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Here’s where things stand on Sunday 27 July 2025:
- Israel has announced “tactical pauses” in fighting for “humanitarian purposes” from 10am to 8pm (07:00-17:00 GMT) in al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City, starting on Sunday.
- Israeli forces have killed at least 15 Palestinians in attacks on Gaza since the early hours of Sunday, a day after killing at least 71 people, including 42 aid seekers, as five more Palestinians starve to death.
- They have seized the Freedom Flotilla’s Handala ship, detaining its 21 crew members, as they attempted to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 59,733 people and wounded 144,477. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Israeli president welcomes military pauses in Gaza
Isaac Herzog made the comments in a statement on X.
“I welcome the major steps announced by the Israeli leadership and military to strengthen and upgrade the humanitarian response in Gaza — particularly the decision to implement humanitarian pauses to protect civilian lives and allow the safe delivery of aid,” he wrote.
The Israeli president also called on the UN to do its part, suggesting inefficiency by the global body and aid diversions by Hamas were to blame for the food shortages in Gaza.
UN agencies have rejected those claims, noting that Israel – which controls all crossings into Gaza – continues to deny most of its requests to bring aid into the besieged enclave.
They also say there is no evidence of large-scale diversion of aid by Hamas.
Photos: Australians in Sydney protest against Israel’s siege of Gaza
Rubio says ceasefire deal could happen ‘any day now’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Fox News that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been working “day and night for weeks” on ceasefire negotiations.
“They’ve made a lot of progress, and they’re close,” Rubio said.
“We’re optimistic and hopeful that any day now, we will have a ceasefire agreement where at least half the hostages, including the deceased, will be released, and at the end of that 60-day period, the remaining hostages will be released,” he said.
Speaking about the captives still held in Gaza, Rubio said: “The good news is every American is out now. We care about all the hostages.”
“There’s a very simple solution to what’s happening in Gaza. Release all the hostages, lay down your arms, and the war ends for Hamas,” he said.
Rubio’s remarks come days after Witkoff said Washington was cutting short its involvement in the negotiations, claiming Hamas had shown “a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire”.
Israel designates secure routes for aid delivery in Gaza
The Israeli military says it has designated “secure routes” in Gaza for aid delivery on a permanent basis.
These routes will be safe from 6am to 11pm local time, “to enable the safe movement of UN and aid convoys for the delivery and distribution of food and medicine to the population throughout the Gaza Strip”, it added.
Israel announces ‘tactical pauses’ in parts of Gaza
The Israeli army says it will allow a “local tactical pause in military activities” in parts of Gaza for “humanitarian purposes” from 10am to 8pm, starting today.
The pauses will take place in al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City “every day until further notice”, it wrote on X.
“The decision was coordinated with the UN and international organizations following discussions on the matter,” it added.
If you are just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed:
- Israeli forces continue to bombard Gaza, killing at least five people in southern al-Mawasi and another four in central Deir el-Balah.
- At least 11 displaced Palestinians were injured in northern Gaza when the Israeli army dropped food parcels on their tents as part of an airdrop.
- The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the attempt to deliver aid to Gaza via the Handala aid ship, says the Israeli military has “abducted” its crew and seized its supplies.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Israel’s blockade of Gaza clearly contravenes international law, as Israeli authorities say they will set up humanitarian corridors in Gaza to deliver aid.
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament at a UN ministerial event in New York next week, in a move meant to lure more European countries to recognise Palestinian statehood.
What does starvation do to the human body?
Starvation occurs when the human body is deprived of food for an extended period of time.
Scientists estimate that the body can survive up to three weeks without food, although the actual duration varies among individuals.
Starvation occurs over three stages.
The first begins as early as when a meal is skipped; the second occurs with a prolonged period of fasting where the body uses stored fat for energy. The third, and often fatal, stage is when all stored fats have been depleted and the body turns to bone and muscle as sources of energy.
Will French recognition of Palestinian state make a difference?
France says it’s ready to recognise an independent Palestinian state.
The announcement comes at a time of growing international outrage against Israel’s war on Gaza. Several European countries – including Spain, Ireland and Norway – have already recognised Palestinian statehood.
And pressure is mounting on the United Kingdom to do the same.
But would any recognition lead to change on the ground? And how will France navigate any backlash from Israel and the US?
Australia’s Albanese says Israel’s blockade of Gaza clearly breaches international law
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says that everyone can see that Israel’s blockade of aid entering Gaza is a “breach of decent humanity, and of morality”.
He made the comments in an interview with the ABC public broadcaster.
“Quite clearly, it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March,” he said.
Asked about whether Australia would follow France in recognising a Palestinian state, Albanese said that it was not something his government planned to do “imminently”.
He said Australia would make the decision as “a way forward if the circumstances are met”, but then asked: “How do you exclude Hamas from any involvement there?”
The Palestinian group has said it would cede control of Gaza to an interim government backed by the international community in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, but that it would not lay down its arms as long as Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory continues.
GHF’s women-only aid effort ends in attacks, intimidation
We are getting reports that the GHF launched an aid distribution event exclusively for women in Gaza, but the aid seekers were hit by pepper spray, tear gas and stun grenades when they arrived.
The event took place in southern Rafah on Friday.
“I came here at 6am without even having breakfast, hoping to get something for my children,” Abeer Dabboos, a displaced Palestinian woman, says in a video clip from the site.
“My husband has been imprisoned for a year and a half. I have been supporting seven people, and my children are suffering from malnutrition. I was hoping to get even just a kilo of lentils or flour. It was extremely crowded, and they sprayed us with pepper spray. This is humiliation. It’s a disgrace,” she said.
Nada al-Mujaida, another displaced woman, said that Israeli forces there threw tear gas and stun grenades at them.
“We were choking. The organisers pushed us out and told us to leave. They stopped the aid distribution and fired at us. We had to flee,” she said.
‘Enough is enough’: Israeli protesters call for end to war, freedom for captives
We’ve been covering protests in Israel by supporters and relatives of the Israeli captives who remain in Gaza.
Former captive Yair Horn, who was freed during a brief ceasefire earlier this year, spoke in Tel Aviv, urging US President Donald Trump to help secure a deal to obtain the release of those remaining in Gaza, including his brother, Eitan.
“President Trump, you brought me back, and I thank you for that. But half of me is still in Gaza. I returned as part of a partial deal that collapsed,” Horn said. “We don’t have time for a partial deal, the hostages don’t have time for a partial deal. We need to recalculate the course and talk about a comprehensive agreement that brings everyone back.”
Yotam Cohen, whose brother, Nimrod, also remains in captivity, called for a deal that secures the release of all captives in one go.
“Enough is enough,” he said.
“The partial-deal doctrine has turned out to be ineffective. One deal, one deal. A comprehensive one to release all hostages and end the war. That is the only so-called alternative way to get all of our hostages, amongst them my brother, home alive and safe.”
Photos: Indonesians protest Israel’s starvation of Gaza
France’s Barrot says Arab countries will condemn Hamas at New York meeting
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament at a UN ministerial event in New York next week, in a move meant to lure more European countries to recognise Palestinian statehood.
Barrot made the comments in an exclusive interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche.
“For the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will seal its definitive isolation. European countries will, in turn, confirm their intention to recognise the State of Palestine. Half of European countries have done so, all others are considering it,” he said.
“The British Prime Minister has stated his intention to do so. Germany is considering it at a later stage. We will launch an appeal in New York for other countries to join us in order to set in motion an even more ambitious and demanding process that will culminate on September 21,” he added.
Hunger spreads across Gaza amid Israeli siege
For weeks, the UN, dozens of agencies and governments around the world have been sounding the alarm about Israel’s man-made famine in Gaza, where aid sites have turned into death traps.
On Saturday alone, 42 hungry Palestinians were killed trying to get their hands on food.
More than 1,000 people have now died while waiting for food by Israeli forces and US mercenaries.