The Mick Clifford Podcast: John Whyte on fighting disaster in Gaza
Before joining the UNRWA refugee agency, John oversaw the regeneration of Fatima Mansions that is considered a template of how to tackle disadvantage in this country.
Today, as senior deputy director of UNRWA his brief is to alleviate the catastrophe that Gaza is now turning into.
During a recent visit home, John spoke to the podcast. Listen below:
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The Journal
21 hours ago
- The Journal
Couple walk from Donegal to Leinster House to highlight devastation in Gaza
A COUPLE HAVE reached Leinster House after setting off from Donegal last Friday to highlight the devastating situation in Gaza. Dr Mireille and John Sweeney set off from their home in Ardara, Co Donegal, having felt compelled to take some form of action. Speaking to The Journal , Mireille, who is Jewish and originally from France, explained that she and her husband have been filled with horror watching the events unfold in the Gaza Strip. Mireille, a recently retired GP, has been living in Ireland since 1984. She told The Journal that both her great-grandfathers were rabbis, and her grandfather's extended family were killed in the Holocaust. Advertisement 'I just couldn't cope with the fact that what is happening in Palestine is what the Jewish suffered, and it is Israel who is causing that,' she said. She added that Israel is committing a genocide upon the people of Gaza. 'It's nothing to do about being antisemitic,' she said. 'I am Jewish – and you can't let a genocide happen.' It was John's idea on Thursday that the two should set off on the walk to the capital city the following day. 'We're not walkers,' Mireille said, 'but we just headed off and that was it.' The couple completed the walk themselves, but were often joined by others for parts of the day as they made their way across the country. They arrived in Blanchardstown yesterday and continued on this morning. They were met by a number of groups at Leinster House, including Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine. John hopes that the couple's march to the capital will be replicated and apply pressure upon the Irish government to take further action on the humanitarian crisis within Gaza. Related Reads Gaza mother: 'My children ask for food, and I can give them nothing' Simon Harris says he will try to make a 'national day of protest over Gaza' happen 'Humanitarian city' for Palestinians would be a 'concentration camp', says former Israeli PM As a healthcare professional, Mireille expressed horror at the targeting of medical professionals and aid workers within the territory. When she spoke to The Journal this afternoon, Mireille said that the group were heading towards the French Embassy in Dublin to spread their message further. Today, in a similar fashion, former Clare All-Star hurler Tony Griffin began a 200km walk from his home in Co Kildare to his native Co Clare in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Griffin said that he is undertaking the journey over the next number of days to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
26-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Gaza aid airdrops won't solve 'deepening starvation'
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said that planned airdrops of aid into Gaza would not solve severe food shortages caused by months of restrictions on the entry of supplies. "Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X, calling the wave of hunger affecting Gaza "man made". An Israeli official said yesterday that aid drops in Gaza would resume soon, adding they would be conducted by the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory has gravely deteriorated in recent days, with international NGOs warning of soaring malnutrition among children. "Lift the siege, open the gates & guarantee safe movements + dignified access to people in need," Mr Lazzarini said, referring to the various entry points under Israeli control that regulate access into Gaza. Israel imposed a total blockade on the entry of aid into Gaza on 2 March after talks to extend a ceasefire broke down. It began to allow a trickle of aid to enter again in late May. The UN and NGOs on the ground have decried the severe scarcity facing Gaza's 2.4 million people, with shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel. #Gaza: airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians. It is a distraction & screensmoke. A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates & guarantee safe movements… — Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) July 26, 2025 Israel's military said that the country did "not limit the number of trucks going into the Gaza Strip", and that humanitarian organisations and the UN were not collecting the aid once it was inside the territory. Humanitarian organisations accuse the Israeli army of imposing excessive restrictions on the goods allowed into Gaza and on the routes made available to transport the aid to distribution points. The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, France and other countries carried out airdrops in Gaza in 2024, at a time when the transport of aid on land routes also faced restrictions. Many in the humanitarian community consider such drops to be ineffective and dangerous due to the relatively small volumes of deliveries and the risk of aid seekers being killed by landing crates, as has previously happened in Gaza. UK 'taking forward' plan to airdrop food into Gaza Earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told French and German leaders that the UK will be "taking forward" plans to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance in Gaza with partners like Jordan. Mr Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz agreed to work "closely together on a plan" to "pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region", Downing Street said. In a readout of the Prime Minister's call with the French President and German Chancellor, a Number 10 spokesperson said: "The three leaders talked about the situation in Gaza, which they agreed is appalling, and emphasised the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, for Israel to lift all restrictions on aid and urgently provide those suffering in Gaza with the food they so desperately need. The leaders all agreed it would be "vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace". They discussed their intention to "work closely together on a plan, building on their collaboration to date, which would pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region." "They agreed that once this plan was worked up, they would seek to bring in other key partners, including in the region, to advance it. Mr Starmer also rejected calls from MPs to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, while Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that recognising the State of Palestine before it is established could be counterproductive. Some 221 MPs have signed a letter urging the British Government to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the UN next week. The UK would follow in the footsteps of France if it did, after Mr Macron announced on Thursday that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. Senior Labour MP Sarah Champion, who co-ordinated the cross-party letter, said recognition "would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people". While Mr Starmer said he was "unequivocal" about wanting to see a Palestinian state, he insisted this needed to be part of a "wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis". The UK and its allies must work together to broker a peace, he added, likening the effort to the coalition of the willing to support Ukraine. US President Donald Trump, who is currently visiting Scotland, has said Mr Macron's announcement was "not going to change anything". Ms Meloni meanwhile said that while she was very much in favour of a Palestinian state, she was "not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it". "If something that doesn't exist is recognised on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn't," Ms Meloni added. France's decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September drew condemnation from Israel and the United States, amid the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. Yesterday, Italy's foreign minister said recognition of a Palestinian state must occur simultaneously with recognition of Israel by the new Palestinian entity. A German government spokesperson said that Berlin was not planning to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term and said its priority now is to make "long-overdue progress" towards a two-state solution.
The Irish Sun
25-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
‘Despicable disgrace', fumes Bob Geldof branding Israeli government's Gaza actions ‘unconscionable' given their history
BOB Geldof has blasted the Israeli government's role in Gaza humanitarian crisis 'a despicable disgrace'. The Live Aid founder's comment comes amid warnings from The Live Aid founder said the He added: 'Their government is clearly out of control, and their 'It is so utterly bizarre that we're talking about Israel, given the horror of their own past. It is bewildering to me. 'I was the founding patron of the Aegis Trust for Genocide Studies, which is a branch of the READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS 'Were they alive now? They would possibly die of shame. The shame of this, the shame for Israel... This is unconscionable.' As of July 13, the UN has recorded 875 people killed in And at least 48 people have died of malnutrition last month. Gaza hospitals have recorded nine new deaths due to starvation over 24 hours, raising the total number of malnutrition deaths to 122, according to the MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN The UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine has claimed that 6,000 trucks carrying food and essential aid are currently blocked just outside Gaza. They also warned that one in five children in the strip is now malnourished. 'COMPLETELY UNBEARABLE' The UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine has warned that one in five Chief executive Philippe Lazzarini has called on Israel to allow 'unrestricted and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to Gaza.' UNRWA's senior emergency officer Louise Waterbridge has also described the situation on the ground as 'completely unbearable,' with hundreds stepping over bodies at aid centres in search of food. The 'What are we living in? I cannot look at those pictures. Obviously, they remind me of 1984, but in completely different circumstances.' 1 Bob Geldof has blasted the Israeli government Credit: Getty Images - Getty
