Gaza death toll climbs as pressure builds to end Israeli war
Shafaq News – Gaza (Updated at 8:28 p.m.)
At least 77 Palestinians were killed and 376 injured in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Tuesday, as local and international pressure intensifies to stop Israeli airstrikes and ground operations across the enclave.
The ministry said the overall death toll since the war began on October 7, 2023, has reached 59,106, with more than 142,500 wounded, including 1,026 people killed and 6,563 injured while attempting to access humanitarian aid.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the weekend’s mass killings of civilians seeking UN aid as “atrocious and inhumane,” while denouncing Israeli strikes on UNOPS and WHO premises as violations of international law. He also demanded an immediate ceasefire and hostage release.
Over the weekend in Gaza, we saw yet more mass shootings & killings of people seeking @UN aid – an atrocious & inhumane act which I utterly condemn.We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages & unimpeded humanitarian access.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) July 22, 2025
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the latest Israeli bombings and forced evacuations in Deir al-Balah, warning they are crippling essential infrastructure and accelerating Gaza’s humanitarian collapse.
He stressed that as the occupying power, Israel is legally bound to guarantee access to food, medicine, and services, not obstruct them, while cautioning that mass displacement under occupation could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.
#Gaza: Israel's latest displacement orders & intensive attacks on Deir El Balah add more misery to the suffering of hungry Palestinians.It seemed the nightmare couldn’t possibly get worse. And yet it does.There must be an immediate end to the killings & destruction.… pic.twitter.com/vMAGfWoEZp
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) July 22, 2025
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the situation in Gaza as “unbearable,” demanding unimpeded humanitarian access and full compliance with international law.
She urged Israel to remove all restrictions on aid delivery, asserting that civilians must never be targeted and that the suffering in Gaza must end immediately.
Civilians cannot be targets. Never.The images from Gaza are unbearable.The EU reiterates its call for the free, safe and swift flow of humanitarian aid.And for the full respect of international and humanitarian law.Civilians in Gaza have suffered too much, for too long.… https://t.co/VhaKxUXka0
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 22, 2025
At the regional level, the Arab League, meeting under Jordan’s chairmanship, denounced Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon, labeling it “genocide” and calling for urgent international action to stop the assault and lift the blockade.
The League also demanded legal accountability for Israel’s actions, rejecting unofficial aid mechanisms like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
القرارات الصادرة عن مجلس جامعة الدول العربية الذي اجتمع اليوم لمناقشة التحرك السياسي والدبلوماسي لمواجهة سياسية التجويع والحصار للشعب الفلسطيني في #غزة كسلاح إبادة جماعية، ومخططات حكومة الاحتلال بسحب صلاحيات بلدية الخليل في المسجد الإبراهيمي ومحيطه. https://t.co/M7Bh5yHvLg pic.twitter.com/fwdWH4QOrI
— جامعة الدول العربية (@arableague_gs) July 22, 2025
