GAZA CITY / NEW YORK — June 20, 2025
At least 60 Palestinians, including 31 individuals waiting for aid, were killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave. The deadly violence coincided with the release of a damning United Nations report listing Israel among parties responsible for grave violations against children for the second consecutive year.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said that five people were killed while awaiting aid in southern Gaza, and 26 more were shot dead near the Netzarim corridor — a militarised Israeli-controlled zone that bisects the territory and has become a flashpoint during aid distributions. The corridor is frequently used by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial body backed by the U.S. and Israel, whose operations have been marred by deadly chaos and have drawn criticism from aid groups and UN agencies over perceived alignment with Israeli military objectives.
The Israeli military claimed its forces fired “warning shots” at what it called “suspects” who approached their position in the corridor. When they continued advancing, an Israeli aircraft “struck and eliminated the suspects to remove the threat,” the army told AFP.
Additional Israeli strikes on Friday reportedly killed 14 people in and around Deir el-Balah and 13 more in the Gaza City area. Three individuals were killed at a phone charging station, and two others died in separate incidents of gunfire in southern Gaza.
The armed wing of Palestinian group Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for targeting an Israeli military post in Khan Yunis, reporting casualties among Israeli troops. The Israeli army declined to comment on the incident.
Meanwhile, in New York, the United Nations released its annual Children and Armed Conflict report, in which Israel was named for the second year in a row on the Secretary-General’s “list of shame” — a designation for parties that commit serious abuses against children during conflicts.
According to the UN, 8,554 grave violations were committed against 2,959 Palestinian children in 2023, with 7,188 attributed to Israeli forces. This included the killing of 1,259 children in Gaza — mostly in airstrikes — and 97 in the West Bank, where live ammunition was frequently used.
The report documented the maiming of over 1,500 children, the use of 27 Palestinian boys as human shields, and attacks on 502 schools and hospitals. Additionally, 951 children were detained, with 112 held without charge under administrative detention.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed alarm over the rising number of violations and urged Israel to stop using explosive weapons in densely populated areas. He called on Israel to develop an action plan with the UN to prevent future violations.
The report also condemned abuses by Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions, including hostage-taking, indiscriminate rocket attacks, and the militarisation of civilian infrastructure. However, it noted that Israeli forces were responsible for the vast majority of verified violations in the region last year.
Since the war escalated on October 7, 2023, at least 280 UN personnel have been killed in Israeli operations in Gaza. Humanitarian access has been denied over 2,200 times, worsening the conditions for civilians already facing famine and displacement.
Israel’s renewed appearance on the UN’s list of violators underscores mounting global concerns about its military conduct in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. Other countries and regions listed for severe violations include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Haiti, and Ukraine, where Russian forces remain under scrutiny.
As famine deepens and violence persists in Gaza, the international community continues to grapple with how to hold all parties accountable while addressing a humanitarian catastrophe that shows no signs of easing.
