
Israel limits entry of baby formula in Gaza as infants die of hunger
The American doctor followed her instructions, reducing the baby formula in his luggage to three cans. Once at the Allenby Bridge crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, however, his personal belongings were searched by Israeli security guards manning the terminal on the Palestinian side.
"The baby formula was confiscated," said Nazzal. "What other explanation is there, if it's not that hunger is being used as a weapon of war in the ongoing genocide in Gaza?" Local health workers said baby formula is desperately lacking in the enclave, especially specialized formula for premature babies or lactose-free formula for babies with intolerances. Many mothers, suffering from malnutrition, are unable to breastfeed.

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Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
US government launches health data tracking initiative with Big Tech
The Trump administration is launching a new programme that will allow Americans to share their personal health data across medical systems and apps run by private tech companies. Health officials said the initiative will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness. More than 60 companies, including major tech firms like Google, Amazon, and Apple as well as American health care giants like UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health, have agreed to share patient data in the system. The initiative will focus on diabetes and weight management, conversational artificial intelligence (AI) that helps patients, and digital tools such as QR codes and apps that register patients for check-ins or track medications. 'For decades America's health care networks have been overdue for a high tech upgrade,' US President Donald Trump said during an event with company CEOs at the White House on Wednesday. 'The existing systems are often slow, costly, and incompatible with one another, but with today's announcement, we take a major step to bring health care into the digital age". The system, spearheaded by an administration that has already freely shared highly personal data about Americans in ways that have tested legal bounds, could put patients' desires for more convenience at their doctor's office on a collision course with their expectations that their medical information be kept private. 'There are enormous ethical and legal concerns,' said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University law professor who specialises in public health. 'Patients across America should be very worried that their medical records are going to be used in ways that harm them and their families," he added. US health officials who will maintain the system have said that patients will need to opt in for the sharing of their medical records and data, which will be kept secure. Those officials said patients will benefit from a system that lets them quickly call up their own records without the hallmark difficulties, such as requiring the use of fax machines to share documents, that have prevented them from doing so in the past. How the data could be used Some patients travel from across the US for treatment at the Cleveland Clinic. But they often have a hard time obtaining all their medical records from various providers, said Dr Tomislav Mihaljevic, the hospital system's CEO. He said the new system would eliminate that barrier, which sometimes delays treatment or prevents doctors from making an accurate diagnosis because they do not have a full view of a patient's medical history. Having seamless access to health app data, such as what patients are eating or how much they are exercising, will also help doctors manage obesity and other chronic diseases, Mihaljevic said. 'These apps give us insight about what's happening with the patient's health outside of the physician's office,' he said. However, the US government has done little to regulate health apps or telehealth programmes, and digital privacy advocates are sceptical that patients will be able to count on their data being stored securely, said Jeffrey Chester from the Center for Digital Democracy. The US government already has troves of information on more than 140 million Americans who enroll in public health insurance programmes. Earlier this month, the federal agency agreed to hand over its massive database, including home addresses, to deportation officials. The new initiative would deepen the pool of information on patients for the federal government and tech companies. Medical records typically contain sensitive information, such as doctors' notes about conversations with patients and their substance abuse or mental health history. 'This scheme is an open door for the further use and monetisation of sensitive and personal health information,' Chester said.


France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Israeli troops kill at least 30 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza's north, civil defence agency says
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on Wednesday on Palestinians waiting to collect humanitarian aid in the northern Gaza Strip, giving a preliminary death toll of 30. "At least 30 martyrs were killed ... waiting for aid north of Gaza City," civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding that more than 300 were wounded. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told AFP his facility received 35 bodies of people killed in the shooting. The shooting reportedly happened near the coast, about three kilometres southwest of the Zikim crossing point for aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip from the north. The Israeli army told AFP the reports were under review. 05:13 The deadly shooting came hours after 14 Palestinians were killed in four other separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, three of which occurred near aid distribution sites, the civil defence agency said. In two of these incidents, the army said it had fired warning shots at people approaching the aid sites. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid since May, most near sites run by the Israeli-and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to witnesses, local health officials and the UN human rights office. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. The Gaza Strip has been in the grip of war for almost 22 months and now, according to a UN-mandated report, its two-million-plus inhabitants are facing an unfolding famine as Israel continues to restrict the amount of aid entering the besieged territory. A total of 89 children have died of malnutrition since the war began in Gaza. The territory's health ministry said that 65 Palestinian adults have also died of malnutrition-related causes across Gaza since late June, when it started counting deaths among adults. Under heavy international pressure, Israel announced a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza, but aid workers say much more is needed. International airdrops of aid have also resumed, but many of the parcels have landed in areas that Palestinians have been told to evacuate while others have plunged into the Mediterranean Sea, forcing people to swim out to retrieve drenched bags of flour. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading world authority on hunger crises, has stopped short of declaring famine in Gaza but said Tuesday that the situation has dramatically worsened and warned of "widespread death" without immediate action. Israel's Gaza campaign was triggered by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 60,138 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry.


France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Gaza civil defence says 14 killed by Israeli fire
The territory has been in the grip of war for almost 22 months and now, according to a UN-mandated report, its two-million-plus inhabitants are facing an unfolding famine. Gaza's civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Basal said six people were killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution centre northwest of Rafah. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at a group of people who approached its troops hundreds of metres (yards) away from the aid centre and hours before its opening. The civil defence agency said two people were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for aid near Netzarim junction, while four were killed while waiting for aid near the Wadi Gaza bridge. The Israeli army acknowledged opening fire near an aid site in the central Gaza Strip, where both Wadi Gaza and Netzarim are located, but said its assessment was that there were no casualties. The civil defence agency said an air strike near the territory's sole Catholic church, the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, killed two people. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. The war was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 60,034 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run government's health ministry. Since the weekend, Israel has observed a daytime pause in military operations on secure routes and in built-up areas to facilitate aid delivery and distribution. The move was announced amid an international outcry over the deepening hunger crisis facing Palestinian civilians.