Pope Leo XIV has publicly condemned the “barbarity” of the ongoing war in Gaza, highlighting the “indiscriminate use of force” that has led to tragic loss of life. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 73 Palestinians were killed while queuing for food, a situation that underscores the dire humanitarian crisis facing the region. The ministry reported these casualties on Sunday, indicating that the deaths occurred in various locations, primarily in northern Gaza.
Out of the 73 reported fatalities, 67 individuals lost their lives due to Israeli fire while waiting for aid trucks from the United Nations to enter through the northern Zikim crossing with Israel. In a separate statement, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of al-Shifa hospital, informed the Associated Press that since the morning of Sunday, the hospital had received 48 bodies and treated 150 wounded individuals, all of whom were seeking assistance from the incoming aid lorries. He noted the difficulty in determining whether the deceased were victims of Israeli military actions, armed gangs, or a combination of both.
The Israeli military claimed that its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza, asserting that the group posed a threat. However, they acknowledged the existence of casualties while contesting the numbers reported by Gaza officials, stating that these figures were significantly higher than their own initial findings. Further escalating tensions, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for areas in central Gaza, where international organizations have been attempting to distribute much-needed aid.
Prior to these developments, Pope Leo XIV called for “an immediate end to the barbarity of the war” and advocated for a peaceful resolution to the conflict during the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence near Rome. He also expressed deep concern regarding an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which resulted in three fatalities and ten injuries, including a parish priest who had been in contact with the late Pope Francis.
In response to the escalating humanitarian crisis, the UN’s agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, accused Israeli authorities of “starving civilians in Gaza,” which includes approximately 1 million children. UNRWA emphasized that it possesses sufficient food supplies for the entire population of Gaza, stockpiled in warehouses for over three months. The agency urged for the blockade to be lifted, stating, “Open the gates, lift the siege, allow UNRWA to do its work and help people in need, among them 1 million children.”
UNRWA has also reported alarming cases of babies succumbing to “severe acute malnutrition.” Despite Israel's ban on collaboration with UNRWA, accusing the agency of Hamas infiltration, an independent review found no evidence to substantiate these claims. Traditionally, UNRWA has been a primary distributor of aid and essential services, including health and education, to Palestinians in the region.
Since May, aid distribution has been largely handled by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, replacing the conventional UN-led system. The situation has deteriorated significantly, with food becoming both scarce and prohibitively expensive following Israel's blockade initiated on March 2. The UN reported that as of July 13, 875 individuals had been killed in recent weeks while trying to access food, with children tragically dying while fetching water for their families.
Amid these dire circumstances, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Sunday for areas in central Gaza that are densely populated with displaced Palestinians, signaling a potential attack on neighborhoods in Deir al-Balah. This has raised alarm among families of Israeli hostages, who fear their loved ones might be held in those regions. The Israeli military has dropped leaflets commanding residents in several districts of Deir al-Balah to evacuate their homes and move south.
The current conflict escalated following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, primarily among civilians, and the abduction of 251 individuals. Since the onset of the conflict, the Gaza health ministry has reported that at least 58,895 Palestinians have been killed and 140,980 have been injured due to Israeli attacks on Gaza.
