Daily combat operations in certain areas of Gaza temporarily cease due to escalating hunger concerns
In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic levels, with severe food insecurity, massive casualties, and a collapsing infrastructure.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war, Israel's military has reported 898 soldier casualties. Meanwhile, over 52,000 Palestinians have died and at least 118,000 have been injured due to the conflict. These numbers, according to U.N. reports, include over 58,000 Palestinians killed and nearly 140,000 injured as of July 2025.
The Gaza health system is shattered from prolonged fighting, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and a lack of medical supplies. The suspension or severe restriction of humanitarian aid for months has worsened conditions dramatically. Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, director-general of Gaza's Health Ministry, has called for a flood of medical supplies and other goods to help treat child malnutrition after an increase in hunger-related deaths.
Tens of thousands live in overcrowded, damaged, or makeshift shelters, including schools and tents, which continue to be struck, causing mass casualties and escalating humanitarian needs.
The international community, led by UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, continues urgent efforts to provide aid amid a dangerous and complex conflict environment. The U.N. World Food Program, for instance, has enough food to feed Gaza's population for nearly three months, but a ceasefire is needed to ensure goods reach everyone in need.
The U.N. has been unable to distribute much of the aid due to hungry crowds and gangs taking most of it from arriving trucks. Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May, allowing in around 4,500 trucks for the U.N. and others to distribute.
Neighboring Jordan has conducted three airdrops over Gaza, dropping 25 tons of food and supplies on several locations. Israel has also proposed an end to the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile, a proposition that Hamas has refused.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that minimal humanitarian supplies will continue to be allowed. The Israeli military has announced a limited 10-hour daily pause in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza: Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Muwasi. The pause will increase humanitarian aid entering the territory and runs from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily, until further notice.
However, combat operations continue elsewhere during the pause. Tragic incidents such as an airstrike on a Gaza City apartment that killed a woman and her four children, and another strike that killed four people, including a boy, his mother, and grandfather, in the eastern Zaytoun neighborhood, highlight the ongoing violence.
The Awda Hospital in Nuseirat reported that Israeli forces killed at least 13 people, including four children and a woman, and wounded 101 as they were headed toward a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution site in central Gaza.
Despite these challenges, humanitarian pauses and corridors have been agreed upon by Israel to allow safer UN convoy passage for emergency aid deliveries to Gaza. The Israeli military has also said it will put in place secure routes for aid delivery.
There is ongoing international advocacy to improve aid access and increase support to crisis-affected populations, with NGOs emphasizing the urgent need for donations to sustain emergency food and medical responses. The World Food Programme, Red Cross, and Red Crescent are actively operating on the ground to deliver critical food and medical aid despite dangerous conditions.
In summary, Gaza’s 2023-2025 humanitarian crisis is marked by devastating loss of life, widespread malnutrition and famine risk, infrastructure collapse, and severely restricted aid access. The international community, led by UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, continues urgent efforts to provide aid amid a dangerous and complex conflict environment while pressing for adherence to international humanitarian law and expanded humanitarian access. However, the situation remains critical and fluid with extremely high unmet needs.
- In the midst of this dire humanitarian crisis, Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, director-general of Gaza's Health Ministry, has pleaded for a surge of medical supplies and essential goods to combat child malnutrition, due to a spike in hunger-related deaths.
- Amidst the ongoing war and conflict, the United Nations World Food Program has enough food to sustain Gaza's population for close to three months, but a ceasefire is necessary to guarantee that supplies reach everyone in need.
- As the international community works tirelessly to provide aid and alleviate the suffering in Gaza, nutrition, science, health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, politics, general-news, and war-and-conflicts remain top priorities for global discussions, as well as the plight of the people of Gaza.
