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Published July 21, 2025last updated July 21, 2025The Israel Defense Forces said it was “expanding activities” in Deir al-Balah and issued evacuation orders. In the 21 months of war, Israel had not launched a ground offensive in the city in central Gaza. DW has more.
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Palestinians began to flee Deir al-Balah on Sunday after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders ahead of a ground assaultImage: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP/picture allianceSkip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know For the first time since the October 7 massacre,Israel haslaunchedground in Deir al-Balahin central Gaza. The offensive came a day after what aid groups and local officials called one of the deadliest day for Gazans seeking aid, with at least 80people killed by Israeli forces. Here is aroundup ofdevelopments inIsrael,Gazaand the wider Middle East on Monday July 21:
Skip next section UN food agency accuses Israel of firing shots on those seeking aid in GazaJuly 21, 2025
UN food agency accuses Israel of firing shots on those seeking aid in GazaThe UNfood agency has accused Israel of using tanks andsnipers to fire on a crowd of Palestinians who were attemptingto reach a convoy of trucks carrying food, in what the territory’s Health Ministry described as one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war.
The World Food Program condemned the violence that erupted in northern Gaza.
“As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire,”WFPsaid in a statement, which was alsoposted on X and its website.
The incident resulted in the loss of “countless lives” with many more suffering “life-threatening injuries.”
“These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation. This terrible incident underscores the increasingly dangerous conditions under which humanitarian operations are forced to be conducted in Gaza.”
The Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 80 people were killed in the incident.
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots “to remove an immediate threat,” but disputed the high death toll.
Israeli forces reportedly kill dozens in GazaTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Skip next section Israel strikes Hodeida port in YemenJuly 21, 2025
Israel strikes Hodeida port in YemenIsrael said its forces struck Yemen’s Hodeida port on Monday as it continues to carry out attacks on Houthi-held areas.
These Israeli military attacksincluded one onHodeida earlier this month. This came alongsiderepeated missile and drone attacks fromYemen’s Houthi rebels, a militant group which claimsto act in solidarity with Palestinians.
On Monday, the Israeli military “struck terror targets of the Houthi terror regime at the port of Hodeida and is forcefully enforcing the prevention of any attempt to restore the previously attacked terror infrastructure,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
“Yemen’s fate will be the same as Tehran’s,” Katz added, in what seemed to be areference to the recent 12-day conflictbetween Israel and Iran in which Israel attackedIranian military and nuclear sites, as well as targets in the capital.
Houthi rebels are not going to back down: Marina MironTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Skip next section Israel launches ground and air assault on Deir al-Balah in central GazaJuly 21, 2025
Israel launches ground and air assault on Deir al-Balah in central GazaThe Israeli army expandedits operations, including a ground offensive, on Mondayin the city of Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip.
It is the first time Israel haslaunched a ground offensive inDeir al-Balah in the 21 months since it began its attacks in the region in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks.
On Sunday, the Israeli military warned of imminent action against Hamas fighters in the area. An army spokesman called on residents to leave the area in a post in Arabic on X.
The Israeli military continues “to operate with intensity to eliminate terrorists and to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area and is expanding its activities into new areas,” the army said in a statement. “For your safety, immediately evacuate southward toward Al-Mawasi.”
Situated in the southwest of the embattled area, Al-Mawasi was designated by Israel as a “humanitarian zone” earlier in the war.However, Israel has since attacked there multiple times, with its military saying it was targeting Hamasfacilities.
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned the mass displacement order had dealt”yet another devastating blow” to the Gaza Strip.
Initial estimates indicated that between 50,000 and 80,000 people were in the area when Sunday’s order was given, including some 30,000 people sheltering in 57 displacement sites, OCHAsaid in a statement.
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Skip next section Welcome to our coverageJuly 21, 2025
Welcome to our coverageIsrael has launched a ground offensive in Deir al-Balah, a city in central Gaza.
This comes afterthe Israeli military warned of imminent action against Hamas fighters in the areaand issued evacuation orders.
Follow along as DWbrings you the latest reports, explainers and analysis on developments across the Middle East.
https://p.dw.com/p/4xktf
Source: OriginalArticle