Dozens of Gazans Die Seeking Aid, Facing Starvation/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ At least 40 Palestinians were killed Monday in Gaza, including 10 while seeking aid near humanitarian centers, according to local health authorities. Starvation deaths continue to rise, with five more reported. Amid overwhelming casualties, even burial shrouds are running out.
Gaza Crisis Quick Looks
- 40 Palestinians killed Monday by Israeli fire and airstrikes
- 10 victims died while seeking aid near distribution centers
- Over 1,000 Gazans have died near aid sites since May
- Five more deaths from hunger reported in past 24 hours
- Total starvation toll: 180, including 93 children
- Shortage of burial shrouds leads to use of blankets
- Aid trucks looted amid desperation and weak distribution
- Israel claims Hamas responsible, says aid access improving
- U.N. says current aid flow is far from sufficient
- War has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, says Gaza health ministry
Deep Look: Gaza’s Hunger Crisis Turns Deadly as Civilians Killed Seeking Aid
CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) — In yet another grim day for Gaza, at least 40 Palestinians were killed Monday, including 10 who died while trying to collect humanitarian aid, and five others who succumbed to starvation, according to Gaza health authorities. The surging death toll continues to overwhelm local communities, where even traditional burial shrouds have run out.
The latest deaths occurred near aid sites operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in central and southern Gaza, local medics reported. In both incidents, Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on civilians gathering near distribution points.
“Everyone who goes there, comes back either with a bag of flour, or carried back as a martyr, or injured,” said Bilal Thari, a 40-year-old Palestinian attending a funeral at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. “No one comes back safe.”
Civilian Casualties at Aid Sites
The United Nations says more than 1,000 people have died while seeking aid at or near GHF locations since the foundation began operations in May 2025—many reportedly shot by Israeli troops.
On Sunday, an additional 13 Palestinians were killed at the Zikim crossing on Gaza’s northern border with Israel while waiting for a UN aid convoy, according to health officials.
Images from Al Shifa Hospital showed bodies wrapped not in traditional white Islamic shrouds, but in thick patterned blankets.
“The white cloths are gone,” said Thari. “There are too many dead, and too little of everything.”
A War of Hunger and Desperation
Gaza’s health ministry reported five new starvation deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the official toll from hunger and malnutrition to 180, including 93 children. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned of a full-scale famine if aid access does not improve immediately.
“We are out on the streets, we’re hungry, women and children are suffering,” Thari said. “We want peace, not war. There’s no life here anymore.”
Israel Points to Hamas, Claims Aid Improvements
Israel has not publicly commented on the recent fatal shootings but continues to blame Hamas for civilian suffering in Gaza. Officials say Israel is making efforts to increase aid delivery, including limited fighting pauses, air drops, and designated safe routes for aid convoys.
‘The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reported that over the past week, 1,200 aid trucks carrying 23,000 tons of supplies entered Gaza. However, hundreds of these trucks remain undelivered, sitting at distribution hubs due to logistical bottlenecks and security concerns.
The Hamas-run Gaza media office acknowledged that 600 trucks entered Gaza after Israel loosened restrictions in late July. Still, eyewitnesses and Hamas sources said that many trucks were looted by desperate crowds and armed gangs, undermining aid distribution.
Aid Still Critically Short
According to Palestinian and UN officials, Gaza needs around 600 aid trucks per day—the volume allowed before the war began in October 2023. U.N. agencies insist that airdrops are inadequate, stressing the need for expanded land access and coordinated delivery mechanisms to reach the population effectively.
War Toll Mounts
The humanitarian disaster is rooted in a war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli data. Since then, Israel’s military response has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry reports.
Israel says that of the 251 hostages, only 50 remain in Gaza, and just 20 are believed to be alive.
No End in Sight
While international pressure on both sides continues to mount, the situation on the ground grows more desperate by the day. With children dying from hunger, civilians shot while collecting food, and even basic burial rites disrupted, the Gaza crisis is quickly becoming one of the defining humanitarian catastrophes of the modern era.
As Thari concluded from his place among the mourners: “We just want to live like other human beings. Is that too much to ask?”
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