LIVE: Israel kills 37 in Gaza, 6 in Syria; US continues bombing Yemen
Date: 9m ago (00:15 GMT)
Title: Hamas says it wants to stop the war
Content: Husam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau, says that the group is 'keen to stop the war and the bloodshed'.
In a statement on Telegram, Badran said Israel 'did not respect' the ceasefire agreement and instead 'continued its war and aggression'.
He added that 'Netanyahu refuses to negotiate' and criticised the US, saying that 'the American side is not a mediator, but biased and supportive of the [Israeli] occupation'.
Update:
Date: 14m ago (00:10 GMT)
Title: Israeli forces bomb northern Gaza, killing 3
Content: Our correspondent in Gaza is reporting that an Israeli warplane has bombed a house in Jabalia.
At least three people were killed, while several others were injured and are missing under the rubble.
We'll bring you more soon.
Update:
Date: 17m ago (00:07 GMT)
Title: WATCH: 24 hours of Israeli atrocities in Gaza
Content: A hospital bombed, civilians targeted, journalists killed. These are some of the atrocities carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip in just 24 hours.
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Update:
Date: 21m ago (00:03 GMT)
Title: A recap of recent developments
Content:
Update:
Date: 24m ago (00:00 GMT)
Title: Welcome to our live coverage
Content: Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of Israel's war on Gaza and the occupied West Bank, as well as its attacks on Lebanon.
Follow this page for round-the-clock updates on the latest developments.
You can find all our updates from Tuesday, March 25, here.
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Al Jazeera
5 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel says it's distributing aid in Gaza, so why are people starving?
One hundred twenty-seven people, 85 of them children, have died from hunger or malnutrition as a result of Israel's siege of Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked all aid to Gaza in March, claiming that it was to pressure Hamas into accepting a ceasefire that Israel broke unilaterally later that month. This week, the Israeli government has blamed the United Nations for the situation, even accusing its aid agency of working with Hamas to restrict food from getting to people. This was not the first time Israel blocked aid from entering Gaza. In March 2024, Israel stopped UN aid convoys from reaching northern Gaza as it attempted to starve the population there into fleeing. In September, 15 international aid organisations said Israel was blocking 83 percent of Gaza's aid. In both instances, Israel denied blocking aid, blaming either UN inefficiency or Hamas for aid not reaching people in areas it has claimed to control for much of the war. So, what has Israel said, and does it accept that a man-made famine is under way in Gaza? Here's what we know. So is there no aid system in Gaza now? After receiving much criticism over the increased threat of famine that its siege had inflicted on Gaza, Israel, along with its US ally, backed the creation of the GHF in May. The GHF was intended to replace the UN and international aid agencies, which have operated some 400 aid distribution points across Gaza, with four erratically operated distribution points in Gaza's centre and south. Since May, the Israeli military and private contractors, understood to be American, have killed more than 1,000 people trying to access food at GHF distribution points. There are still some limited UN aid distribution operations, but they are so severely restricted that their effect cannot be felt. Does Israel accept that there's starvation in Gaza? It does not. On Friday, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is responsible for coordinating aid into Gaza, contradicted the claims of numerous aid agencies, asserting that 'there is no famine in the Gaza Strip'. However, it said, there were 'pockets' across Gaza where people had 'issues of access to food'. So Israel claims that there's enough aid being distributed? Not so much. Israel claims that shortfalls are occurring because much of the aid lies 'rotting in the sun' because the UN has not distributed it. Israel's military radio, Kan, recently reported that the Israeli army has burned or buried some 1,000 trucks' worth of aid that it deemed spoiled or expired. David Mencer, a spokesperson for Netanyahu's office, told the BBC on Friday that the UN in Gaza is a 'billion-dollar racket' and accused the UN of working with Hamas to 'restrict … aid to its own people'. Mercer did not provide any reason as to why the UN might do that, or any evidence to back his claims. Is the UN working with Hamas? Not according to the UN itself. On Wednesday, addressing the UN Security Council, Israel's ambassador, Danny Danon, accused UN aid chief, Tom Fletcher, as well as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, of somehow being affiliated with Hamas. Danon provided no evidence. Responding in writing the following day, Fletcher said, 'I expect the Israeli authorities to immediately share any evidence that led them to make such claims.' In January 2024, Israel accused another UN aid body, the UN Relief and Works Agency, of working with Hamas. An independent review into Israel's allegations concluded in April 2024 that it had provided no evidence to support its claim. Is Hamas stealing aid? Not according to Israel's military and its principal ally, the US. Citing unnamed Israeli military officials, The New York Times reported on Saturday that the UN aid operation was relatively reliable and less vulnerable to interference than others, adding that there was no evidence Hamas regularly stole from the UN. An internal report by the US's development agency, USAID, in late June also concluded that there was no evidence of the systematic looting of US-provided aid by Hamas. So far, the only evidence of aid being systematically looted points to criminal gangs now partnering with Israel and the GHF. So, why isn't aid reaching people in Gaza? Months of Israel's siege have led to the effective breakdown of Gaza's society, with food convoys at risk of being overwhelmed by starving, desperate crowds, the UN says. To deliver aid to where it is needed, the UN would need the support of the Israeli military. On Wednesday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said half of the 16 food distribution requests submitted to the Israeli military had been refused. 'Bureaucratic … and other operational obstacles imposed by Israeli authorities; ongoing hostilities and access constraints within Gaza; and incidents of criminal looting, and more shooting incidents that have killed and injured people gathering to offload aid supplies along convoy routes' have limited efforts to deliver aid, Dujarric told reporters. What is the outcome of that? Starvation. As we noted above, 122 people, most of whom are children, have already died of starvation in Gaza. Death through hunger occurs over three stages. The first starts as early as a skipped meal; the second comes with any prolonged period of fasting when the body relies on stored fats for energy. The third, and often fatal, stage is when all stored fats have been depleted and the body turns to bone and muscle as sources of energy. It is, according to Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan, a British-Egyptian paediatrician and neurologist who has volunteered in Gaza, 'a very cruel, slow death'. Why have more children died than adults? Because their bodies are using less to do more. Children, especially infants and toddlers, have much less muscle and fat to draw on during famine, while their basic metabolism is working harder as they grow. The outcome is that they have a much-reduced buffer when food intake stops. What are the chances that Israel's siege might end? Nobody knows. Netanyahu's right-wing coalition has so far seemed immune to international outrage and internal dissent over its war on Gaza. It dismisses the accusations of engaging in crimes against humanity and disregarding international law as 'anti-Semitic' and 'blood libel'. In the minds of most analysts, the only power with the influence capable of restraining Israel in Gaza and the region is US President Donald Trump. However, predicting how the notoriously mercurial US president may behave is generally regarded as a job beyond the abilities of most analysts.
Al Jazeera
19 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Polls open in Taiwan's key ‘recall election' closely watched by China
Polls have opened in Taiwan's high-stakes recall election that could give President William William Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) control of parliament, and send what his supporters describe as a strong rebuke to China. Saturday's polls on whether to recall one-fifth of the island's parliament, all from the major Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party, have been denounced by critics as an assault on democracy. But Taiwan's government has also accused China of 'unprecedented' interference in the democratic process of the island. Polling stations opened at 8am local time (00:00 GMT) with 24 Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers facing potential recall. A recall election for an additional seven KMT lawmakers will be held on August 23. President Lai's DPP needs to unseat a minimum of 12 KMT lawmakers to gain temporary control of parliament, with risk analysis firm Eurasia Group giving that outcome 'a 60 percent probability'. Lai's party would then need to flip six seats in by-elections – that will follow the recall vote – later this year to cement its dominance in Taiwan's 113-seat parliament. The DPP and KMT held rain-soaked rallies in the days leading up to the critical vote, which has dominated Taiwanese politics, newspaper headlines and social media feeds for months. While Lai won last year's presidential election, the DPP lost its legislative majority. That has allowed the opposition to flex its legislative muscles since then to pass laws the government has opposed and impose government budget cuts, complicating efforts to boost defence spending, in particular. Taiwan has been trying to increase its military budget amid threats from China, which considers the island part of its territory. The domestic political drama comes as China ramps up a military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert its territorial claims over the island, which Lai and his government reject. Lai has offered talks with China many times but has been rebuffed by Beijing, which has called him a 'separatist'. The heated recall campaign was closely watched by China, whose Taiwan Affairs Office and Chinese state media have repeatedly commented on and even used the KMT's talking points to lambaste Lai. Taipei said this week that Beijing was 'clearly' trying to interfere in the vote, and it was up to the Taiwanese people to decide who should be removed or stay in office. Those supporting the recall vote have accused the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending and bringing chaos to parliament. The KMT, which is more conciliatory to China, rejects those accusations and has denounced Lai's 'dictatorship' and 'green terror' – referring to the DPP's party colour. Polls close at 4pm local time (08:00 GMT) and results should become clear later in the evening.
Qatar Tribune
19 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar reaffirms its rejection of using food, starvation of civilians as weapon of war
The State of Qatar has reiterated its rejection of the use of food and the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, calling on the international community to compel Israel to allow the safe, sustained, and unobstructed entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, to be distributed by international humanitarian organizations. This came in a statement delivered by Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani during the UN Security Council's quarterly open debate on 'The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question' (MEPQ), held at UN Headquarters in New York. She emphasized that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is beyond description, amid widespread famine, the collapse of infrastructure and the healthcare system, the spread of disease, and a death toll surpassing 58,000, including nearly 18,000 children. She affirmed the State of Qatar's strong condemnation of Israel's ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and residential areas, stressing that the forced displacement of Palestinians in any form constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. Sheikha Alya also stated that Qatar has made sincere efforts, in coordination with Egypt and the United States, to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. She noted that past diplomatic efforts had yielded tangible results through previously reached agreements, and that current mediation efforts are ongoing to bridge the gap between the parties and secure an urgent agreement. She further condemned the statements made by Israel's Minister of Justice regarding the annexation of the West Bank, describing them as a continuation of illegal settlement policies and a flagrant violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2334. She also denounced the approval of new settlement construction, and the attacks carried out by settlers as part of an ongoing series of crimes against the unarmed Palestinian population. She called for urgent international action to protect civilians and to ensure accountability for those responsible. She conveyed Qatar's condemnation of attempts by the Israeli occupation to alter the religious and historical status of holy sites, including the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli officials and settlers, the closure of the Jerusalem Fund, and the transfer of authority over Al Ibrahimi Mosque to a Jewish religious council. She said Qatar warned of the risks of regional spillover due to the conflict and condemned Israel's attacks on Syria, reaffirming its support for the Syrian Arab Republic's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for stability and development. She also reaffirmed the State of Qatar's principled and unwavering support for Lebanon, its unity and territorial integrity, and called for the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from all Lebanese territory, urging all parties to uphold the ceasefire agreement. She expressed the State of Qatar's welcome of the upcoming United Nations High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution to be co-chaired next week by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic. Qatar hopes the conference will yield tangible results and clear international commitments, serving as a foundational step toward full UN membership for the State of Palestine. Sheikha Alya concluded by reaffirming Qatar's principled and consistent stance in support of a just and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue, based on international legitimacy and ensuring the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. She stressed that Qatar will spare no effort in facilitating and supporting efforts toward achieving this goal.
