July 27, 2025 - Israel-Gaza news

Our live coverage of Israel’s war in Gaza has ended for the day. Read the latest here.

Khalil Al-Hayya gives an interview in Istanbul, on April 24, 2024.

Hamas’ Qatar-based leader Khalil Al-Hayya blamed Israel and the US for stalling the Gaza ceasefire talks in a televised speech Sunday, saying that the starvation crisis in Gaza meant there is “no point in continuing negotiations” under current conditions.

Al-Hayya, a key Hamas political figure and the movement’s lead negotiator, claimed that during the latest round of negotiations, Hamas had demonstrated “every possible flexibility” and achieved “clear progress,” largely agreeing with mediator proposals concerning Israeli troop withdrawal, hostage and prisoner exchanges, and aid delivery.

Al-Hayya stated there is “no point in continuing negotiations” while Gaza faces an ongoing siege and “starvation.” He demanded the “immediate and dignified entry of food and medicine” as a prerequisite for any further talks, refusing to let Palestinian suffering be used for “occupation’s negotiating tricks.”

He also accused the US and Israel of “wasting time” to intentionally delay progress to facilitate the continued devastation of Palestinians in Gaza.

Two of the remaining sticking points in negotiations over a potential ceasefire deal in Gaza are the exchange of prisoners for hostages and the schedule for Israel’s withdrawal, a senior Hamas official told CNN on Friday.

The official said Hamas had submitted two proposals on those topics shortly before the US and Israel pulled their delegates out of talks Thursday, accusing the militant group of acting in bad faith.

Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from northern Gaza on Sunday.

Israel began its “tactical pauses” in military operations for parts of Gaza on Sunday, and more than 100 trucks delivered humanitarian aid to the enclave. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates dropped additional supplies from aircraft.

The trickle of aid came after Israel made a series of moves to somewhat ease its blockade on Gaza, as it faces mounting global outrage over the growing number of Palestinians starving to death.

Here are the latest developments:

Finally, here’s a closer look at the Israel Defense Forces’ “tactical pauses”:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again denied that Palestinians in Gaza face starvation as he delivered remarks at an event in Jerusalem with Paula White, the leader of the White House Faith Office.

“Israel is presented as though we are applying a campaign of starvation in Gaza. What a bold-faced lie. There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,” Netanyahu claimed.

The World Health Organization has reported that at least 63 malnutrition-related deaths occurred in Gaza this month, and the WHO and other aid organizations have said Israel’s blockade on supplies entering the enclave has precipitated the crisis.

Netanyahu also repeated the unproven claim that Hamas steals humanitarian aid in Gaza. “Hamas robs, steals this humanitarian aid and then accuses Israel of not supplying it,” he said.

Netanyahu said that there are safe corridors for aid delivery and that the United Nations should “stop finding excuses.”

His remarks come after Israel lifted some restrictions on aid entering Gaza in the face of growing global outrage about starvation in the enclave. CNN has been reporting on the dire conditions, including children dying of hunger and doctors fainting from lack of food while treating their malnourished patients.

Over 100 truckloads of aid were delivered to Gaza on Sunday as Israel eased some restrictions on the entry of aid into the enclave, the leader of the United Nations’ humanitarian agency said.

Tom Fletcher, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA) chief, said the organization welcomes Israel’s decision to increase the entry of aid into Gaza but underscored the need for more action to address the hunger crisis after months of Israel throttling deliveries.

The UN’s agencies and other humanitarian organizations are mobilized to respond to the crisis and save lives but need “sustained action” to allow more aid to be delivered, Fletcher said. This includes quicker clearances for convoys going to Gaza, establishing safe travel routes and refraining from attacking people gathering for food.

Trucks carrying aid enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing in Rafah, Egypt, on Sunday.

Global outrage over starvation deaths in Gaza reached fever pitch this weekend, and after ceasefire talks crumbled on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was left with mounting international pressure.

His new aid distribution plan — including “tactical pauses” in military activity for parts of Gaza, the establishment of aid corridors, and renewed airdrops — resulted in public criticism at home.

The slap-down was unsurprising coming from hard-right ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir, but many other Israelis also cannot fathom Netanyahu’s apparent climbdown, hinting more strongly at a political bind for the prime minister.

The timing of Netanyahu’s announcements may also be because he thinks that bind will soon loosen. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, goes on vacation for several months on Monday, and Ben-Gvir and others won’t be able to collapse his government once it does.

If the prime minister has, as he often does, outfoxed his critics, he has bought time to get the Gaza talks back to the table. But it remains to be seen if Hamas will feel emboldened to use the global anger about starving Palestinians to seek better terms in any renewed negotiations.

Hamas decried the Israeli government’s move to resume air-dropping aid and establish corridors for humanitarian deliveries in Gaza as “nothing more than a formal and deceptive step aimed at whitewashing its image before the world.”

Israel has been facing intensified global pressure over starvation in Gaza while its blockade throttles the entry of aid to the enclave.

In a statement on Sunday, the militant group criticized Israel’s initiatives as insufficient and humiliating to Gazans.

Eyewitnesses have spoken of the horror of trying to get aid in western Gaza on Sunday.
A Palestinian man in western Gaza City described one area where desperate people gathered to grab what they could from trucks carrying flour and air drops as a “death area.”

The young man, who was carrying a bag of flour, said he saw at least one person killed and several injured when Israeli forces opened fire at close range on Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces told CNN it was “not aware of any incident at that time and location”.
Another eyewitness, who was at the site, said he managed to get a bag of flour from “under death,” saying several people were killed without providing further details.

A Palestinian woman who was in the area said she risked her life to bring food for her two kids, claiming she was surrounded by (Israeli) tanks while there.

“There are deaths over there, there are martyrs,” she said referring to the aid site, “for what? for flour and water?” She is, however, happy to get some food for her kids. “They kept saying ’Mama, we miss bread.”

Bodies brought to hospital: In a separate incident earlier in the day, Al-Awda Hospital said it had received 12 bodies, including those of four children and one woman, and more than 100 people who had been injured after Israeli forces opened fire near an aid point in the central Gaza Strip operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday it was “not aware of any casualties” after its troops fired warning shots near the aid distribution site in central Gaza.

Earlier on Sunday, Al-Awda Hospital said it had received 12 bodies, including those of four children and one woman, and more than 100 people who had been injured after Israeli forces opened fire near an aid point in the central Gaza Strip operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

“Earlier today (Sunday), a gathering of suspects was identified adjacent to IDF troops operating in central Gaza, endangering them,” the IDF said in a statement in response to CNN’s query regarding the incident.

The IDF emphasized that “the warning shots were not fired at the aid distribution site, but at a distance of hundreds of meters away from it, prior to its opening hours.”

Correction: A previous version of this alert misidentified the location of where this alleged incident took place. It did not take place at a GHF site in central Gaza where a separate incident occurred earlier in the day. It was in western Gaza.

Malnutrition-related deaths in the Gaza Strip have spiked in July, the latest sign of a hunger crisis that continues to worsen, the World Health Organization warned Sunday.

Of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded in 2025 in Gaza, 63 occurred in July, according to the WHO. In July alone, 24 children under five years old died of malnutrition-related causes.

Gaza has been gripped by an escalating hunger crisis as Israel imposed a blockade on the enclave, slowing the entry of aid to a trickle. The WHO has repeatedly expressed concern over the extreme risks to Palestinians there.

The global health body said the enclave’s malnutrition rates reached “alarming levels” this month. Over 5,000 children under 5 were admitted for outpatient treatment of malnutrition in just the first two weeks of July, the WHO said.

The percentage of children aged 6 months to 4-years-old suffering from acute malnutrition in Gaza City — the most severely impacted part of the Strip — has tripled since June, the WHO said.

The WHO also acknowledged that their figures are likely an underestimation due to the difficulties many families face while trying to reach health facilities.

The organization issued a plea for “urgent, sustained efforts to flood the Gaza Strip with diverse, nutritious food, and to expedite the delivery of therapeutic supplies for children and vulnerable groups, as well as essential medicines and supplies.”

Jordanian air force drops aid packages in Gaza

00:30 • Source: CNN

CNN footage shows dozens of Palestinians in Gaza rushing toward boxes of humanitarian aid packages dropped by the Jordanian military in the Zikim area of western Gaza City on Sunday.

Jordan and the United Arab Emirates carried out their first airdrops into the enclave in months today, the Jordanian Armed Forces confirmed in a statement.

The airdrops contained “25 tonnes of food and basic necessities,” the military said.

The operation comes after international pressure on Israel to ease its blockade reached a fever pitch, with stark images of the starvation crisis gripping Gaza causing widespread outrage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv in July 2024.

Israel appears to be reversing its highly contentious Gaza aid policy that led to international outrage over needless deaths and starvation of Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that the new aid distribution plan is not a climbdown only fuels speculation that it is.

He is ensnared in a breakdown of his own creation. Ceasefire talks crumbled Friday when he pulled the Israeli delegation back to Jerusalem, just as international criticism over malnutrition deaths in Gaza reached fever pitch.

A balancing act that could have seen improved aid distribution in Gaza alongside a deal to get Israel’s hostages out of Hamas captivity, concessions on a Gaza border buffer zone, or even a path to durable ceasefire slipped from his grasp.

What Netanyahu was left with was mounting international pressure to fix the Gaza food shortage. The scrutiny was crushing his hopes of wrenching concessions from Hamas, which, from Israel’s perspective, is reveling as they squirm and would exploit the starvation narrative.

The only way to solve it, move the dial on the story, push starvation out of the headlines and regain control of the narrative was an about-face on months of blockade and to lift the siege a little.

But no amount of aid will stop those close to death from dying of starvation and international anger is unlikely to abate quickly. Hamas may feel emboldened use that pressure to seek better terms in ceasefire negotiations.

Before Netanyahu’s apparent climbdown, it seemed he was on the verge of getting Hamas to revise down their demands again. With the carrot of improved aid now effectively off the talks table, Netanyahu may not be able to get the balance back in his favor quickly.

In the midst of a dire hunger crisis in Gaza, Israel and other countries have begun dropping aid by plane into the Palestinian enclave.

CNN’s Nic Robertson breaks down how much relief this measure could offer and explains why it faces criticism from some aid groups:

People surround the body of a Palestinian woman who was killed while seeking aid at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution point in Gaza on Sunday.

As the Israeli military began what it called a “tactical pause” in operations in three parts of Gaza, a dozen people were reported to have been killed while trying to get food aid from a distribution point in central Gaza on Sunday.

Al-Awda Hospital said it received 12 bodies, including those of four children and one woman, and treated more than 100 people who had been injured after Israeli forces opened fire near an aid point operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

It’s unclear whether the incident occurred before the tactical pause came into effect at 10 a.m. local time, nor whether it was inside the area covered by the pause.

The Israel Defense Forces told CNN on Sunday that it was “not aware of any casualties” after its troops fired what it described as “warning shots” near an aid distribution site. The military claimed a “gathering of suspects” had endangered its troops in the area.

“The warning shots were not fired at the aid distribution site, but at a distance of hundreds of meters away from it, prior to its opening hours,” the IDF said.

More victims arrive at hospitals: There have also been further casualties among people seeking aid in northern Gaza, according to hospital officials.

At least 11 bodies have been brought into Al-Shifa Hospital since Saturday afternoon from the area used by aid convoys coming in from the Zikim crossing, according to Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the hospital’s director.

Abu Salmiya told CNN that 120 injured people had also arrived at the hospital.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its field hospital in the north had received two bodies and 54 wounded people after “the targeting of civilians waiting for aid in the Zikim area” in the north-west of Gaza Strip and an airstrike in Gaza City.

This post has been updated with a response from the IDF.

US President Donald Trump attends a meeting in Turnberry, Scotland on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday blamed Hamas for the breakdown in Gaza ceasefire talks last week, echoing his administration’s claim that the militant group had not been “acting in good faith” during the negotiations.

“They had a routine discussion the other day, and all of a sudden they hardened up,” Trump said of Hamas, in response to questions from reporters during his trip to Scotland.

The president criticized Hamas for its use of hostages as leverage in negotiations, saying the group doesn’t want to give back its remaining captives because then it will “be the end” of the group.

“They don’t want to give them back,” he added. “And so Israel is going to have to make a decision. I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say.”

More background: The US recalled its negotiating team from Doha last week, where talks on a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza had been taking place. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said at the time that the latest response from Hamas “clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire.”

Officials in Hamas’ political bureau said the group was “surprised” by the US description of events and have claimed a breakthrough was “close.”

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood contributed reporting to this post.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting in Turnberry, Scotland on Sunday.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the US will provide more humanitarian assistance to Gaza while reiterating his claims that Hamas is stealing aid.

“We’re giving a lot of money and a lot of food, and a lot of everything. If we weren’t there I think people would have starved, frankly. They would have starved, and it’s not like they’re eating well, but a lot of that food is getting stolen by Hamas,” Trump claimed. “You ship it in and they steal it. Then they sell it.”

Some key context: An internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, contradicting the State Department’s claims that were used to justify backing a controversial private organization that took over aid distribution in the enclave. “There was no indication that there was a systemic loss due to Hamas interference or theft or diversion,” a source familiar with the report told CNN.

There is a starvation crisis in Gaza, and Israel tightly controls the flow of aid to the enclave. Six more Palestinians died from starvation in the last 24 hours, Gaza’s health ministry says, bringing the total to at least 133 since October 2023.

More from Trump: Trump, who was sitting alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said the US will provide additional aid to Gaza.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to the press in Jerusalem, on January 16.

Israel’s far-right national security minister has called for more bombing of Gaza instead of humanitarian aid.

On Saturday, Ben-Gvir denounced the government’s decision to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, calling it “a surrender to Hamas” and saying he was excluded from the deliberations. He has been vocal about pressing on with the war in Gaza and has consistently opposed any negotiated ceasefire with Hamas.

Ben-Gvir is a deeply controversial figure who has promoted the idea of moving Palestinians out of Gaza en masse.

Humanitarian aid is airdropped over Gaza City on Sunday.

As controversial airdrops resumed in parts of Gaza on Sunday, some Palestinians spoke of their struggle to access the humanitarian aid once it had fallen to the ground.

Massad Ghaban — who was looking for aid in Beit Lahia, a city in northern Gaza where some aid parcels were dropped — told the Reuters news agency that airdrops are “insulting.”

Another Palestinian in the same area of Gaza, Mahmoud Soukar, said he followed the planes in search of aid but returned empty-handed.

Why airdrops are controversial: Aid airdrops have been sharply criticized in recent days by some humanitarian groups, who say they are expensive, inefficient and dangerous for those on the ground, with pallets of supplies having crushed Palestinians in the past.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees called the drops a “distraction” Saturday, saying they will do little to alleviate suffering in the enclave.

Proponents say the method can act as an additional means to deliver aid to hard-to-reach areas and within a short period of time.

Democratic US Rep. Madeleine Dean says there is “tremendous pressure” on President Donald Trump over the ongoing starvation crisis in Gaza.

Israel imposed a blockade on the enclave in March, before partially lifting restrictions in May. Since then, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — which has been positioned to replace the efforts of an embattled United Nations agency — has been criticized by the UN for its inability to provide ample support and safe aid checkpoints for people in Gaza.

“You see now, what is going on is that my constituents are calling me about Gaza, are calling me about the other issues that the president is not dealing with as he’s off in Scotland promoting his golf courses,” Dean said, referring to Trump’s ongoing trip to the United Kingdom.

The Pennsylvania lawmaker previously voted against a bill including security funding for Israel in February of 2024 and then in favor of one in April of 2024.

A truck loaded with humanitarian aid awaits permission to enter Gaza, on the Egypt side of the Rafah crossing, on Sunday.

Humanitarian groups delivering aid in Gaza face a risky path through the war-torn Strip — even during pauses in fighting, according to the United Nations.

Aid convoys are headed toward the Palestinian enclave Sunday after Israel announced it would establish corridors for humanitarian deliveries and implement “tactical pauses” in fighting for some densely populated areas.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has outlined the potentially dangerous obstacles groups face in a document online, including:

OCHA proposed allowing more basic commodities from the private sector to enter Gaza, saying, “Humanitarian aid cannot sustain a population of over 2 million people.”

The UN also said visas into Gaza for aid workers need to be issued more expeditiously to increase staffing.

Six more Palestinians in Gaza have died from starvation in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to at least 133 since October 2023, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Medical workers in the enclave tell CNN that cases of malnutrition are “pouring in” to already overcrowded hospitals.

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains what doctors are facing: