Israel ends 'tactical pause', resumes strikes on Gaza amid famine

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Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday they would target any ships belonging to companies that do business with Israeli ports, regardless of their nationalities, as part of what they called the fourth phase of their military operations against Israel.

In a televised statement, the Houthis' military spokesperson warned that ships would be attacked if companies ignored their warnings, regardless of their destination.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces call on all countries, if they want to avoid this escalation, to pressure the enemy to halt its aggression and lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip," he added.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will press Donald Trump on ending "the unspeakable suffering" in Gaza, and also talk trade, when they meet Monday at the US president's golf resort in Scotland.

The talks will come a day after the US and the European Union reached a landmark deal to end a transatlantic standoff over tariffs and avert a full-blown trade war.

Starmer is expected to push Trump on urging a revival of stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as a hunger crisis deepens in the besieged Palestinian territory.

The meeting at Turnberry, southwestern Scotland, comes as European countries express growing alarm at the situation in Gaza, and as Starmer faces domestic pressure to follow France's lead and recognise a Palestinian state.

Jordanian and Emirati planes dropped food into Gaza on Sunday, as Israel began a limited "tactical pause" in some military operations to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle deepening starvation after Tel Aviv imposed a stifling blockade.

Since the easing of the blockade, the levels of aid reaching Gaza have been far below what aid groups say is needed.

The World Health Organisation warned on Sunday that malnutrition was reaching "alarming levels" in Gaza.

It said that of the 74 recorded malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July - including 24 children aged under five, one child older than five, and 38 adults.

The exiled head of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, said on Sunday ceasefire negotiations with Israel were "meaningless under continued blockade and starvation".

"The immediate and dignified delivery of food and medicine to our people is the only serious and genuine indication of whether continuing the negotiations is worthwhile," he said in a recorded speech.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene a cabinet meeting next week, a government source said on Sunday, most likely to discuss the situation in Gaza after coming under growing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state.

The Financial Times, which initially reported the story, said ministers, currently in a summer recess until 1 September, would reconvene to discuss Gaza.

The recall comes after Starmer said on Friday the British government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action.

Malnutrition rates are reaching "alarming levels" in the Gaza Strip, the World Health Organisation warned Sunday, saying the "deliberate blocking" of aid was entirely preventable and had cost many lives.

"Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July," the WHO said in a statement, adding: "Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting."

The head of the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Sunday that Israeli misinformation about Hamas stealing aid was aimed at smearing humanitarian agencies and justifying its "diabolical" takeover of aid distribution.

"No proof of aid diversion in Gaza. Claims were only aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the humanitarian community & attempting to replace it with a diabolic & politically motivated distribution scheme," Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X.

He quote-posted a recent story by the New York Times which featured senior Israeli officials admitting that there is no proof that Hamas steals UN aid.

An internal analysis by US development agency USAID also found that there was no evidence that the Palestinian armed group was stealing supplies.

No proof of aid diversion in #Gaza.

Claims were only aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the humanitarian community & attempting to replace it with a diabolic & politically motivated distribution scheme.

It’s time for principled & at scale humanitarian response including… https://t.co/5xJAMtrN1i

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) July 27, 2025

Israel's energy minister Eli Cohen has told Israeli media that the decision to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza was taken to avoid sanctions from the European Union.

European foreign ministers earlier this month decided not to impose trade sanctions on Israel but told it to increase aid delivery to the besieged territory.

"Hamas wants to reach a situation where there will be decisions made against the State of Israel on the international stage, to reach a goal that the war will end and it will continue to exist," Cohen told Reshet Bet radio on Sunday.

"The Foreign Ministry held meetings with their counterparts in Europe, and in order to prevent European sanctions on Israel, it was decided to advance these steps," said Cohen, who served as Israel's foreign minister between 2022 and 2024.

US president Donald Trump said his administration will speak to European officials about providing more aid to Gaza, he said on Sunday.

"The US is going to do more aid for Gaza but we'd like to have other countries participate and we're going to mention that to the European Union today," the US president told reporters ahead of trade talks with the head of the European Commission in Scotland.

"It's an international problem, not a US problem."

Syria is expected to hold its first parliamentary election under the new administration in September, the head of the electoral process told state news agency SANA on Sunday.

Voting for the People's Assembly is expected to take place from September 15-20, added the official, Mohamed Taha.

(Reuters)

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza amid international outcry at Israel's starvation of the Palestinians.

"I am following with great concern the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the civilian population is suffering from severe hunger and remains exposed to violence and death," he wrote in a post on X.

"I renew my heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the full respect of humanitarian law."

Oxfam has urged Israel to fully lifts its siege on Gaza and allow aid to enter the territory unimpeded , calling its decision to ease the restrictions and allow airdrops a "tactical gesture".

"Deadly airdrops and a trickle of trucks won't undo months of engineered starvation in Gaza," the charity's policy chief Bushra Khalidi said in a statement on Sunday.

"What's needed is the immediate opening of all crossings for full, unhindered, and safe aid delivery across all of Gaza and a permanent ceasefire," she said.

The Israeli military has said it killed two members of Hezbollah's elite Radwan unit in a drone strike in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

The Lebanese health ministry said on Saturday that three people were killed in multiple Israeli strikes in the south of the country.

Israel's decision to observe limited humanitarian pauses and allow airdrops of aid into Gaza is not enough to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians caused by its blockade, the UK's top diplomat said on Sunday.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy welcomed the "long overdue" easing of restrictions on aid but told Israel it had to fully open its land borders to increase aid delivery.

"Access to aid must be urgently accelerated over the coming hours and days. This announcement alone cannot alleviate the needs of those desperately suffering in Gaza," he said in a statement.

"We need a ceasefire that can end the war, for hostages to be released and aid to enter Gaza by land unhindered."

Iran on Sunday executed two men after convicting them of carrying out armed operations for the exiled opposition People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), the judiciary said.

The men, identified as Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani-Eslamloo, were found guilty of manufacturing improvised launchers and mortars and conducting attacks that targeted civilians, homes and public and charitable institutions.

"The death sentences of two operational members of the... terrorist group were carried out this morning after legal procedures and confirmation by the supreme court," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported.

(AFP and TNA staff)

Four Israeli soldiers - including a battalion commander - were wounded in Rafah on Sunday when an explosive device detonated, according to Israeli outlet Yedioth Ahronoth.

This comes less than 24 hours after two soldiers were killed in a similar incident in Khan Younis.

Germany's chancellor on Sunday called on Israel's prime minister to quickly provide aid to starving civilians in Gaza, in a phone call between the two leaders.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz "expressed his deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza," said a government statement.

"He called on Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu to do everything in his power to achieve an immediate ceasefire. He urged him to provide the starving civilian population in Gaza with urgently needed humanitarian aid now. This aid must reach the civilian population quickly, safely, and in the required quantities."

(AFP)

Two Jordanian and one Emirati plane dropped 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Jordanian army said in a statement.

"The Jordanian Armed Forces on Sunday carried out three air drops on the Gaza Strip carrying humanitarian and food aid, one of which was with the United Arab Emirates," the statement said, adding that they were carrying 25 tonnes of aid.

(AFP)

Turkey's president on Sunday welcomed a move by his French counterpart to recognise Palestinian statehood, in a phone call between the two leaders, the Turkish presidency said.

"During a telephone conversation, president [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan congratulated French president [Emmanuel] Macron on his decision to recognise Palestine as a state," it said in a statement.

(AFP)

At least 76 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to the local health ministry.

Hospitals received the bodies of 88 people during the period, 12 of which were recovered from the rubble, it said.

Eleven of those killed were trying to receive aid, raising the total number of aid seekers killed by the Israeli military since 27 May to 1,132. More than 7,500 others have been wounded.

The latest killings bring the total death toll since 7 October 2023 to at least 59,821, according to ministry figures. Some 144,851 others have been wounded.

Four Israeli soldiers belonging to the Nahal brigade have been expelled from the military after refusing to serve in Gaza, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

Three of the individuals have been convicted and sentenced to between one week and 12 days in prison. The fourth is yet to be tried.

The soldiers had previously served in Gaza for months but said they would not do again because of what they said was a "deep internal crisis" in the army.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed the Israeli government's decision to observe humanitarian pauses in several areas of Gaza and establish safe routes for UN aid convoys.

"WFP welcomes the news that Israel is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses, and that designated humanitarian corridors will be created, to facilitate the safe movement of UN convoys delivering emergency food supplies and other aid to people in Gaza," it said in a statement on Sunday. 

It has enough food in or on its way to the region to feed Gaza's entire population for almost three months, it said.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces on Sunday has risen to 53, including 32 people who were waiting for aid, medical sources tell Al Jazeera Arabic.

Among the dead were six members of a family, including children, who were killed when an Israeli forces struck a tent in Khan Younis.

Six more Palestinians have died of starvation in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the local health ministry said in a statement this morning.

Two children were among the dead, it said.

The ministry said 133 people - including 87 children - have died from malnutrition since 7 October 2023, when Israel imposed its siege on Gaza.

Israeli forces brought the pro-Palestinian activist boat Handala into the port of Ashdod on Sunday, after seizing the vessel in international waters and detaining the crew, according to AFP.

Campaigners from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had attempted to breach an Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian territory, but were intercepted late Saturday.

The legal rights centre Adalah told AFP its lawyers were in Ashdod and had asked to speak to the detained crew.

(AFP and TNA staff)

The head of the UN's humanitarian agency has welcomed Israel's declaration of "humanitarian pauses" in some areas of Gaza.

Tom Fletcher said that the agency is in contact with its teams on the ground and pledged to "do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window".

Israel earlier said it would observe daily "tactical pauses" in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City between 10.00 and 20.00 until further notice.

Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through. In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window.

— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) July 27, 2025

The UN's agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has called on Israel to fully lift its siege on Gaza, warning that its staff are struggling to find food to continue their work.

In Gaza, people who have survived bombs and bullets are now starving. Medical and humanitarian workers are fainting while on duty. UNRWA staff are struggling to find food yet continue to work," it said in a social media post.

"A flow of aid at scale, under the coordination of the United Nations, including UNRWA, is urgently needed. Lift the siege now," it wrote.

The Israeli military killed 38 people in Gaza on Sunday morning, including 24 waiting for aid, medics tell Al Jazeera Arabic.

Al-Awda Hospital in Al-Nuseirat said it had received the bodies of six Palestinians and 50 injured who had been trying to receive aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's Netzarim site.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Gaza on Saturday after their vehicle hit an explosive device, the Israeli military announced Sunday.

An officer was wounded in the explosion, which occurred in Khan Younis.

A quarter of children and pregnant women screened by Doctors' Without Borders (MSF) in Gaza over the past week showed signs of malnourishment.

The number of people being treated for malnutrition by MSF in Gaza City has quadrupled since 18 May and the rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have tripled in the last two weeks alone, the charity said in a statement.

"The Israeli authorities’ deliberate use of starvation as a weapon in Gaza, Palestine, continues, seeing hunger reach unprecedented levels, with patients and healthcare workers themselves now fighting to survive," the charity wrote.

The Israeli military said Saturday that it had begun airdropping aid into Gaza in cooperation with international organisations.

"In accordance with the directives of the political echelon, the IDF recently carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip," it announced on its social media channels.

The drop included seven aid pallets containing flour, sugar and canned food, it added.

Aid trucks began entering the Gaza Strip at the Rafah border crossing on Sunday as Israel announced a "tactical pause" in parts of the devastated territory to allow deliveries, according to Egyptian state-affiliated media.

"Egyptian aid trucks begin to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing," Al-Qahera News reported on Sunday morning, broadcasting footage of trucks crossing the border into the south of the enclave.

جهود مصرية مضنية لدعم #غزة.. موفدنا عشرات شاحنات المساعدات تتجه لمعبر كرم أبو سالم#أحمد_عيد#تضامنا_مع_فلسطين#القاهرة_الإخبارية pic.twitter.com/cjcbssCP3Y

— القاهرة الإخبارية - AlQahera News (@Alqaheranewstv) July 27, 2025

Israel has agreed to implement "humanitarian pauses" in several areas of Gaza and increase the amount of aid entering the territory following international outcry at its starvation siege on the Palestinian population.

In a statement on Sunday, the military said it would observe ceasefires in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City between 10.00 and 20.00 until further notice. It also guaranteed that the UN and humanitarian groups would be provided safe passage to distribute aid from 06:00 to 23:00 every day.

Trucks loaded with aid began crossing from Egypt at the Rafah border on Sunday following the announcement. Air drops of aid into areas of northern Gaza began on Saturday.

International pressure on Israel's far-right government to remove restrictions on aid has grown amid soaring malnutrition rates and accelerating starvation-related deaths.