‘No one can claim they didn’t know’: UNRWA decries Gaza media blackout

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has condemned the ongoing ban on international media entering Gaza, saying the “livestream of horrors” has continued for 650 days and warning that “no one can claim they didn’t know”.

In a post on X, the agency said its teams continue to work despite being “starving and exhausted,” and reiterated its call to lift the siege and allow the entry of urgently needed supplies, including food and medicine.

The ban on international media to enter Gaza continues.

The livestream of horrors from #Gaza goes on despite the ban, for 650 days. No one can claim they didn’t know.

UNRWA teams work although they themselves are starving and exhausted.

Lift the siege, allow UNRWA to bring in… pic.twitter.com/050CWiWNaH

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 20, 2025

Israeli army spokesman targets journalists after mass hunger reports

The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, has released a video attacking Gaza journalists reporting on the starvation of Palestinians, including Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif.

He claimed the reports are “a fabricated and deceitful Hamas theatrical performance”.

Al-Sharif wrote in a post on X that this is another attempt by Israel to silence the truth and “cover up a genocide unfolding in real time”.

"استمر يا أنس.. أنت صوتنا".. رسالة من أحد أبناء #غزة لمراسل الجزيرة أنس الشريف، تعبيرًا عن دعمهم لصوته الذي ينقل معاناة الناس تحت العدوان#فيديو pic.twitter.com/QGMgNvZ03h

— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) July 20, 2025

Translation: “Keep going, Anas… you are our voice.” A message from one of the sons of #Gaza to Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, expressing their support for his voice that conveys the suffering of the people under aggression.

OCHA says children in Gaza dying before aid can reach them

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says families in Gaza are facing “catastrophic hunger,” with children “wasting away” and some dying before food reaches them.

In a post on X, OCHA said people searching for food are risking their lives, with many being shot at. The agency described the situation as “unconscionable” and stressed that unimpeded humanitarian access is both a legal and moral imperative.

The post comes as Israeli forces killed at least 92 people waiting for aid across Gaza today, bringing the total number of hungry aid seekers killed since May to over 900.

Israeli army attacks area near Red Crescent hospital

Palestinian media are reporting multiple casualties resulting from Israeli attacks on the al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, where the Palestine Red Crescent has a field hospital.

Reports of intense Israeli bombardment near Deir el-Balah

Heavy Israeli bombardment has been reported in areas near Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. Footage shared by the Quds News Network shows large plumes of smoke rising from the area.

Earlier, our colleague on the ground reported that Israeli air attacks and artillery shelling are targeting the southern area of the city.

Deir el-Balah, home to thousands of displaced Palestinians, has come under increasing fire in recent weeks.

Bringing in Egypt ‘only way’ to manage aid to Gaza: Lapid

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid claims food distribution by the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and other international organisations “doesn’t work and only strengthens Hamas”.

Distribution by food centres run by the notorious Gaza Humanitarian Foundation also does not work and “only causes deaths, injuries and harsh international criticism”, he wrote in a post on X.

“When will this government understand that only by bringing in the Egyptians to manage Gaza will the chaos in Gaza end?” Lapid said.

This comes as mediated ceasefire talks, in which Hamas has demanded that aid distribution in Gaza is returned to international organisations capable of doing it, have not led to a breakthrough.

Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth has quoted unnamed senior Israeli officials as saying that Israel does not intend to send a delegation of senior officials to Doha, and that there are no indications that US special envoy Steve Witkoff will arrive in the Qatari capital to finalise an agreement.

Egypt is on US/Israel's payroll, it will be the same as the GHF. Egypt blocked the attempt at a land aid convoy just a few weeks ago.

Israel’s Saar confirms blocking UN aid official’s visa

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has confirmed reports in Israeli media that has has blocked a visa extension for Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

In a Hebrew post on X, he said the decision was made “due to biased and hostile conduct against Israel, which distorted reality, presented false reports, slandered Israel, and even violated the UN’s own rules on neutrality”.

“Whoever spreads lies about Israel – Israel will not work with them.”

This comes after Whittall testified about catastrophic conditions in Gaza and at aid distribution sites of the so-called GHF, which he said were “created to kill” and are assisting the “weaponised hunger” created by Israel.

Israeli army chief says continued war plans ready in Gaza visit

The Israeli army has released footage of chief Eyal Zamir visiting and cheering soldiers in the northern Gaza’s long-besieged neighbourhood of Shujayea.

He was quoted as saying by the military that Israeli ground forces have reached considerable “operational achievements” and that the army has presented the government with different scenarios to continue the war on Gaza.

Zamir said the fighting is “advancing the defeat of Hamas” and “creating the potential for a hostage deal”.

The Israeli military also released more footage of destruction in Gaza, showing two months of ground assault on Khan Younis in the south by its Paratrooper Brigade. More buildings were shown being blown up by Israeli forces, with the army labeling them “terrorist infrastructure”.

In West Bank, Palestinians have no control over ‘one drop of water’

Jad Isaac, director of the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ), a Palestinian environmental NGO based in Bethlehem, said the Palestinian water authority has no authority over “one drop of water”.

“All the water in the West Bank and Gaza is under the control of the Israeli army, and this has been going on since 1967,” Isaac told Al Jazeera.

“We are not allowed to dig wells or install a water pipe without permission from the Israelis. The quotas allocated to us by the Israeli army is hardly enough to meet the needs of the Palestinians.”

His comments come as Palestinians in the occupied West Bank say attacks by Israelis from illegal settlements on water supplies are making it harder to stay in their villages.

Isaac said when the Zionist movement began in 1948, “They clearly started preparing for the division of Palestine based on hydrological grounds and not ideological or historic grounds.”

So far, there have been more than 45 attacks on Palestinian springs, Isaac said.

Protesters in West Bank, Lebanon condemn starvation of Gaza

For a second day, there was a major march in the occupied West Bank’s Ramallah to denounce the Israeli massacres and starvation policy in Gaza.

Gaza-bound aid ship ‘Handala’ sabotaged before departure, activists say

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says the Handala, a Gaza-bound aid ship, was sabotaged before its departure from Gallipoli, Italy.

A rope was found tightly wrapped around the engine propeller, and a corrosive chemical was discovered in the water tank, injuring two crew members.

Despite the attacks, the vessel has set sail towards Gaza, carrying international activists and humanitarian supplies including baby formula, medicine, and toys. The journey is expected to take about a week.

The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza condemned the sabotage attempts and called on the international community to guarantee the vessel’s safe passage and prevent any acts of “Israeli piracy”.

The voyage follows a similar mission by the vessel Madleen six weeks ago, which included activists such as Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan.

Maine events on July 20th

• The Israeli military killed at least 115 Palestinians, including 92 aid seekers and two civil defence aid workers, and wounded more than 200 people as famine reached its peak in Gaza, and children are dying of Israeli-imposed starvation.
• The Gaza Health Ministry said that 18 people had died of hunger in its last 24-hour reporting period.
• The Israeli army dropped leaflets over a residential area in Deir el-Balah, warning residents to leave the area as its military chief visited Shujayea in the north and touted plans to continue the war.
• Protesters across the Muslim world, including in Tunisia, Iraq, Turkiye, Morocco, Lebanon and the occupied West Bank’s Ramallah, took to the streets to denounce the Israeli siege of Gaza.
• Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed blocking a visa extension for the head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza and the occupied West Bank because he testified about “weaponised hunger” in Gaza.
• In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians say Israeli settler attacks on water supplies are making it harder to stay in their villages.

Trump loses cool during phone call with Netanyahu; Pope uses strong words on Gaza

The attack on the only Catholic Church in Gaza followed by another attack in the occupied West Bank has reportedly left Trump seething. He reportedly phone Benjamin Netanyahu to register his outrage. Rifat Jawaid brings update on what transpired between Trump and Netanyahu in that angry phone call. The last time Trump lost his cool on Netanyahu was when the latter broke the ceasefire with Iran. Meanwhile, the Pope has issued a strong statement condemning the attack on the church and ongoing atrocities against the people of Gaza.

She Raised the Palestinian Flag at Royal Opera House—What Happened Next?

A performer at London’s Royal Opera House raised a Palestinian flag on stage during the final curtain call of Il Trovatore, sparking viral reactions and backstage chaos. The artist defied an attempt to stop the protest mid-act. What happened next? The Royal Opera House has now issued a public statement.

Jewish Holocaust survivor shares why she stands with Palestine

If more people came out 80 years ago for the Jews, fewer people would have been murdered."

Jewish Holocaust child survivor, Agnes Kory, told MEE why she keeps coming out to pro-Palestine protests in all weather conditions, despite being in her 80s. Agnes also said that the Israeli army's plan to confine 2 million Palestinians in Gaza into a small area in the south - which they're labelling a "humanitarian city" - is similar to the "final solution" initiated by the Nazis during the Second World War.

This weekend’s demonstration follows a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests across the UK, including three consecutive weekends of rallies supporting the now-banned activist group Palestine Action, which has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Dozens have been arrested at these events, including at least 55 on Saturday, under the UK’s anti-terror legislation, fuelling concerns about the criminalisation of protest and civil dissent

Starmer Declared War on Dissent – And He’s Losing

Keir Starmer's use of Section 12 to clamp down on protest and journalism critical of Israel is getting called out.

Keir Starmer once built his reputation as a principled human rights barrister, defending civil liberties and portraying himself as a man of integrity who would stand up for justice even when it was politically inconvenient. Yet today, as we all well know, he seems to have sold out on all of that. Under his leadership, Britain has now become a country where pensioners are arrested for holding Palestinian flags, head teachers are dragged away under terrorism powers for displaying pages torn from Private Eye, and journalists are detained for reporting on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.

This is not counter-terrorism, but we’re all supposed to believe it is. It is the systematic criminalisation of dissent, a political strategy to silence criticism of Britain’s complicity in Israel’s atrocities. Starmer’s Labour government is at the centre of this assault on democratic freedoms and the real terrorism is actually be perpetrated by those our Zionist Prime Minister seeks to protect.

The abuse of Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, designed to target genuine terrorism, has been weaponised to suppress political speech, undermine free expression, our right to protest and real journalism, seeking to intimidate entire communities. Keir Starmer, once a champion of human rights cases, now faces criticism for the suppression of dissent, including arrests for holding Palestinian flags, impacting freedom of speech. The use of the first amendment is being questioned as a result and many see this as a breach of democracy.

“German media has been nothing but Israeli talking points” – Martin Gak | The Listening Post

Mass surveillance, a crackdown on protest, and a media unwilling to question power: In Germany, pro-Palestinian voices are being silenced.

Nicholas Muirhead reports from Berlin on the mounting assault on free expression.

Israeli forces kill Palestinians waiting for food near Gaza’s Zikim crossing

For the second day in a row, Israeli forces have killed more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza.

At least 79 Palestinians were killed near the Zikim crossing, where crowds were shot at while waiting for food trucks.

The World Food Programme (WFP) says one of its aid convoys came under fire in northern Gaza earlier today, after a large crowd of civilians gathered in hopes of receiving food assistance. In a statement, the WFP said the convoy of 25 trucks had entered through the Zikim crossing and was headed to areas facing “extreme food insecurity”.

Several of the wounded from the Zikim attacks were taken to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

WFP says Israeli gunfire at its convoy killed countless people in Zikim

As we’ve been reporting, at least 92 Palestinians were killed at aid sites in Gaza yesterday.

The World Food Programme said on Sunday that shortly after crossing through the northern Zikim crossing into Gaza, its 25-truck convoy encountered large crowds of civilians waiting for food supplies.

“As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire,” it said on X, adding that the incident resulted in the loss of “countless lives” with many more suffering critical injuries.

“These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation. This terrible incident underscores the increasingly dangerous conditions under which humanitarian operations are forced to be conducted in Gaza.”

At least 79 Palestinians were reported killed in that incident.

Israeli forces kill 12 in Gaza, including family sheltering in tent

Sources at the Nasser Medical Complex say an Israeli attack has killed five members of the same family who were sheltering in a tent in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. Another attack killed two others in Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip, sources at al-Shifa Hospital said.

At least three people have been killed by Israeli shelling in Deir el-Balah and Bureij camp in central Gaza, sources at Al-Aqsa and Al-Awda hospitals told our colleagues. Al-Shifa Hospital reported that several Palestinians were wounded in a bombardment of an apartment in al-Nasr neighbourhood, west of Gaza City.

Israeli shelling has killed two Palestinians south of Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Wafa is reporting. Their bodies were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Israeli forces also fired drones at Palestinians sheltering in a school in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

UN says staff to remain in Deir el-Balah despite Israeli evacuation threats

The UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) has described Israel’s latest forced displacement threat as “yet another devastating blow” to Palestinians in Gaza.

According to OCHA, “initial estimates indicate that between 50,000 and 80,000 people” were in the area affected by the threat, with at least 1,000 families fleeing the area already.

“The newly-designated area includes several humanitarian warehouses, four primary health clinics, four medical points, and critical water infrastructure,” OCHA added in a statement. “Any damage to this infrastructure will have life-threatening consequences. UN staff are remaining in Deir al Balah, spread across dozens of premises.”

The UN relocated its aid operations in Gaza to Deir el-Balah in mid-2024, after Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah. In a separate post on social media, the head of OCHA, Tom Fletcher, said the UN will “stay to help” even as Israeli air strikes are “intensifying” in Deir el-Balah.

Just spoken to @_jwhittall, our superb head of @ochaopt.

He’s in Deir el Balah, Gaza, with Israeli airstrikes intensifying. Surrounded by our team, and civilians we stay to help.

Exceptional courage and integrity on humanitarian frontline. They are best of UN.

And all of us.

— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) July 20, 2025

Desperate messages of starvation from Gaza: UNRWA

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says it is receiving “desperate messages of starvation” from inside Gaza, including from its staff, as humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.

In a post on X, the agency said: “Food prices have increased 40 fold. Meanwhile, just outside Gaza, stockpiled in warehouses UNRWA has enough food for the entire population for over three months.”

UNRWA stressed that the suffering is not inevitable, calling the crisis “manmade” and urging immediate action. “The suffering in Gaza is manmade and must be stopped. Lift the siege and let aid in safely and at scale.”

The agency’s warning comes as Gaza teeters on the brink of famine, with severe restrictions on aid and limited access through border crossings continuing to fuel the crisis.

Appeals and negotiations won’t make Israel stop starving Gaza

Amid the global outrage, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem was able to negotiate for church officials to visit the Christian community, deliver limited food and medicine to both Christian and Muslim families, and evacuate some of the injured for treatment outside Gaza.

These humanitarian actions, while welcomed by those in dire need in Gaza, are yet another sign of international failure.

Why must the delivery of food, water and medicine be “earned” through negotiation? Why are basic rights enshrined in international law subject to political bargaining?

Palestinians deeply appreciate the church leaders’ efforts. Their actions reflect compassion and moral clarity.

But such steps should not be necessary. Under international humanitarian law, occupying powers have binding obligations to the people under their control. Securing access to food, water, medicine and critical services cannot be charitable favours – they are legal duties.

Gaza malnutrition reaching levels ‘never seen’ before: WFP

The World Food Programme’s Palestine representative, Antoine Renard, tells Al Jazeera that the WFP has warned for “weeks” that Gaza is facing starvation.

“You have a level of despair that people are ready to risk their lives just to reach any of the assistance actually coming into Gaza. Just to give you an idea, [the price of] 1kg of flour is currently $100,” Renard said from occupied East Jerusalem.

He explained that many people in Gaza are not able to eat daily, eating instead every three days, which leads to people fainting. Only a “very limited” number of charity kitchens are still running in the enclave, Renard added.

“[There’s a] soaring number of people facing malnutrition, and we can really see that the situation is really getting to levels that we’ve never seen ever before.”

Palestinian Journalists Syndicate says Hamas assaulted journalists at Gaza hospital

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has released a statement condemning Hamas security forces for assaulting journalists at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

The group called for an “urgent and transparent investigation”.

“This blatant attack represents a flagrant violation of press freedom and threatens the safety of journalists who were covering the critical humanitarian and health conditions of displaced persons, the injured, and the martyrs amid the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.

The statement also emphasised “the need to facilitate the sacred mission journalists perform in conveying the truth and defending the causes of their people, especially in light of their repeated targeting by the Israeli occupation”.

At least 42 people die in 24 hours at Nasser Medical Complex

The Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis has announced at least 42 deaths as Gaza’s health system continues to reel under relentless strain.

According to hospital data over a 24-hour period on Sunday, more than 2,000 people sought care at the facility in southern Gaza. They included 424 patients at the central emergency room, 494 children at the paediatric emergency ward and nearly 600 visitors to the outpatient clinic.

The hospital, already under severe pressure, continues to operate with limited supplies, exhausted staff and fuel shortages.

Schoolchildren injured in Israeli attack in central Gaza

Amid ongoing attacks across Gaza, Israeli forces have targeted a food kitchen next to the Al-Janane al-Haditha kindergarten in central Gaza, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

In a separate video posted on X, parents are seen frantically taking their scared and crying children out of the school building. One child is seen covered in dust and blood following the attack.

Gaza war death toll hits 59,000

The Palestinian Health Ministry is reporting that Israeli attacks across Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023 have killed at least 59,029 people and wounded 142,135.

Over the latest 24-hour reporting period, 134 bodies, including four recovered bodies, and 1,155 wounded people have been brought to hospitals.

Since dawn, Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 34 people, including 20 in northern Gaza and Gaza City, medical sources told Al Jazeera. Among the dead were four people killed while trying to get aid.

At least 1,021 people have been killed at GHF sites and more than 6,511 wounded, the Health Ministry added.

Israeli attack hits water desalination plant, killing 5 people

At least five people have been killed and several wounded when Israeli fighter jets hit a water desalination plant in the Remal neighbourhood of Gaza City.

According to medical sources quoted by the Wafa news agency, bodies and the wounded were transported to nearby hospitals under intense Israeli shelling.