Israel kills Palestinians receiving nutritional aid for children in Gaza

Middle East Eye

10-07-2025

Israeli strikes have killed at least 16 Palestinians, including 10 children and three women, and wounded many others as they attempted to collect nutritional aid for children in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.
The attack occurred near the Tayara roundabout, where crowds of families gathered to receive supplements for their children at a medical point, amid a critical humanitarian crisis that has rendered many in the enclave suffering from malnutrition, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned the targeting of sick women and children, describing it as part of Israel's "starvation policy against civilians, including 1.1 million children in the Gaza Strip".
In the statement, the office stressed that the recent attack displays the Israeli army's deliberate killing of civilians.
"This direct targeting of a humanitarian medical facility is a flagrant violation of all international and humanitarian laws and confirms the occupation's continued crimes against defenceless civilians," it added.
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"We call on the international community to break its shameful silence, condemn these crimes, and bring the criminal occupation leaders to international justice.
"We also demand an end to the war, the lifting of the blockade, and the entry of aid and fuel. Gaza is dying daily in front of the world, and daily massacres are being committed against its people without accountability or oversight."
Footage shared online shows scenes of chaos as bodies lay on the ground following the bombing.
تكدس شهداء ومصابين من الأطفال بعد استهدف الاحتلال طابور غذاء في دير البلح#حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/tyEXIET1f4 — قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) July 10, 2025
Translation: Martyrs and wounded children pile up after the occupation targeted a food queue in Deir al-Balah.
In one video, a group of children and a woman who were victims of the attack are seen placed on a cart being pulled by a donkey, illustrating a lack of emergency vehicles and equipment compounded by a severe lack of fuel in the besieged enclave.
For months, the Israeli military has imposed a tight siege on the Gaza Strip, severely limiting the flow of life-saving essential food and medical items, which has significantly impacted the health of mothers and children alike.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency, James Elder, spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), highlighted the severe shortages facing hospitals in Gaza and the extremely difficult conditions under which medical staff are operating.
Elder warned that children experiencing acute malnutrition are particularly vulnerable and face a "likelihood of dying from simple causes by 10 times". He added that access to hospitals in Gaza is no longer safe for ill or malnourished children.
Civil defence and healthcare in turmoil
As Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip continues, rescue teams and medical professionals are facing acute shortages of essential supplies and equipment they need to carry out their work.
The General Directorate of Civil Defence announced on Thursday that all of its vehicles in the northern part of the enclave have ceased operations, except for one fire engine, due to the absence of spare parts used to repair the vehicles.
Additionally, three out of six fire engines and four out of six ambulances have stopped working in the southern Gaza Strip.
"We strongly warn that the international community's continued failure to pressure the Israeli occupation to allow the entry of rescue and firefighting equipment, as well as spare parts essential for humanitarian efforts, will only worsen the suffering of our people, who are facing a war of extermination," the Civil Defence said in a statement.
Similarly, the Palestinian health ministry in the Gaza Strip warned in a press conference on Wednesday that hospitals could be out of service within hours due to the lack of fuel.
In one clip, Palestinian journalist Abdul Qader Sabbah shared a video from Al-Helou Hospital's neonatal care unit, warning that newborn babies are at risk of death as fuel is running out.
Palestinian journalist AbdulQader Sabbah shared a video from Al-Helou Hospital's neonatal care unit, warning that newborn babies are at risk of death as fuel is running out in Gaza pic.twitter.com/Oa3xn9ESFf — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) July 10, 2025
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, said that the fuel crisis is "stifling and threatens to collapse the health and humanitarian sectors in Gaza, directly and seriously impacting the operation of hospitals and shutting down water desalination plants".
Salmiya said that the fuel crisis is "an old and recurring one", an issue that has plagued hospitals and other facilities for months, and he urged the immediate entry of fuel into Gaza.
He warned that the hospital would turn into a "graveyard for everyone inside" if the fuel-powered generators, which are "the only source of power for hospitals", stopped working.
Leaflets dropped over Gaza's Old City, in the central part of the enclave, as well as Jabalia and its refugee camp, warned civilians to evacuate as the Israeli army is 'operating with great force'.
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"Residents must immediately evacuate southwest to the humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi. Hamas is endangering your lives, and returning to the area will be considered a direct risk to life," read the leaflets, written in Arabic.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has advanced towards areas housing displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Images and videos show military tanks entering so-called "humanitarian zones" as Palestinians attempt to flee.
An Al Jazeera correspondent reported that Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling were targeting the centre and south of the city. Additionally, the Israeli army has begun bulldozing and demolishing several cemeteries southwest of Khan Younis.
International organisations and rights groups have repeatedly warned that there are no safe areas in Gaza, as Israel continues to strike locations it had previously designated as safe zones.
Since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces have killed more than 57,680 Palestinians in Gaza, and wounded over 137,409 others, according to the Palestinian health ministry.