Pope Angered by Shooting at Food and Water Lines

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The Gaza Civil Defense Agency announced that at least 93 Palestinians were killed yesterday while waiting in line to receive food, in addition to which Israel has issued new evacuation orders for areas crowded with displaced people.

The Israeli army confirmed that its soldiers opened fire on a gathering of thousands of hungry Palestinians in northern Gaza. The United Nations stated that a convoy of 25 trucks carrying food aid in Gaza City encountered a massive crowd of starving civilians, who were targeted by gunfire from the Israeli army.

The World Food Programme (WFP) emphasized in a statement: "Firing on civilians who are waiting for humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable."

Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, told The Associated Press that the hospital has received 48 bodies and 150 injured since Sunday morning, all of whom were shot while waiting in line for food and water.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the world's Catholics, condemned Israel's "brutality" in Gaza and its excessive use of force. From his summer residence, he called for an immediate end to Israel's brutality in Gaza. The leader of the world's Catholics also expressed deep distress over Israel's attack on Gaza's only Catholic church last week, which resulted in three deaths and 10 injuries. One of the wounded was "Parish Priest", who had previously been in daily contact with the late Pope Francis.

Pope Leo XIV stressed: "I call on the international community to uphold humanitarian law and honor its commitments to protect civilians, prohibit collective punishment, and avoid forced displacement."

Meanwhile, reports emerged that Israel revoked the residency permit of Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who had repeatedly condemned Israel's brutality in Gaza. Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's Foreign Minister, accused him on the social media platform X of spreading lies.

The new evacuation orders for central Gaza, which is packed with displaced people, have sparked fresh concerns. The Israeli army had rarely conducted operations in this area before. Many international organizations distributing humanitarian aid are based in these areas.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Sunday that Israel has kept civilians in Gaza, including one million children, in severe hunger. On social media platform X, UNRWA shared images of a warehouse in El-Arish, Egypt, and stated: "We have stored enough food for Gaza's entire population in warehouses for over three months. Open the gates, lift the blockade, and let UNRWA do its job to help those in need, including one million children." Last week, the agency warned that infants in Gaza are on the verge of death due to severe malnutrition.

Israel has banned cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank under the false pretext of Hamas infiltration. Previously, UNRWA was the primary distributor of aid in Gaza, providing health and educational services to Palestinians. However, since May, humanitarian aid has mostly been distributed by a newly established foundation backed by the U.S. and Israel, exacerbating famine conditions.

The Gaza Health Ministry announced yesterday that since October 7, 2023, over 58,000 Palestinians have been killed and 140,000 injured.