Pause in some fighting: Facing growing international condemnation over Palestinians starving to dceath in Gaza, Israel’s military says it will begin a" humantarian pause" in densely populated parts of the enclave, and open corridors for UN convoys to make aid deliveries on Sunday. However, it said fighting would continue elsewhere.
Starvation crisis: Medical workers describe dire conditions on the ground, and hospitals overflowding with malnourished patients. Despite growing evidence of widespread hunger, the Israeli military has reiterated its claim that “there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip,” calling it “a false campaign promoted by Hamas.”
Controversial aid drops: Israel has also begun making airdrops into Gaza, after saying earlier this week that it would allow foreign nations to do so. The method has been sharply criticized by humanitarian groups as expesnive, ineffic ient and dangerous for those on the ground.
Protests in Israel: As global pressure mounts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also faces antiwar protests at home. Families held a rally Saturday condemning the government’s failure to secure the release of Israeli hostages. The US and Israel recalled their ceasefire negotiations this week, blaming Hamas for the diplomatic breakdown.
Ben-Gvir denounces Gaza aid boost, says he was excluded from deliberations
From CNN’s Laura Sharman and Eugenia Yosef
Israeli National Security Minister and head of Jewish Power party Itamar Ben-Gvir gives a statement to members of the press in Jerusalem, January 16, 2025.
Oren Ben Hakoon/Reuters
Israel’s far-right national security minister 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.
“On Saturday night, I was informed by a source in the Prime Minister’s Office that during Shabbat a security consultation took place without me,” Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote Saturday night on social media.
Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest, which falls on a Saturday. During Shabbat, observant Jews normally refrain from work, outside of emergencies.
“They know very well that, as Minister of National Security, I am available on Shabbat for any important security event and consultation,” Ben-Gvir added.
Israel’s military announced Saturday that it would open corridors for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and pause combat operations in certain areas, amid global outrage over civilians starving to death in the enclave.
Ben-Gvir has been vocal about pressing on with the war in Gaza and has consistently opposed any negotiated ceasefire with Hamas.
He referred to the decision as a “surrender” which would endanger Israeli soldiers and delay the return of the remaining hostages.
“The only way to win the war and bring back the hostages is to completely stop the ‘humanitarian’ aid, conquer the entire strip, and encourage voluntary migration,” he said.
Some context: Israel imposed an 11-week blockade on all aid into the strip beginning in March, finally restarting distribution in late May through the controversial US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to access aid in the months since, according to the UN, and aid groups are warning “mass starvation” is spreading across Gaza.
6:54 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
Israel says it will allow more aid to flow into Gaza as condemnation grows. Here’s what to know
From CNN staff
The Israel Defense Forces has begun making controversial airdrops into Gaza, and the military says it will implement “humanitarian pauses” in parts of the enclave on Sunday, as well as establishing corridors for United Nations convoys to make aid deliveries.
Israel’s announcements Saturday came as global outrage over Gazans starving to death in the besieged Palestinian enclave reached a boiling point.
Dire conditions on the ground:
A 5-month-old Palestinian baby suffering from malnutrition died in her mother's arms on Friday, becoming one of the enclave’s latest hunger victims. Doctors are oujt of rooms inside hospitals as they try to treat starving patients.
Six people were killed and more than 160 injured while waiting for aid in northern Gaza in two separate incidents on Friday night and Saturday morning, according to medics. The IDF said troops fired “warning shots” near aid trucks, but that it was not aware of the reported casualties. The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been criricised for not making aid sites safer since being positioned to replace the services of a UN agency.
Israel’s aid announcements:
Pauses in fighting: A “humanitarian pause” for parts of Gaza will begin Sunday local time, the IDF told CNN, without specifying the intended length of the pause. The IDF said the pauses will take effect in designated “densely populated areas,” even as fighting would continue elsewhere.
Aid corridors: Israel will also open “humanitarian corridors” in Gaza on Sunday, the Israeli ambassador to the US said. The IDF said in an earlier statement that it was prepared to establish the corridors for UN convoys.
Airdrops begin: Meanwhile, Israel begmanitarian aid into Gaza on Saturday. The UK and other governments are also rushing aid onto planes to Gaza, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said, after Israel said Friday that it would allow foreign nations to conduct airdrops too.
Why the aid drops are controversial: The practice of dropping aid into the enclave has been dismissed by humanitarian groups as expensive, inefficient and dangerous for those on the ground. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees called the drops a distraction. Saturday, saying it will do little to alleviate suffering in the enclave while Israel maintains its blockade.
Protests: The family members of Israelis still held captive by Hamas revewed their protesets in Tel Aviv
r Saturday evening, slamming the Israelies Government for failing to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and return their loved ones. Anti-war protests also took place elsewhere across the country, after the US and Israel recalled ceazsefire negotiations this week.
6:54 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
"Humanitarian pause" for parts of Gaza will begin Sunday local time, Israeli military says
Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from northern Gaza on Saturday. Jehad Alshrafi/AP
A “humanitarian pause” in fighting for parts of Gaza will begin Sunday local time, the Israel Defense Forces told CNN, without specifying the intended length of the pause.
The
IDF said the pauses will take effect in designated “densely populated areas” even as fighting would continue elsewhere.
“The IDF emphasizes that combat operations have not ceased. We will continue to operate in the Gaza Strip to return all hostages and to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization, both above and below ground,” it said.
Some context: The announcement Saturday of “humanitarian pauses,” the establishment of corridors for United Nations aid deliveries and controversial airdrops come on the heels of growing international condemnation over the dire conditions on the ground in Gaza due to Israel’s siege on the Palestinian enclave.
At least 127 people in the enclave have died of starvation or malnutrition since the conflict began in October 2023, according to Gaza’s health ministry. That figure includes a 5-month-old baby who died in her mothere's arms Friday. In Gaza hospitals, doctors are fainting from hunger while trying to save starving patients.
4:16 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
Israel will open "humanitarian corridors" in Gaza on Sunday, ambassador says
From CNN’s Max Saltman and Jennifer Hansler
The Israel Defense Forces will open “additional humanitarian corridors” in Gaza on Sunday, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said in a statement.
“Beginning tomorrow, Sunday, July 27, the IDF will unilaterally open additional humanitarian corridors for the purpose of expanding humanitarian aid distribution to the non-combatant population of Gaza,” Leiter said.
The ambassador’s remarks follow a statement from Israelis Military announcing that it planned to open the corridors to allow United Nations convoys to make aid deliveries. It also said it was “prepared to implement humanitarian pauses” to fighting in parts of the enclave.
4:09 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
Israel says aid drops have begun in Gaza
From CNN’s Dana Karni
An image released by the Israel Defense Forces that is said to show preparations for the humanitarian aid airdrop in Gaza.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
The Israeli military has begun dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed to CNN.
Remember: An Israeli security official told CNN on Friday that the country planned to allow foreign countries to allow airdrop aid into Gaza, as international condemnation of the starvation crisis in the enclave grew. The country’s military said in a statement a few hours ago that its military would also coordinate airdrops with international aid organizations.
The practice of dropping aid into the enclave has been dismissed by aid groups as expensive inefficient and dangerous for those on the ground. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees called the plan a “distraction” Saturday.
3:28 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
Gaza hospital could be forced to treat the injured outside due to overcrowding crisis
From CNN's Kareem Khadder and Jonny Hallam
Medical teams at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza could be forced to treat patients on the street outside the medical facility due to severe overcrowding.
Hospital staff no longer have any space inside to treat trauma patients, the head of nursing at the hospital, Dr. Mohammad Saqer, told CNN on Saturday.
“The situation is super difficult inside the hospital and all over. Children are dying and people are dying, and the burden is increasing on us,” Saqer said in a voice message.
Saqer said the hospital — one of the few remaining medical facilities in southern Gaza — is not only receiving hundreds of people shot and injured while seeking aid at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid points, but is also seeing hundreds of cases of malnutrition “pouring in.”
The US- and Israel-backed GHF was creatd to replace the Unigted Nations aid role in Gaza and has been widely criticized for failing to improve conditions as the starvation crisis deepens. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while trying to get food, hundreds of them near GHF sites, according to the UN. The GHF disputes this.
“There isn’t one single hospital bed available, even the hospital corridors are crowded. There isn’t even one corner in the hospital available. Even at the entrance of bathrooms there are patients on mattresses,” Saqer said.
Saqer said unless the situation improves in the coming hours, the hospital will be forced to place patients outside the hospital walls on mattresses and have medical crews attend to them there.
3:37 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
Israeli authorities board Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists, human rights group says
From CNN’s Max Saltman and Abeer Salman
A still from a livestream shows armored personnel intercepting the Handala, with those aboard surrendering immediately.
Freedom Flotilla Coalition
A Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists was intercepted by Israeli forces Saturday night within 70 nautical miles of its intended destination, according to the human rights group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC).
“The occupation has disabled our cameras and all communication has been lost,” the organization’s spokesperson told CNN in a message.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
A YouTube livestream showed armed personnel boarding the ship while the activists on deck, all wearing life jackets, held their hands in the air in surrender. One of the helmeted personnel appears to manipulate the camera on the deck, turning it around. The group’s livestream ended soon after that.
The Handala, named for a famous Palestinian cartoon character, is part of the FFC, which has attempted numerous times to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza via sea and deliver aid to Palestinians there.
A few hours before the ship was intercepted, the FFC released a statement saying that the Handala was steering toward Egypt in an effort to avoid being boarded.
Two members of the French and European parliaments are aboard, as well as Christian Small, a US trade unionist.
More background: The apparent end of Handala’s journey toward Gaza comes a little over a month after another ship from the Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was similarly intercepted on its way to the enclave.That ship, crewed by a group that included climate activist Greta Thunberg, was also laden with aid. Israeli authorities towed their ship to Ashdod, and all aboard were deported from Israel afterwards.
6:54 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
IDF says it is "prepared to implement humanitarian pauses" and coordinate airdrops in Gaza
From CNN’s Max Saltman and Mike Schwartz
Humanitarian aid is airdropped over Gaza City on March 25, 2024.
Mahmoud Essa/AP
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it will coordinate airdrops with humanitarian organizations and said it could implement “humanitarian pauses” in parts of Gaza as a starvation crisis in the Palestinian enclave generates widespread international outrage.
“The humanitarian airdrop operation will be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations and the IDF,” the military said in a statement. “The airdrops will include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food to be provided by international organizations.”
Israel’s plan for foreing nations to airdrop aid into Gaza has been sharply criticized by humanitarian groups as expensive inefficeint dangerous or those on the ground.
The military also said Saturday that it was ready to allow “humanitarian pauses” in fighting in the enclave.
“The IDF is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas and will continue to operate to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and eliminate terrorists in the areas of activity,” according to the statement.
The IDF ended its statement by explicitly denying there is starvation in Gaza: “The IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas.”
At least 127 people in the enclave have died of starvation or malnutrition since the conflict began in October 2023, according to Gaza’s health ministry. That figure includes a 5-month-old baby . In Gaza hospitals, doctors are fainting from hunger while trying to save starving patients.
1:26 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
Israeli military says it is opening "designated humanitarian corridors" in Gaza for UN aid
From CNN’s Max Saltman and Mike Schwartz
An Israeli soldier stands by by humanitarian aid packages waiting to be picked up on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing Point on July 24.
Amir Levy/Getty Images
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Saturday that it is opening “designated humanitarian corridors…to enable the safe movement of UN convoys delivering food and medicine to the population.”
We’ll update you as we learn more.
12:37 a.m. GMT+5:30, July 27, 2025
In photos: Israeli families rally in Tel Aviv
From CNN's Digital Photo Team and Eugenia Yosef
People raise pictures of Israeli hostages during a protest calling for their return in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
The family members of Israelis still held captive by Hamas re newed their protests in Tel Aviv Saturday evening local time, slamming the Israeli government for failing to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and return their loved ones.
The rallies, which have become a fixture in Tel Aviv since the start of the conflict in October 2023, have seen emotional outpourings, condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and direct appeals to US President Donald Trump to intervene.
Here are more images from the latest protest:
A woman walks along a wall bearing the message "bring them home" during a protest in Tel Aviv.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
A woman wipes away tears at a Tel Aviv rally calling for the return of hostages still held in Gaza.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
People carry signs during Saturday's protest in Tel Aviv.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
11:52 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Families of Israeli hostages slam Netanyahu’s failure to bring them home and call on US to help end conflict
From CNN’s Eugenia Yosef
People raise pictures of Israeli hostages during a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
The family members of Israeli hostages criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to bring home those captured during the October 7 attacks and appealed to US President Donald Trump to intervene.
“The fact that the hostages are still in captivity is a complete and utter failure! The people of Israel will not forgive this government for dragging its feet at the cost of the blood of our soldiers and the hostages,” Einav Zangauker said at Tel Aviv’s Begin Gate ahead of a protest today.
“We’ve tried everything. They told us that military pressure would bring back the hostages … it didn’t happen,” said Zangauker.
“They told us that if we halted humanitarian aid, Hamas would fall to its knees. … It didn’t. They told us that if we pushed the Gazan population to move, it would put pressure on Hamas to release the hostages. It didn’t happen. … The Israeli government has never laid out a comprehensive agreement that would end the war and bring everyone home. … It’s time to propose a comprehensive agreement,” she added.
“If the negotiations collapse, then my son Matan will collapse with them,” she said.
Plea to US: Yehuda Cohen — whose son, Nimrod, is believed to be alive — told reporters in Tel Aviv, “We appeal here to the American administration: Our children don’t have time for more rounds of negotiations.”
“My brave son is enduring brutal torture in captivity. … To get him out, we need a comprehensive agreement and an end to the war,” Cohen said.
9:27 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Israeli agency says around 90 aid trucks unloaded at Gaza crossings on Friday
From CNN’s Billy Stockwell and Eugenia Yosef
Around 90 food trucks were unloaded at Gaza aid crossings Friday, according to the Israeli agency that manages the flow of aid into the territory.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said on Saturday that over 100 trucks were also collected by the United Nations and other international organizations from the Gazan side of the border on Friday.
“Hundreds of trucks still await pick up,” the agency posted on X . “We continue to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
But aid agencies say the amount of food reaching Gaza’s population is a fraction of what is needed.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) head Philippe Lazzarini said his agency has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt waiting for the green light to get into Gaza. He called on Israel to “lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements.”
8:49 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Israeli military says it fired “warning shots” near Gaza aid trucks but is unaware of reported casualties
From CNN’s Billy Stockwell and Eugenia Yosef
The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that troops fired “warning shots” near aid trucks in Nortern Gaza , but added that it was not currently aware of any casualties.
Medics working in the territory have said six people killed and more than 160 injured while waiting for aid in northern Gaza in two separate incidents Friday night and Saturday morning.
“During the night and into the morning six people killed and more than 160 injured hours (Saturday), gatherings of Gazans were identified near aid trucks in northern Gaza, in close proximity to IDF troops operating in the area,” the IDF told CNN in a statement.
“IDF troops carried out warning shots to distance the crowd in the area, in response to an immediate threat posed to them,” it said.
“The IDF is not aware of any casualties as a result of IDF fire,” it added.
Late Friday, a statement on the official Telegram group for medical services in Gaza said medical crews had “recovered 133 injured people and six martyrs from those waiting for aid in the northern Gaza Strip.”
An additional 30 people were injured waiting for aid in northern Gaza on Saturday morning, the same organization said in a later post.
8:03 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Video shows moment Gaza aid truck surrounded amid deepening starvation crisis
From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman, Annoa Abekah-Mensah and Billy Stockwell
Chaos and gunfire as Palestinians crowd aid trucks amid starvation crisis
00:47
Horn blaring, a truck swerves down a dusty road in northern Gaza at high speed, carrying a group of people clinging onto what appear to be white sacks of aid.
Moments later, one of the men is flung from the vehicle onto the ground — as another clings to the roof of the truck — shortly followed by the sound of gunfire.
The scene, captured in a social media video geolocated by CNN to the north-west of Gaza City, provides an insight into the chaotic state of aid distribution in the territory amid a deepening starvation crisis. CNN cannot confirm the exact nature of the incident nor the motives of the individuals approaching the vehicle.
In another video geolocated to the same area of northern Gaza, more gunfire rings out as a group of men surround and climb on top of the truck.
On Saturday, Al-Sharafi Brothers, a transport company in Gaza, issued a plea to Palestinians to avoid approaching aid trucks in “unsafe areas,” to protect their own safety and that of others.
It said that, due to instructions issued by Israel, aid truck drivers are unable to stop except in designafe areas.
For context: The Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, created to replace the United Nations’ aid role in Gaza, has been criticized for failing to improve conditions as starvation spreads
Additionally, Israel has denied creating famine in Gaza and accused Hamas of “engineering” food shortages.
7:37 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Gaza airdrops a “distraction and screensmoke,” UNRWA head says
From CNN’s Billy Stockwell and Ibrahim Dahman
Returning to the topic of airdrops into Gaza now, after CNN’s earlier reporting on the UK's plan to move forward with deliveries and criticism of the practice from aid agencies.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini has just described these aid airdrops as a “distraction & screensmoke” and pleaded with Israel to “open the gates” to trucks instead.
“Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians,” Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), posted on X.
“A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates & guarantee safe movements,” he said.
Lazzarini added that UNRWA has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt waiting for the green light to enter Gaza via land borders, which he says is a much easier and effective way to get aid supplies into the besieged territory.
“Airdrops will not prevent aid diversion, principled humanitarian assistance will. It reaches those in need,” Lazzarini said.
10:26 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Hamas official "surprised" by US withdrawal from ceasefire negotiations
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman and Tim Lister
Smoke billows following Israeli strikes in Gaza City on July 13.
Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images
A senior Hamas official said that the militant group is surprised by both the US decision not to continue ceasefire negotiations and statements from US officials blaming Hamas for the breakdown of the talks.
“We are surprised by the statements made by U.S. President Trump, and earlier by U.S. Special Envoy Mr. Witkoff, which contradict the assessment of the mediators regarding the movement’s position and do not align with the actual progress that had been made in the negotiations,” said Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau.
US negotiators withdrew from ceasefire talks this week after the US deemed Hamas was neither “coordinated” nor “acting in good faith.”
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, said he was looking into “alternative options” for getting the remaining hostages out of Gaza. There are still 50 hostages in Gaza, of whom Israel believes only 20 are still alive.
Al-Rishaq said that the mediators in the talks — Egypt and Qatar — had “expressed satisfaction and appreciation for our serious and constructive approach.”
“We responded positively and flexibly to all the observations raised,” al-Rishaq added, while “stressing the importance of clarity and guarantees in the provisions, especially regarding the humanitarian aspect and the need to ensure a steady and large-scale flow of aid.”
Al-Rishaq also said Hamas had “emphasized reducing the depth of the buffer zones where the occupation remains during the 60-day period” that Witkoff had proposed for the ceasefire, during which Israeli hostages would be released, hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons would be released, and aid would flow.
The US must “play a genuine role in pressuring the occupation government to seriously engage in reaching an agreement that ends the aggression and leads to a prisoner exchange deal,” Al-Rishaq added.
7:07 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
UK moving forward with plans to air-drop aid into Gaza, according to prime minister's office
From CNN’s Olivia Kemp
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks in London on July 10.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is pressing ahead with plans to air-drop aid into Gaza and evacuate injured children, his office said Saturday.
Starmer today spoke to his French and German counterparts, PA Media reported.
“The prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,” a statement said.
The move comes as Starmer faces growing pressure from within his own party to take stronger action over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and follow France in recognizing Palestinian statehood.
6:51 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Watch: Dr. Sanjay Gupta details life-threatening hunger in Gaza
We’ve been reporting this morning on the desperate situation faced by people in Gaza, with a total of 127 now recorded since the conflict began
as having died from starvation or malnutrition by Gaza’s health ministry.
According to the UN’s World Food Programme, nearly 100,000 women and children alone are suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip.
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta details the medical reality of these life-threatening conditions in the video below:
Dr. Sanjay Gupta details life-threatening hunger in Gaza
02:39
6:01 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Doctors in Gaza are fainting while trying to save their starving patients
From CNN’s Ivana Kottasová, Kareem Khadder, Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Eyad Kourdi, Abeer Salman and Ibrahim Dahman
This bowl of plain rice was shared between two doctors during their 24-hour shift — their only meal that day.
Obtained by CNN
Doctors in Gaza have been giving CNN first hand accounts of life inside hospitals in the Strip as the ongoing hunger crisis grips.
The testimonies have revealed the very people who are trying to keep the gravely malnourished population alive are suffering along with their patients.
One medic, Dr. Mohammad Saqer, is so ravenous that he sometimes struggles to keep upright while treating his desperately ill patients at the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza.
On Thursday, he fainted while working at the ward. And then, moments after recovering, he returned to finish his 24-hour shift.
“My fellow doctors caught me before I collapsed and gave me IV fluids and (sugar). There was a foreign doctor who had a packet of Tango juice and prepared it for me. I drank it immediately,” Dr. Saqer told CNN. “I am not diabetic – this was hunger. There’s no sugar. There’s no food.”
Read more
here.
9:53 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Gaza's starvation crisis continues to deepen as Trump sends message to Israel. Here's the latest
From CNN staff
Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Thursday.
Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters
If you’re just joining our coverage of developments in Gaza over the last 24 hours, here is the latest.
A 5-month-old Palestinian baby suffering from severe malnutrition in Gaza on Friday, one of the latest victims of a starvation crisis that has generated international outrage but continues to deepen.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump siad it is time to finish the job
” against Hamas after he pulled back his negotiators from ceasefire talks this week – despite the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza Charities have condemned the use of aid airdrops in recent days, branding them deadly and ineffective. Steve Cutts, interim CEO of UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, said that “airdrops are not a solution to starvation in Gaza; they are a distraction.”
The Israeli military says a “projectile” was fired from southern Gaza into Israel on Saturday, which it says fell into an open area. No injuries were reported. Rocket-fire from Gaza has become increasingly rare as the Israeli military has destroyed Hamas’ munitions and launchers since this conflict began on October 7 2023.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says recognizing Palestinian statehood too soon could be counterproductive, two days after France declared its intention to do just that. French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday France will recognize a Palestinian state in an announcement to the United Nations General Assembly in September.
8:36 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
US continues to be "resolute in its desire" for a ceasefire, State Department says
From CNN’s Olivia Kemp
Smoke rises from an Israeli strike on Gaza on Wednesday.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
Back now to ceasefire talks, after CNN reported US negotiators were pulled back from talks with Hamas by US President Donald Trump.
The State Department has since reiterated its call for a ceasefire in Gaza, blaming Hamas for obstructing peace efforts as starvation spreads across the territory.
“We continue to be resolute in our desire for a ceasefire to end this, and we will continue,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told CNN’s Isa Soares Tonight yesterday.
“All of the people in Gaza are hostages of Hamas,” she added. “And they were on the brink of being able to have another ceasefire.”
Bruce said Washington had been “working to stop the carnage and the suffering from day one.”
Her comments come as the US and Israel face mounting international pressure to end the conflict and prevent what aid groups have called mass starvation.
9:53 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Five more die in Gaza from malnutrition, health ministry says
From CNN's Ibrahim Dhaman
Five more people have died in Gaza because of malnutrition and starvation, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said today.
The ministry’s director-general, Dr.Munir al-Boursh, said that two of those who had died over the past 24 hours were children “whose fragile bodies couldn’t endure the cruelty of hunger.”
The ministry said that the latest deaths brought the number of hunger-related deaths to 127 since the conflict began, including 85 children.
4:48 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Recognition of Palestinian statehood could be "counterproductive," Italy's Meloni says
From CNN's Billy Stockwell
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during a press conference in Rome on July 15.
Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says recognizing Palestinian statehood too soon could be “counterproductive,” two days after France declared its intention to do just that.
The US and Israel rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision, with President Donald Trump dismissing the move as pointless and saying it will have no effect on the conflict.
Her comments highlight a split between some European countries about how to deal with the issue of Palestinian statehood, which nations including Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognized last year.
“I believe that recognizing the State of Palestine, without actually having a State of Palestine, could actually be counterproductive to the objective,” Meloni told Italian daily La Repubblica.
“If something that doesn’t exist – specifically, a Palestinian state – is recognized on paper, the problem risks appearing solved, when it isn’t,” she added.
Macron’s announcement on Palestinian statehood meant France became the first Western member of the United Nations Security Council and first G7 nation to make such a recognition.
The historic – but anticipated – announcement was shortly followed by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer stating that the recognition of Palestinian statehood is necessary for a lasting peace.
European nations have thus far proved stubbornly reluctant to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, despite a majority of countries around the world supporting the move.
CNN’s Barbie Nadeau contributed to this report.
5:03 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
Trump tells Israel to "finish the job" against Hamas, weeks after suggesting ceasefire deal in sight
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Olivia Kemp
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in Prestwick, Scotland on Friday.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Let’s bring you more now on US President Donald Trump’s message to Israel to “finish the job” against Hamas after pulling back US negotiators from ceasefire talks this week.
The US said Hamas was neither “coordinated” nor “acting in good faith.” A senior Hamas official said this reasoning was not an
accurate representation of the negotiations.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, said he was looking into “alternative options” for getting the hostages out.
It comes just weeks after Trump appeared confident a deal was days away that would end the fighting in Gaza, secure the release of hostages, and allow aid to flow into an enclave where people are starving to death.
Rather than urging an immediate return to the negotiating table, Trump said Friday it was time for Israel to escalate its military campaign.
“I think they want to die, and it’s very, very bad,” Trump said of Hamas before leaving for to Scotland, where he has since arrived. “It got to be to a point where you’re gonna have to finish the job.”
3:44 p.m. GMT+5:30, July 26, 2025
six people killed and more than 160 injured
