Israeli forces kill 63 Palestinian in Gaza within hours of ‘humanitarian pause'
The military said on Sunday it would suspend operations daily from 10am until 8pm in parts of central and northern Gaza, including al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City, and promised to open aid corridors from 6am to 11pm to let in food and medical supplies.
However, within hours of the so-called 'humanitarian pause' taking effect, Israeli forces resumed air raids. One reported strike targeted a bakery in an area designated as a 'safe zone', according to Al Jazeera.
The humanitarian crisis continued to worsen. Health officials reported six more deaths, including of two children, from starvation in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 133.
Among the latest to succumb was five-month-old Zainab Abu Haleeb, who died of malnutrition at the Nasser Hospital.
'Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead,' her mother Israa Abu Haleeb told Al Jazeera.
The World Food Programme said one in three people in Gaza had gone days without food and about half a million were experiencing famine-like conditions.
More than 20 per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding women were malnourished, according to the World Health Organization.
Israel maintains that it is working to improve aid access and denies that famine exists in Gaza. But aid organisations say the situation is catastrophic, with a quarter of the population at risk of acute malnutrition. UN officials say the crisis won't ease unless Israel speeds up the movement of aid convoys through its checkpoints.
A top UN official said last week Palestinians were beginning to resemble 'walking corpses'. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said humanitarian workers were encountering children who were 'emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying' without immediate intervention.
'Families are no longer coping. They're breaking down, unable to survive,' Mr Lazzarini said. 'Their existence is threatened.'
Israel has severely limited the flow of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza, allowing only a small number of trucks to enter each day after enforcing an 11-week total blockade earlier this year.
UN officials warn the current level of aid is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of need.
The Israeli military intercepted an aid ship bound for Gaza that aimed to breach the blockade on the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and confiscating all cargo, including baby formula, food, and medicine, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Sunday.
The group said Israeli forces 'violently intercepted' their vessel, Handala, in international waters around 40 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, cutting off cameras and communication shortly before midnight on Saturday.
'All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade,'' the group said in a statement.
It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israeli forces prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza.
It was reported on Sunday that Jordan and the UAE had begun airdropping aid into the besieged Palestinian territory. But Mr Lazzarini said 'airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation'.
'They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians. It is a distraction & smokescreen,' he said in an X post.
'A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements with dignified access to people in need.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, injured over 144,000, and left most of the densely populated coastal territory in ruins and the majority of its 2.2 million people homeless and starving.
Israel launched the war in October 2023 after nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump's 'mysterious condition' resurfaces during Scotland visit
Donald Trump once again had a mysterious tan makeup caked on his hand Sunday during his trip to Scotland. The splotched hand appeared just weeks after The White House revealed that Trump has been diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency.' Earlier this month, Trump, 79, appeared at a White House press gaggle with what looked like makeup covering a patch on the back of his hand, sparking concerns. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed the president recently 'noticed mild swelling in the lower legs' and was evaluated by the White House medical unit. Leavitt said he underwent a 'comprehensive examination' which included 'diagnostic vascular studies.' 'Bilateral, lower extremity ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency,' Leavitt stated. She said it's a 'common condition' in individuals over the age of 70 and there was 'no evidence' of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease. 'The president remains in excellent health,' Leavitt said overall. The president has spent the past few days in Scotland meeting with everyone from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The makeup covering has been visible in multiple press photos throughout Trump's trip. The makeup appeared to be concealing a raised circular area of skin that Trump's team may have been eager to hide. The splotch has been visible on other occasions throughout the past month, sparking a new round of questions about the cause. Earlier this month, in a surprise statement during a press briefing, Leavitt told reporters the president was checked out by his doctor after noticeable 'swelling.' Leavitt said in response to a question that there was 'no discomfort from the president at all.' She then pointed to his daily activities. 'And you probably all see that on a day-to-day basis, he's working around the clock. As for the treatment, I can defer to the president's physician,' she said. The letter released by White House Physician Sean Barbarella, DO, references 'mild swelling' in Trump's lower legs, and states the diagnosis emerged after a series of vascular studies. Neither Leavitt nor the letter addressed whether Trump would have to modify any of his routines, which include frequent golfing at his private courses on weekends, and his trademark dance moves to 'Y.M.C.A.' when he addresses rally crowds. Leavitt said there was 'no discomfort' for the president at all. Officials have previously mentioned Trump's frequent handshaking – Trump regularly interacts with a large number of people at White House events and when he travels – as the cause of the bruising, but have not previously identified the aspirin issue. The bruising had stayed with Trump from the presidential campaign through his return to the White House. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chronic venous insufficiency occurs when leg veins are damaged, making it more difficult for blood to return to the heart. It 'causes blood to pool in your leg veins, leading to high pressure in those veins.' The condition is fairly common, affecting one in 20 adults, and the risk increases with age. It can lead to achy legs, a feeling of 'pins and needles,' cramping, swelling and itching, as well as 'Leathery-looking skin on your legs.' Up to half the people who have had deep vein thrombosis later develop post-thrombotic syndrome within a year or two. That relates to scar tissue that can develop after a blood clot. Trump was the oldest person to take the Oath of Office when he was sworn in in January at age 78. He has said repeatedly that his predecessor Joe Biden, 82, had no idea what he was doing and this week opened a probe into an alleged 'cover-up' through his use of an autopen for a series of commutations. Trump reposted an item in May calling Biden a 'decrepit [expletive],' days after Biden got a prostate cancer diagnosis. Trump has made a point of demonstrating his own physical and mental vigor – taking question after question from reporters inside the Oval Office, sometimes speaking for up to an hour.
The Guardian
17 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Is it true that … natural salt is healthier than table salt?
Flaky sea salt, pink rock salt, fleur de sel … Thanks to a generation of TV chefs sprinkling gourmet seasonings on dishes with flair, it feels instinctive that these natural, premium versions of sodium chloride are somehow healthier than humble table salt. And many of them market themselves that way – claiming that lower levels of processing and higher levels of minerals like potassium and magnesium make them the superior choice. But Sonia Pombo, a registered nutritionist and head of research and impact at Action on Salt, disagrees. 'The evidence linking a high intake of salt to raised blood pressure is very well documented,' she says. (Overconsumption is also linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer, osteoporosis and kidney problems.) 'Some of these companies may try to convince the public they're better,' she says. 'But if you look at the tiny amounts of magnesium or potassium in these salts, it's laughable. If you want micronutrients, eat a piece of fruit.' The benefits of electrolytes, too, are often overstated, she says. Saline drinks can be helpful if you're recovering from a stomach bug or training like an elite athlete on a restricted salt diet. But for most of us? 'They're not really necessary – we're already eating too much salt.' In the UK, adults are advised to consume no more than six grams of salt a day. The most recent figures show we eat 40% more than that – but even six grams isn't a target to aim for, Pombo says. 'We can survive and thrive on as little as one gram per day.' If you're worried about how much salt you use, the only 'better' kind is low-sodium salt. The real answer is to gradually reduce consumption – slowly, so you don't notice the difference. Cook at home more often and beware of hidden salt in products like bread and sauces.
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Israeli strikes kill 34 in Gaza after some aid restrictions eased
Israeli strikes have killed at least 34 Palestinians, health officials in Gaza said, a day after Israel eased aid restrictions due to a worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel on Sunday announced a pause in military operations in certain areas for 10 hours daily to improve aid flow. Advertisement Alongside the measures, military operations continued. Israel had no immediate comment about the latest strikes, which occurred outside the declared time frame for the pause between 10am and 8pm. Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over Gaza City (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Aid agencies welcomed the new measures but say they are insufficient. Images of emaciated children have sparked global outrage. Most of Gaza's population now relies on aid and accessing food has become increasingly dangerous. Fourteen Palestinians have died of malnutrition-related causes in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the territory's Health Ministry said on Monday. Advertisement They include two children, bringing the total deaths among children from causes related to malnutrition in Gaza to 88 since the war started on October 7, 2023, the ministry said In a statement. The ministry said 59 Palestinian adults also have died of malnutrition-related causes across Gaza since the start of July, when it began counting deaths among adults.
