LIVE UPDATES: Gaza death toll climbs as Canada says Israel violates int’l law

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Here’s where things stand on Friday 25 July 2025:

• Israeli attacks on Gaza killed at least 62 people on Thursday, including at least 19 Palestinians who were attempting to collect desperately needed aid.
• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Israel’s denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza is a “violation of international law”.
• Carney’s condemnation came as French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September at the UN General Assembly.
• US envoy Steve Witkoff has blamed Hamas for the continued failure to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, saying the US is considering “alternative options” to free Israeli captives.
• Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 59,587 people and wounded 143,498. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.

Starvation of Gaza people ‘cannot be defended or ignored’: Australian leader

Every effort must be made to safeguard innocent life and end the suffering and starvation of the people of Gaza, the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says in a statement, describing the situation as a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

“Israel’s denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored,” Albanese said in the statement.

Number of journalists killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 232: Media Office

Gaza’s Government Media Office has announced the killing of photojournalist Adam Abu Harbid, raising the journalist death toll during Israel’s war on Gaza to 232.

“The Government Media Office condemns in the strongest terms the systematic targeting, killing, and assassination of Palestinian journalists by the “Israeli” occupation,” the statement published overnight on Telegram said.

“We call on the International Federation of Journalists, the Federation of Arab Journalists, and all journalistic bodies worldwide to condemn these systematic crimes against Palestinian journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip.”

Settlers storm Joseph’s Tomb

A group of Israeli settlers have stormed Joseph’s Tomb in the village of Balata, located east of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Footage posted on Palestinian platforms, which have been verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking unit, showed illegal settlers near Joseph’s Tomb. Local media said Palestinian Authority security forces came in and handed the settlers over to Israeli soldiers.

In the town of Biddya, west of Salfit, Israeli forces launched a raid and searched multiple Palestinian homes, breaking doors and causing damage inside. Another raid was reported in Jenin.

Waterborne diseases up nearly 150 percent in Gaza: Oxfam

A UK-based charity warns about the crippling health care situation posed by the deliberate blockade of aid by Israel, with waterborne diseases increasing nearly 150 percent inside the Gaza Strip.

Oxfam said the Palestinian enclave has become a “petri dish of disease” due to the blockade of aid, while millions of dollars of humanitarian aid pile up in warehouses across the region.

“Water-borne diseases that are both preventable and readily treatable have increased by almost 150 per cent inside Gaza over the past three months as Israel continues to deliberately block aid,” it noted.

The charity said the number of Palestinians presenting at health facilities with acute watery diarrhoea has increased 150 percent, bloody diarrhea is up 302 percent, and acute jaundice cases have climbed 101 percent, citing multi-agency health data.

Oxfam warned that the surge of disease can “quickly turn deadly”, especially as Palestinians have been deprived of food, water, shelter, and adequate healthcare for more than 21 months.

USAID analysis found no evidence of huge Hamas theft of Gaza aid

An internal US government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian group Hamas of US-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the US give for backing a new, armed private aid operation.

The analysis, which has not been previously reported, was conducted by a bureau within the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and completed in late June.

It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of US-funded supplies reported by US aid partner organisations between October 2023 and this May.

The agency found “no reports alleging Hamas” benefitted from US-funded supplies, according to a slide presentation of the findings seen by the Reuters news agency.

The findings were shared with the USAID’s inspector general’s office and State Department officials involved in Middle East policy, said two sources familiar with the matter, and come as dire food shortages deepen in the devastated enclave.

British government urged to recognise Palestinian state

We have been reporting on mounting international pressure condemning Israel’s assault on Gaza and its restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid entering the besieged enclave.

Politicians in the UK are now also calling on their government to take bolder action to stop Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Foreign Affairs Committee has issued a report saying Israel is not listening, and that more concrete steps are needed, including the recognition of a Palestinian state and an immediate ceasefire.

A recap of recent developments

• The number of people killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Thursday stands at 62, including at least 19 Palestinians who were attempting to collect desperately needed aid.
• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Israel’s blockade on aid entering Gaza is a “violation of international law”, as he called for humanitarian relief to be “led by international organisations”.
• French President Emmanuel Macron pledged that France will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September at the UN General Assembly.
• United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington “strongly rejects” France’s “reckless move”, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it “rewards terrorists”.
• United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he will speak with French, German and Italian leaders on Friday to “discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need” in Gaza.
• US envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Trump’s ceasefire negotiators are being withdrawn from Qatar, blaming Hamas for a breakdown in talks to end fighting in Gaza.

Welcome to our coverage

Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Stay with us for the latest news, reactions and analyses.

You can find all our updates from Thursday, July 24, here.