88 killed, 6 starved to death in Gaza as Israel starts limited humanitarian pause

CAIRO – 27 July 2025: The Israeli army has announced a 10-hour pause in hostilities in some parts across Gaza starting Sunday to facilitate the delivery of more aid into the hunger-stricken enclave. Meanwhile, they have killed dozens of people over the past 24 hours.

The Israeli forces said they are implementing “tactical pause” in areas where they are not operating, including Gaza City, Deir Al Balah and Al Mawasi areas.

The pauses last from 10 AM to 8 PM local time every day until further notice, the Israeli army noted in a statement on X.

They also announced designating secure routes from 6 AM to 11 PM to ensure the safe movement of UN and aid organization convoys and allow distribution of food and medical supplies to the population “throughout” the enclave.

The Israeli move comes while food experts have frequently warned of a looming famine in Gaza, battered by nearly 22 months of unrelenting war that has claimed the lives of nearly 60,000 Palestinians.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that a quarter of the population in Gaza is facing famine-like conditions, with Israel placing heavy restriction on aid entry.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s hospitals received 88 Palestinians killed during the war over the past 24 hours, the enclave’s health ministry reported. Many more victims remaining under the rubble and at roads, where ambulances and civil defense remain unable to reach.

The hospitals also reported six new deaths due to starvation and malnutrition, upping the total since the war started to 133 including 87 children.

Meanwhile, 11 people were killed and more than 36 others were injured while seeking humanitarian aid, raising the total to 1,132 fatalities and 7,521 injured.

Photos of children, skin and bone and dying from hunger, have drawn global outcry and triggered intensive calls from Israel’s closest allies in Europe for an end to the war.

Delivering More Aid

Amid global pressure, Israel started airdropping humanitarian aid into the enclave.

Commissioner-General of the UN relief agency UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini warned yesterday that airdrops are not enough to reverse the deepening starvation, saying they are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians.

Many humanitarians view airdrops as dangerous because dropped aid can land directly on tents or people, causing serious harm or even death, besides being inadequate.

Jordan and the United Arab Emirates also parachuted 25 tons of aid into Gaza on Sunday, making their first airdrop in months, Reuters reported, citing a Jordanian official source as saying.

After the pauses took effect, Al Qahera News posted footage for the arrival of many humanitarian trucks loaded with tons of aid to the Karm Abu Salem crossing for inspection by Israeli authorities before entering to Gaza.

The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) also announced today launching a convoy of 100 humanitarian aid trucks carrying more than 1,200 tons of food supplies, set to be delivered to southern Gaza through the Karm Abu Salem crossing.

UNRWA has called for allowing unrestricted and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to Gaza, noting that they have the equivalent of 6,000 trucks loaded with food and medical supplies in both Egypt and Jordan.