‘One Killed Every 12 Minutes’

New Islamic Relief analysis of UN data1 reveals July is now the deadliest month in Gaza for 18 months, with Israel killing one person every 12 minutes as it accelerates the systematic targeting and starvation of civilians.

An average of 119 Palestinians are being killed daily so far in July – the highest rate since January 2024. More than 401 Palestinians a day are being wounded, the highest figure since December 2023, whilst doctors report 19 people, mostly children, died from starvation in just one day this week – victims not just of violence, but of a deliberate policy of deprivation and man-made famine.

The killings have accelerated since Israel imposed its new heavily militarised food distribution scheme in late-June, with almost daily massacres of starving people as they try to collect food. The Israeli blockade has systematically impeded humanitarian aid, forcing people into starvation and shooting those who seek aid. Hundreds of desperate civilians have been gunned down, with many of the wounded piled onto donkey carts as ambulances are prevented from reaching them.

Waseem Ahmad, Chief Executive of Islamic Relief Worldwide, says world leaders must urgently take action to stop the escalating slaughter:

“The rate of killing is accelerating every day that world leaders fail to act. We are witnessing people massacred just for trying to get food, water or medicine. We’re seeing babies and young children starve to death because Israel is blocking humanitarian aid. We’re seeing starving families ordered to leave their homes, then bombed in the tents where they are told to shelter. Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war, shutting down the humanitarian system then forcing people to militarised death traps.

“There is no excuse for inaction when five more people are being killed every single hour. Every minute costs lives. Gaza’s entire society is being killed – sons, daughters, parents, medics, teachers, artists, aid workers, journalists, entrepreneurs, engineers, poets, farmers. No one is spared.

“This dehumanisation and normalisation of suffering must not be allowed to continue. Governments that fail to act are complicit. More words of condemnation and concern are not enough – we urgently need world leaders to take meaningful action to pressure Israel to stop the killing and allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need. That means ending all arms sales, suspending trade agreements and banning produce from illegal Israeli settlements. Only increased and sustained international pressure can stop this catastrophe and save lives.”

International governments have a moral and legal duty to act to prevent genocide, in line with the ruling of the International Court of Justice. They must flatly refuse the militarised distribution system and demand the restoration of the UN-coordinated humanitarian response, in line with humanitarian principles and international law.

Most of the casualties are civilians and at least 30% of people killed throughout the crisis are children. UNICEF says that 28 children are being killed every day and the global Protection Cluster warned last week that 10 children a day in Gaza are losing a limb, with a surge in amputations due to missile strikes and artillery fire.

In total, around 9% of Gaza’s entire pre-war population have now been killed or wounded, with over 59,000 people dead and over 140,000 wounded – many with life-changing injuries such as loss of limbs.

Notes

• 1 Between 1—20 July in Gaza, at least 2,382 Palestinians have been killed and 8,030 injured, according to figures collated by the UN-coordinated Health Cluster in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This is already the highest number of fatalities in a calendar month since March 2024 when 2,617 Palestinians were killed at an average of 84 people killed a day. The average number of people killed so far in July 2025 is 119 every day, the highest since January 2024 when 5,041 people were killed at an average of 162 per day. The average number of people wounded per day so far in July is 401, which is the highest since December 2023 when 667 people a day were wounded.
• Islamic Relief has worked in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1997. During the current crisis our Palestinian staff and partners have provided vital aid to more than 600,000 people, including food, water, healthcare and education.

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