Israel Gaza War WHO Says Israeli Military Attacked Staff Residence In Gaza Gaza War
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Gaza faces worst hunger crisis yet as truce talks stall over aid access
Scores of aid groups say the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worse than ever and that starvation is spreading, with Israel blaming the situation on Hamas. The crisis is spiraling as Israel and Hamas mull a truce and comes two weeks after the European Union announced an agreement with Israel to increase the flow of food to Gaza. A major dispute in the ceasefire negotiations, officials from both sides say, is over a Hamas demand for the restoration of a United Nations-administered relief network that Israel sidelined, arguing the Palestinian militant group was stealing food and medicine. World anger toward Israel's government is growing amid increasing reports of emaciated babies, children crammed into soup queues and men tussling over bags of flour. Foreign doctors volunteering in Gaza say they too are going hungry. International news agencies are withdrawing staff for fear of famine. 'There is no real change on the ground,' Médecins Sans Frontières said in a statement, referring to the July 10 accord between Israel and the EU. MSF and many other humanitarian groups accused Israel of failing to make good on the arrangement. 'Every day without a sustained flow means more people dying of preventable illnesses,' MSF said. 'Children starve while waiting for promises that never arrive.' The World Health Organization added its voice to the alarm. 'The 2.1 million people trapped in the war zone that is Gaza are facing yet another killer on top of bombs and bullets: starvation,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday. 'We are now witnessing a deadly surge in malnutrition-related deaths.' These accusations are a 'coordinated, scripted campaign,' according to Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon. Iran-backed Hamas, which is on terrorism blacklists in much of the West, called on Wednesday for global protests against Israel 'until the siege is broken and the famine ends.' Thirty-three Palestinians have died of malnutrition over the last 48 hours, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. More than 59,000 people have been killed since the war started in October 2023, according to the ministry. Hamas triggered the conflict with an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage. Israel has lost more than 400 troops in Gaza combat. Israel says it must continue the war until the remaining 50 captives — roughly 20 of who Israel believes are alive — are freed. It's negotiating a 60-day truce with Hamas that would lead to the return of 10 living and and around 18 deceased hostages. During the ceasefire, the sides would continue talks to end the war permanently and release the last captives. Aid dispute Like other Israeli officials, Danon said what problems do exist in Gaza are due to distribution shortfalls within Palestinian-controlled areas. 'It's really easy for the UN to blame Israel for everything,' Danon told Israel's Kan radio. 'They don't talk about the drivers who flee and aren't willing to go to all kind of places. They don't talk about the pillaging by Hamas.' Israel blocked aid supplies for Gaza in early March, shortly before a ceasefire that started in January broke down. It said that was necessary to put more pressure on Hamas to surrender. In May, Israel allowed aid to enter Gaza again via a new US-backed entity called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Designed to stop Hamas from getting aid, GHF has been dogged by controversy and chaos, with hundreds of Palestinians being shot near distribution sites. The UN and other groups say GHF has politicized the supply of aid and is giving out nowhere near enough to meet the needs of Gazans. GHF and Israel dispute reports that Palestinians killed or hurt near aid sites have been hit by their fire, instead blaming Hamas. On Monday, 26 countries including the UK, Italy, Japan and Switzerland put out a joint statement calling on Israel to end the war immediately. 'The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths,' they said. 'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.'
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
As cases rise, Meghalaya says it may mandate HIV/AIDS testing before marriage
SHILLONG: Meghalaya health minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Thursday said the state could make pre-marital testing for HIV mandatory across the state as one of the steps to curb the rising incidence of HIV/AIDS. Ampareen Lyngdoh said HIV/AIDS cases in East Khasi Hills alone have doubled to 3,432, but only 1,581 patients were under treatment (X/ampareenlyngdoh) 'We are mentally prepared to take strong actions,' Lyngdoh said after a meeting chaired by deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong and eight legislators from the East Khasi Hills to discuss the rising cases of HIV in their constituencies. 'The numbers are scary. And it's time Meghalaya takes the monster by its neck,' Lyngdoh declared. Lyngdoh said HIV/AIDS cases in East Khasi Hills alone have doubled to 3,432, but only 1,581 patients were under treatment. She added that 681 patients hadn't turned up for follow-ups, raising red flags over the state's ability to retain patients within the treatment net. 'Today, we discussed only East Khasi Hills. But the most alarming numbers are actually from West and East Jaiñtia Hills. The virus is no longer a threat—it's a full-blown crisis,' she warned. The minister said the government would refrain from disclosing location-specific data to prevent stigma but confirmed that Meghalaya's HIV/AIDS burden has reached critical levels. In this context, she said the government was seriously considering making HIV testing compulsory before marriage. 'If Goa can do it, why can't Meghalaya?' Lyngdoh asked, adding that the state may introduce laws for the community's well-being. Lyngdoh said they would now sit with legal experts and the department to see how legislation of this nature can be framed. We're no longer in denial,' the minister said. To be sure, Goa - like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh – has debated the idea of mandating pre-marital testing for nearly two decades but has not enacted a law. For one, it has been argued that mandating testing before marriage would have limited utility if people were having pre-marital sex. UNAIDS and WHO also strongly oppose mandatory or compulsory HIV testing and advocate for voluntary, confidential testing with informed consent. Lyngdoh said the challenge also lies in ramping up testing and ensuring access to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Citing government data, Lyngdoh revealed that 159 patients have died after dropping out of ART treatment, which she called an 'unacceptable' figure. 'HIV/AIDS is not a death sentence. It is manageable like cancer or TB—there's a clear treatment protocol. We just need people to come forward,' she said. However, a large number of people remain reluctant to get tested, which hinders surveillance and treatment efforts. 'There are likely many more in our communities who remain undiagnosed. That's the scariest part,' she cautioned. The minister said unlike other states, Meghalaya hadn't been able to identify the population of injecting drug users. 'That tells us our testing and tracking systems need urgent overhaul,' Lyngdoh said. The government plans to hold region-wise consultations across Garo Hills and Jaiñtia Hills, involving senior doctors and bureaucrats, before finalising a new policy. The policy blueprint, once prepared, will be brought before the cabinet.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘People in Gaza are walking corpses': UN warns as famine deepens
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that the humanitarian system in Gaza is on the verge of collapse, as starvation grips the besieged enclave and even aid workers begin to faint from hunger. 'People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses,' said Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in a post on X. At least 113 people have died of hunger, including 45 in the past four days. 'This deepening crisis is affecting everyone, including those trying to save lives … When caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing,' Lazzarini said. UNRWA says it has around 6,000 truckloads of food and medical supplies waiting in Jordan and Egypt, but Israeli restrictions have blocked most aid from entering Gaza. Lazzarini urged Israel to allow 'unrestricted and uninterrupted' humanitarian access. As international pressure mounts, Hamas submitted a revised ceasefire proposal to mediators. An Israeli official reportedly called it 'workable.' Talks are set to continue in Sardinia with officials from the US, Israel, and Qatar. The proposed deal includes a 60-day ceasefire, during which Hamas would release 10 hostages and return the remains of 18 others in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. It also calls for expanded humanitarian access, a restoration of the UN aid system, and discussions on a permanent end to the war. 'People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses': a colleague in #Gaza told me this morning. Meanwhile, according to @UNRWA latest findings: one in every five children is malnourished in Gaza City as cases increase every day. When child malnutrition… — Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) July 24, 2025 But despite the progress, Israel continues to bombard central Gaza, killing at least 89 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza health officials. Israeli negotiators have returned from Doha for internal consultations, with key sticking points remaining—especially over troop withdrawals and the future of the UN aid distribution system. Since March, Israel has effectively blocked UN-led aid operations, accusing Hamas of diverting supplies—a claim disputed by aid agencies. In its place, Israel allows limited distribution through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private US firm that operates with a militarised model. The system has been widely condemned, with over 1,000 people reportedly killed while trying to access aid in the past two months. Protests in Tel Aviv have erupted, with demonstrators carrying sacks of flour and photos of starving Palestinian children, demanding an end to the blockade. As the World Health Organisation calls the starvation 'man-made,' pressure grows on Israel's government—externally and internally—to end the crisis before more lives are lost.
