Shock moment gun-toting terrorists loot Gaza aid truck as 22 Arab states urge Hamas to SURRENDER in unprecedented plea
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THIS shocking footage released by the Israeli military appears to show gun-toting Hamas militants looting an aid truck in Gaza.
The video clip shared on social media by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) depicts armed gunmen on top of an aid truck as civilians stand around waiting for food.
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The IDF released footage it says shows armed Hamas operatives looting an aid truck
Credit: Twitter/IDF
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The two men standing on top of the truck brandish their weapons as Gazans gather
Credit: Twitter/IDF
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A charity distributes meals to Palestinians facing food shortages
Credit: Getty
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Satellite pictures show Palestinians gathering at a location about 1.2 kilometres southeast of a distribution site
Credit: AFP
The two men standing on top of the truck brandish their weapons as Gazans gather in the hope of receiving aid.
One of them points his weapon down towards the crowd.
An IDF spokesperson captioned the video saying: "Footage from just four days ago shows Hamas terrorists looting an aid truck, this is the same organization spreading false claims about a deliberate starvation campaign in Gaza."
It comes as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen, with the United Nations warning of a serious famine.
The crisis is now so widespread across Gaza that it can now be seen from space.
Satellite footage shows thousands of starving Palestinians crowding around aid trucks begging for food.
A British and EU drive to end the war in Gaza was backed by 22 Arab states - which called on Hamas terrorists to surrender for the first time on Wednesday.
Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, signed a declaration condemning the October 7 attacks in a groundbreaking move.
The statement also called on Hamas to free all hostages, lay down its arms and withdraw from its blood-soaked coastal stronghold.
The dramatic move was backed by all EU states plus 17 more nations which called for a two-state solution to end bloodshed across the Middle East.
Harrowing moment desperate Gazans overrun food trucks as Israel challenges UN to ship in more aid after pausing fighting
Sir Keir Starmer backed the move warning Israel the UK would formally recognise a new Palestinian state unless fighting ceased in September.
But critics said the move would only encourage Hamas to dig in and hold out for the major concession from the UK.
And Israel accused Starmer of "rewarding" October 7 terrorists.
Israel has faced widespread criticism from foreign governments and international bodies over the mounting humanitarian emergency in Gaza.
Gaza's population of 2.3 million currently faces the verge of famine.
At least 63 people, including 24 children under five, died from hunger in July, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
But Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has called allegations that his country is conducting a starvation campaign in the territory a "bold faced lie".
However, a global body responsible for monitoring hunger has warned Gazans now face the "worst-case scenario of famine".
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said: "Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths."
Earlier in the month, 20 people died at an aid distribution site in Gaza following a "chaotic and dangerous" crowd surge.
Donald Trump claims he did not discuss the UK's move towards recognition of Palestine when he met Sir Keir on Monday.
Speaking on board Air Force One, the US president said: "We never did discuss it.'
But Sir Keir told ministers the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now "increasingly intolerable".
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Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza on trucks through Israel
Credit: Reuters
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Displaced Palestinians gather to receive aid
Credit: AFP
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Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Recognising Palestinian state would destabilise international law, Starmer told
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
I found Sarah Vine's book unexpectedly heart-wrenching
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It's dreadful and exceedingly low-calibre, showing a woman lying fully prone and face down. It channels an energy that's entirely at odds with the dynamics of Ms Vine's rise, fall and recovery. How Not to be a Political Wife: HarperCollins £20
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Polarising Donald Trump's North Sea comments tapped into growing frustration
It's time to listen to the point made by US president Donald Trump and turn his soundbite on the North Sea into a smart, sober policy, writes Ryan Crighton. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Donald Trump's shoot-from-the-hip diplomacy was on full display in Aberdeen this week as he waded into the UK's energy debate, calling for lower taxes on North Sea oil and gas operators. The president's remarks – delivered both in person and online to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – will have raised eyebrows in Westminster. However, in the north-east of Scotland, where redundancies are mounting, his comments tapped into a growing sense of frustration. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad US President Donald Trump on the first tee during the official opening of the New Course, the second championship course at Trump International Golf Links, on the Menie Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire | PA He may be a polarising messenger, but his advocacy for the repeal of the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) aligns with what the data, the workers and the businesses on the ground have been saying for over two years – that the windfall tax is killing off a vital British industry and a crucial national asset. According to data from Offshore Energies UK, 10,000 jobs have already been lost since the levy's introduction by the Conservative government in 2022. Harbour Energy, the UK's largest oil and gas producer, has since laid off 600 people in Aberdeen alone. These aren't abstract statistics — they are highly skilled individuals, families, and communities being sacrificed on the altar of fiscal short-termism. The failure of the north east green freeport bid is a major blow for a regional economy transitioning away from fossil fuels. Picture: Andy Buchanan/Getty Worse still, the economic wreckage isn't even delivering the returns that were promised. Independent analysis from Stifel shows EPL revenues have consistently come in at the low end of government forecasts. Why? Because the supposed "windfall" they are taxing does not exist. Oil prices are down 50 per cent since the peak of the Ukraine crisis. Gas prices have collapsed by 80 per cent. The result is a textbook case of policy failure. Tax hikes intended to boost revenues have instead triggered a collapse in investment, with over £20 billion of planned capital spending now cancelled or paused. Exploration activity has ground to a halt. Fields are being decommissioned prematurely. The UK is forfeiting not just jobs and tax income, but its energy security. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This shouldn't just be of concern to those living and working in Aberdeen - this should alarm everyone, because the UK still needs oil and gas. Even in the most ambitious net-zero scenario, the country will require between 13 and 15 billion barrels of oil equivalent by 2050. Right now, we're on track to produce less than four. And that energy shortfall isn't going to be filled by wind turbines and hydrogen pipelines overnight. The reality is that we are swapping cleaner, domestically produced energy for dirtier, imported alternatives. According to the North Sea Transition Authority, gas extracted in the UK has less than a quarter of the carbon footprint of imported LNG. Yet we are allowing that domestic capacity to decline while increasing our reliance on higher-emission imports from the US and Qatar. It is environmental hypocrisy at its worst. All the while, the UK government continues to claim we are 'maximising value' from our domestic resources. But how? By driving capital offshore? By gutting the supply chain that is also needed to deliver renewables, carbon capture, and green hydrogen? By forcing energy companies to pay tax rates that, in some cases, exceed 100 per cent? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ryan Crighton, policy director at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce and a senior partner at True North Advisors. | True North Advisors In 2024, Harbour Energy reported a pre-tax profit of £950 million. However, after accounting for an effective tax rate of 108 per cent, the company posted no net profit for the year. This level of taxation is without parallel in the UK economy. It's not just unfair - it's economically suicidal. The UK's approach also compares poorly to our North Sea neighbours in Norway. While their headline tax rate is similar, the Norwegian government supports exploration and shares risk through its fiscal regime. That's why Norway continues to attract investment and why its energy sector is thriving. We, by contrast, have taken the opposite path – penalising production, scaring off capital, and hoping for different results. What's even more galling is that the levy is being used to fund Great British Energy – the new public clean energy company set-up by the Labour Party. According to Stifel, EPL revenues are set to collapse from £5.5bn to under £1bn by 2029. You cannot fund the future of energy by strangling the very sector that underpins it. So yes, President Trump is right to shine a spotlight on this issue. But the solution isn't a populist soundbite or a quick political win. It is a long-overdue dose of energy pragmatism. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That means abolishing the EPL – now – and restoring a stable, competitive tax regime that can unlock investment, extend production and retain the critical skills base we will need for the next generation of energy infrastructure. It also means rejecting the false binary between fossil fuels and renewables. The future is not oil or wind. It is oil and wind. And hydrogen. And carbon capture. We need all of it. Everything, everywhere, all at once. The UK cannot build a low-carbon future while dismantling the industrial engine required to deliver it. A managed transition must be just that – managed. And that means recognising the continuing role of oil and gas, treating our energy sector with the strategic seriousness it deserves, and stopping the ideological war against the basin that still powers Britain. So, let's take Trump's call and translate it into smart, sober policy. Not because he said it, but because the facts demand it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The North Sea doesn't need special treatment, but it does deserve fair treatment. The alternative isn't a greener future – it's a weaker Britain.
