll of Palestinians seeking aid
This includes 54 people killed in shootings in a deadly incident in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing on Wednesday, the ministry said.
The toll is expected to rise further as many of those killed or wounded were brought to isolated, smaller hospitals in northern Gaza and have not yet been counted.
The Israeli military said Palestinians surrounded aid trucks and the Israeli military fired warning shots into the crowd, but that it is not aware of any injuries stemming from Israeli fire.
A security official said the gunfire came from within the crowd and altercations between Palestinians attempting to access aid.
Mr Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday afternoon.
He is expected to speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a possible ceasefire, according to an official.
This is the first meeting between Mr Witkoff and Mr Netanyahu since both Israel and the US summoned their negotiation teams home from Qatar one week ago.
Mr Witkoff said at the time Hamas's latest response 'shows a lack of desire' to reach a truce.
Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others.
It still holds 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive.
Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Its count does not distinguish between militants and civilians.
The ministry operates under the Hamas government.
The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
In Jerusalem, thousands of people, including families of some of the approximately 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, demonstrated on Wednesday in front of Mr Netanyahu's office calling for an end to the war.
Under heavy international pressure, Israel announced a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza, but aid workers say much more is needed.
The Israeli defence body in charge of co-ordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza said 270 trucks of aid entered Gaza on Wednesday, and 32 pallets of aid were airdropped into the Strip.
That amount is far lower than the 500 to 600 trucks per day that aid organisations say are needed.
The international community has heaped criticism on Israel over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
International organisations said Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years, but that recent developments, including a complete blockade on aid for two-and-a-half months, mean that the 'worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza'.
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul was due in Israel later on Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Germany, traditionally a particularly staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical recently of Israel's actions in Gaza.
It has insisted that Israel must do more to increase aid supplies and pushed for a ceasefire.
Berlin has not joined major allies France, Britain and Canada in saying it will recognise a Palestinian state in September.
But in a statement ahead of his departure on Thursday, Mr Wadephul underlined Germany's position that a two-state solution is 'the only way' to ensure a future in peace and security for people on both sides.
'For Germany, the recognition of a Palestinian state stands rather at the end of the process. But such a process must begin now. Germany will not move from this aim. Germany also will be forced to react to unilateral steps,' Mr Wadephul said without elaborating.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Gaza latest: Netanyahu to push for ‘full conquest' as 600 Israeli ex-officials urge Trump to help end war
Benjamin Netanyahu will push for expanding Israel's offensive in Gaza during a meeting of his security cabinet on Tuesday, local media reported. 'The die is cast – we're going for full conquest,' CNN quoted senior officials close to the Israeli prime minister as telling Ynet. 'If the Chief of Staff doesn't agree – he should resign.' Netanyahu's office was also quoted by local broadcaster N12 as saying: 'The decision has been made – we're going to occupy Gaza.' The Jerusalem Post similarly quoted a source in the leader's office as confirming plans for a full occupation. In a video message, Netanyahu said Israel was 'committing to free Gaza from the tyranny of these terrorists'. This came after indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas collapsed. The talks were centred on a US -backed proposal for a 60-day truce that would have allowed aid into Gaza and facilitated a partial hostage-prisoner exchange. Meanwhile, nearly 600 retired Israeli security officials, including former Mossad and Shin Bet chiefs, urged Donald Trump to pressure Israel to end the war, arguing that Hamas no longer posed a strategic threat and warning the hostages 'can't wait'. Netanyahu signals 'full conquest' of Gaza as civilian toll rises Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push for expanding Israel's offensive in Gaza during a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday, local media reported. 'We must continue to stand together and fight together to achieve all our war objectives: the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages, and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,' he said. 'The die is cast – we're going for full conquest,' CNN quoted senior officials close to the Israeli prime minister as telling Ynet. 'If the Chief of Staff doesn't agree – he should resign.' Israel's continuing assault on Gaza killed at least 40 Palestinians on Monday, including 10 people who were reportedly seeking aid, according to local medics. Another five people died of starvation. Maroosha Muzaffar5 August 2025 04:45
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Global News Podcast Families accuse Hamas of deliberately starving hostages
The brother of Israeli hostage Evyatar David has told the BBC that a video released by Hamas shows he is a "human skeleton''. Ilay David spoke as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reported to be preparing to expand military operations in Gaza. Also: Britain's first female spy chief Stella Rimington dies, and the new party trend in India - fake weddings. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Hundreds of ex-Israeli security officials urge Trump to help end war in Gaza
About 600 former Israeli security officials, including previous heads of the Mossad and the military, have urged Donald Trump to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza as the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, considers expanding the conflict. In an open letter, the former officials said an end to the war was the only way to save hostages still held by Hamas. 'Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis augments your ability to steer prime minister Netanyahu and his government in the right direction: end the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering,' they wrote. They added that they thought Hamas no longer posed a strategic threat to Israel. The letter comes as pressure mounts for the Israeli government to end the war, even as Netanyahu considers intensifying the offensive. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Israel over the weekend after two videos were released of emaciated hostages held in Gaza. One video in particular, which depicted a skeletal Evyatar David digging what he said could be his own grave, prompted a wave of outrage across Israel. On Sunday night, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum headquarters released a statement that accused Netanyahu of 'leading Israel and the kidnapped to doom'. Netanyahu said on Monday he would convene his security cabinet this week to discuss how to instruct the military to meet his war goals in Gaza, with Israeli media reporting the prime minister was inclining towards expanding the offensive and seizing the entire Palestinian territory. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu wants to try 'pushing for the release of the hostages through decisive military victory'. Intensifying military activity in the Palestinian territory would placate the far-right ministers in Netanyahu's governing coalition, who have consistently advocated against a ceasefire. The Israeli government is exploring the idea of intensified military operations as ceasefire negotiations seemed to have stalled – which it blames on Hamas. The US and Israel withdrew their negotiators from Doha 10 days ago and said they would explore 'alternative options' to retrieve the hostages. An expansion of the war would be contrary to what Trump's Middle East envoy told the families of hostages over the weekend was the US position. Steve Witkoff said Washington was backing a comprehensive end to the Gaza war that would bring hostages home and assured the families that would not mean more fighting. Any expansion of the conflict would risk worsening the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. A UN-affiliated humanitarian body said the territory was experiencing famine, as the approximately 2.1 million people who live there experience mass starvation. Despite the announcement of expanded aid measures in Gaza, humanitarian groups say Israel is still not letting nearly enough aid into the territory. Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza and blames the UN for not distributing aid efficiently. At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes in Gaza on Monday, in addition to five people who died of starvation, health authorities said. At least 10 of those who were killed were shot as they queued for food outside distribution centres run by the private US Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). A nurse at al-Aqsa hospital was also killed when an airdropped pallet of aid fell on him in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. Another man was taken to the hospital after a crate of aid fell on his tent. The World Health Organization announced it was delivering medicine and blood units to hospitals across Gaza – a rare delivery to bolster the Palestinian territory's devastated healthcare system. Almost 61,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began. Israel launched the war in response to an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 in which Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. Families of the hostages rejected the idea of further fighting in Gaza, which they said on Sunday 'endangers the lives of the kidnapped, who are already in immediate danger of death'. The former Israeli security officials also warned against an expansion of the war, arguing that Israel had long since achieved its military objectives in Gaza. 'At first this war was a just war, a defensive war, but when we achieved all military objectives, this war ceased to be a just war,' Ami Ayalon, the former head of the Shin Bet security agency, said in a video on Sunday night. 'This [war] is leading the state of Israel to the loss of its security and identity.' A demonstration was also held outside the prime minister's office in Jerusalem in protest against plans to sack Israel's attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara. The government voted for her dismissal on Monday, despite the Israeli supreme court saying she should not be replaced until her term has ended. In March, the Israeli justice minister started the process of firing the attorney general. Baharav-Miara, who was appointed by the previous government, had come into conflict with Netanyahu on a number of issues including his indictments over allegations over bribery and fraud. The government has accused her of deliberately blocking its policy initiatives and for conducting politically motivated 'witch-hunts'. She has also made public statements against the undermining of the separation of powers, understood to be a response to Netanyahu's controversial judicial overhaul. Israel's high court of justice issued an injunction against the government's decision to dismiss the attorney general, leaving her in position for the time being. The government is expected to appeal against the decision to block the firing. Israeli ministers have said they will stop inviting Baharav-Miara to hearings and committee meetings, regardless of the injunction. The move to dismiss the attorney general has been widely criticised by opposition parties and rights monitors. The chair of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, accused the government of trying to fire Baharav-Miara to safeguard Netanyahu's political interests. 'The agenda for the upcoming meeting: increased security for Netanyahu and his family and the dismissal of the attorney general,' Golan said in a post on X, alleging the prime minister did not care about the lives of Israeli hostages.
