Death toll in Gaza rises 120 as Hamas says aid entry 'minimum requirement' for talks

Gaza aid cut off by Israel, leading to humanitarian crisis, as U.S.-backed NGO plans to distribute aid soon.

Palestinian rescuers reported 120 people killed on Thursday (May 15, 2025) in Israeli strikes on blockaded Gaza, where a U.S.-backed organisation said it intends to begin distributing aid by the end of the month.

Aid to Gaza has been cut off since March 2, a tactic Israel has said is intended to force concessions from Hamas, but the group insisted on Thursday that the restoration of humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged territory was "the minimum requirement" for talks.

It also warned that Gaza was not "for sale" hours after U.S. President Donald Trump, on a visit to the region, again floated taking over the territory and turning it into "a freedom zone".

Gaza's civil defence agency said the death toll from Israeli bombardment since dawn on Thursday had risen to 120.

Israel's aid blockade preceded a resumption of military operations on March 18, ending a ceasefire that had largely halted hostilities since mid-January.

For weeks, UN agencies have warned that supplies of everything from food and clean water to fuel and medicines are reaching new lows.

The World Health Organization said the last hospital in Gaza providing cancer and cardiac care had stopped functioning after an Israeli attack on Tuesday left it "severely damaged and inaccessible".