Officials say 85 Palestinians seeking aid are killed in Gaza as Israel widens evacuation orders

Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, now relying largely on the limited aid allowed into the territory. Many people have been displaced multiple times.

Gaza suffered its deadliest day for aid-seekers in more than 21 months of war on Sunday, with at least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to reach food, local health officials said. The reported deaths come as the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for parts of central Gaza, one of the few areas where it has rarely operated on the ground and where many international aid organisations are based. One aid group said several of its offices had been told to evacuate immediately. The highest death toll was reported in northern Gaza, where the situation is especially desperate. At least 70 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel, said Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health’s Ministry’s records department. The UN World Food Programme said 25 trucks with aid had entered for “starving communities” when it encountered massive crowds. “Suddenly, tanks surrounded us and trapped us as gunshots and strikes rained down. We were trapped for around two hours,” said Ehab Al-Zei, who had been waiting for flour and said he hadn't eaten bread in 15 days.  “I will never go back against. Let us die of hunger, it’s better.” Nafiz Al-Najjar, who was injured, said tanks and drones targeted people “randomly” and that he saw his cousin and others shot dead. The Israeli military said soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties.  It said numbers reported by officials in Gaza were far higher than its initial investigation found and accused Hamas militants of creating chaos.