LIVE UPDATES: Israel blamed for ‘catastrophe of epic proportions’ amid Gaza famine

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Here’s where things stand on Tuesday 29 July 2025:

• The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitoring system, warns the “worst-case scenario of famine” is now unfolding in Gaza as Israel blocks vital aid.
• More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on the Strip as medical sources say Israeli forces killed at least 81 people across Gaza since dawn, including 32 aid seekers.
• An Israeli settler shot dead Palestinian activist and teacher Awdah Hathaleen in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank.
• Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 60,034 people and wounded 145,870 others. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and more than 200 taken captive.

Who was Awdah Hathaleen, Palestinian activist killed by an Israeli settler?

Awdah Hathaleen was standing by a fence in the Umm al-Kheir community centre when he was shot in the chest by an Israeli settler.

The beloved 31-year-old activist and father of three fell to the ground as people rushed over to try to help him. Then an ambulance came out of the nearby illegal settlement of Carmel and took him away.

Israeli authorities have refused to release his body for burial, simply telling his family on Monday he had died, depriving them of the closure of laying him to rest immediately as Islam dictates.

Read the full story here.

‘Atrocious suffering’: France says Israel blocking 52 tonnes of aid into Gaza

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced Paris will airdrop 40 tonnes of aid into Gaza in close coordination with Jordan.

Barrot told the BFMTV television broadcaster France also has aid waiting to cross into Gaza by road that’s being blocked by Israel in northern Egypt.

“The air route is useful but it is not sufficient,” he said. “Fifty-two tonnes of French humanitarian freight are blocked in el-Arish”, an Egyptian city 50km (30 miles) from Gaza.

“It is therefore essential that the Israeli authorities finally agree to reopen land access to the Gaza Strip sufficiently so as to alleviate the atrocious suffering of its civilian populations,” Barrot added.

‘Failure follows failure’: Israeli opposition ramps up pressure on Netanyahu

Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition and former prime minister, has criticised the government’s handling of the Gaza conflict saying it led Israel from a “just war” to a “political disaster”.

In a post on X, Lapid called out Israel’s leadership saying “failure follows failure”.

“A prime minister who has disappeared from the political scene, a useless foreign minister, and ministers who endanger soldiers every time they open their mouths.”

Lapid’s comments come as pressure continues to mount on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with growing frustration over his leadership during the ongoing war on Gaza.

Trump says Palestinian recognition plans not discussed with UK’s Starmer

US President Donald Trump says he did not discuss Britain’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state during his meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Trump told reporters on board Air Force One while travelling back to the United States from Scotland, recognising a Palestinian state would be “rewarding Hamas” – in a similar response to the decision from Israel.

“I don’t think they should be rewarded,” Trump said.

The US sent $60m for food aid for Palestinians in Gaza and Trump said he wants to make sure it’s “spent wisely and is spent judiciously, and that food is distributed in a proper manner”.

Israeli soldiers disrupt funeral of Palestinian activist in Hebron

Israeli troops have stormed the funeral procession of Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, Wafa news agency reports.

Hathaleen, a human rights activist and teacher known for his role in the Oscar-winning film No Other Land, was fatally shot by an Israeli settler on Monday.

He was reportedly attempting to prevent the destruction of Palestinian land in Umm al-Kheir, a village southeast of Yatta, in the Hebron governorate.

Osama Makhamreh, an activist cited by Wafa, witnessed Israeli soldiers assaulting mourners, forcibly removing them from the procession, and declaring the area a closed military zone.

During the incident, two foreign activists were detained by Israeli soldiers for showing solidarity with Hathaleen’s family. The military also sealed off Khirbet Umm al-Kheir, blocking residents, activists, and human rights groups from attending the funeral.

Later, Israeli troops provided protection to settlers as they continued to expand the Carmel settlement in the Palestinian village.

UK’s Lammy says conditions on Israel aim to change dire situation in Gaza

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told Al Jazeera that the conditions the UK government set on Israel over recognition of Palestinian statehood are an attempt to “affect the situation on the ground” in Gaza.

“I sincerely hope that we see a dramatic improvement in the suffering, that we see a commitment to a ceasefire, and we see a commitment to a diplomatic process,” Lammy said.

“Such that we do not get a pause in relation to that ceasefire, but we get an enduring peace, and it’s for us to assess those conditions as we get to next month.”

Israel rejects UK announcement of Palestinian state recognition

Israel has rejected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement of plans to recognise Palestinian statehood by September unless Israel changes the dire situation in Gaza.

In a statement on X, the Israel Foreign Ministry said the shift in the British government’s position, following France’s announcement of Palestinian recognition and “internal political pressures”, constituted “a reward for Hamas”.

“And [it] harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages,” the ministry said. 

The British leader said the decision would be made unless Israel commits to “long-term sustainable peace” amid an ongoing starvation crisis in Gaza and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank.

Oxfam welcomes UK’s ‘overdue’ plans to recognise Palestinian state

Charity Oxfam has praised the UK government’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood calling it “a welcome and overdue step in the right direction”.

“This recognition cannot be made conditional, especially not while millions of Palestinians are facing famine and their basic human rights are being denied,” a statement said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantial action to address the “appalling situation” in Gaza.

Starmer said recognition would be contingent on Israel agreeing to a ceasefire, halting annexation plans in the occupied West Bank, and committing to a long-term peace process leading to a two-state solution.

The decision comes amid increasing pressure from within Starmer’s cabinet for decisive action. France’s announcement of plans to recognise the state of Palestine is also believed to have influenced the UK government’s position.

NGO calls for arrest of Israeli soldier in Hungary for Gaza ‘war crimes’

The International Coalition for Justice and Peace (ICJP) has formally notified police of an Israeli soldier suspected of war crimes now believed to be within Hungary’s jurisdiction.

The coalition has submitted a detailed dossier including photographic and written evidence to support the claim.

The unnamed individual is thought to have served in the 932 Battalion, also known as the “Granite Battalion” of the Nahal Brigade, from October to December 2023.

During this time, the brigade operated in Gaza’s Zeitoun neighbourhood and Beit Hanoon and was involved in the Rafah incursion in late 2024, ICJP said.

The group said evidence indicates the soldier made statements advocating for the destruction of Palestinian villages, and it has footage from April 2024 showing the 932 Battalion commander discussing methods used to attack Palestinians in Gaza.

ICJP called for the individual’s arrest and detention under Hungarian law.

Israel ‘committed’ to returning captives, says PM Netanyahu

The Israeli prime minister says he hasn’t stopped meetings on securing a deal to return the captives from Gaza, but claimed Hamas remains a “big obstacle”.

“It remains steadfast in its refusal. President Trump said it, [special envoy Steve] Witkoff said it, we say it, everyone who knows the facts, including the mediators, everyone knows it,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.

“We are not giving up. We will continue to do everything we can, one way or another. We are committed to their return.”

Last week, Netanyahu withdrew his negotiating team from Qatar, where ceasefire talks have taken place, after Hamas’s response to a Witkoff ceasefire proposal.

Earlier this month, the spokesperson of Hamas’s military wing said Israel rejected a truce agreement that would release all captives held in Gaza, and pledged the group is prepared for a lengthy war if there is no deal.

“It has become clear to us that the government of the criminal Netanyahu has no real interest in the captives because they are soldiers,” said Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida.

Trump administration pressed to address starvation in Gaza

Senate Democrats are imploring President Donald Trump’s administration to intervene as Palestinians starve in Israeli-controlled Gaza.

More than 40 senators signed a letter on Tuesday urging the resumption of ceasefire talks while sharply criticising an Israeli-backed American organisation created to distribute food aid in the war-battered territory.

Their letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the GHF – created with backing from the Trump administration – has “failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organisation’s sites”.

Trump on Monday expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian situation and broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that people are not starving in the Gaza Strip. But it is unclear how Trump will proceed.

‘Acts of terrorism’: France condemns ‘murder’ of West Bank activist, other settler attacks

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the killing of Awdah Hathaleen, a well-known Palestinian teacher, activist and contributor to the Oscar-winning film No Other Land.

In a statement, the ministry described his killing by a settler as “murder,” while reaffirming its opposition to ongoing Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

It also pointed to recent incidents in Kafr Malek and the Christian village of Taybeh. “These violent actions are acts of terrorism,” it said.

Since the beginning of 2022, settlers have killed more than 30 people in the West Bank, the statement noted, calling on Israeli authorities to hold perpetrators accountable and protect Palestinian civilians.

France reiterated its total condemnation of settlement activity, which, it said, is contrary to international law, referencing an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice last year.

“We will continue to support the adoption of further measures by the EU, and if the violence continues, we stand ready to take additional measures at the national level, including sanctions against members of the government who support such violence,” the statement added.

Photos: Protesters calling for end to Gaza war gather outside US mission in Tel Aviv

UK: ‘Hand of history on our shoulders’ over viable two-state solution

Foreign Secretary David Lammy says Britain bears a “special burden of responsibility” to support the two-state solution as he announced the UK’s plan to recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations in New York.

“The situation on the ground continues to worsen and the two-state solution is in peril,” he told a United Nations conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Lammy called Israel’s rejection of a two-state solution “morally and strategically wrong”.

“The Netanyahu government’s rejection of a two-state solution is wrong; it’s wrong morally; and it’s wrong strategically. It harms the interests of the Israeli people, closing off the only path to a just and lasting peace, and that is why we are determined to protect the viability of a two-state solution.

“And so it is with the hand of history on our shoulders that His Majesty’s government, therefore, intends to recognise the state of Palestine when the UN General Assembly gathers in September here in New York.”

UN warns Gaza on ‘brink of full-scale famine’ as humanitarian crisis deepens

Qu Dongyu, director of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has sounded the alarm over the hunger crisis in Gaza, urging more humanitarian aid and the restoration of local food production.

“The right to food is a basic human right,” Dongyu said, calling for immediate action to prevent further suffering. “Gaza is now on the brink of a full-scale famine.”

The warning comes after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Alert, which said Gaza’s food consumption and nutrition levels are at their worst since the war began in October 2023.

The IPC report said two out of three famine thresholds have now been breached in parts of the war-battered Palestinian territory.

The FAO called for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access”.

New report contradicts Canadian government claims it stopped arming Israel

A group of Canadian NGOs, operating under the banner Arms Embargo Now, have released a report with findings based on shipping records and government data they say contradict Canada’s claim that it stopped sending weapons to Israel.

The report reveals:

• There were 47 shipments with detailed commercial shipping records from manufacturers in Canada, selling military-related components to Israeli weapons companies between October 2023 and July 2025.
• 421,070 rounds of ammunition were exported to Israel since the Gaza assault began, including one shipment in April alone containing 175,000 bullets.
• There were 391 shipments, including bullets, military equipment, weapon parts, aircraft components, and communication devices, exported from Canada to Israel between October 2023 and June 2025.
• Shipments were sent from seven Canadian cities, destined primarily for Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, its subsidiaries and other Israeli defence firms.
• About 100 international flights transported Canadian components to Israel – 64
  of them were commercial passenger planes where military cargo was loaded beneath civilian travellers on routes through Frankfurt, Paris, New York, Abu Dhabi, and New Delhi.