Bloodied children rushed from Gaza tent camp reportedly hit by shelling
Heartbreaking scenes from the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City showed bloodied children being taken from the wreckage of a tent camp where at least six people were reportedly killed by Israeli shelling.
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Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Ex-DOGE official rushed Trump‑backed GHF grant despite staff warnings
A top US Department of State official waived nine mandatory counterterrorism and anti-fraud safeguards to rush a $30m award last month to a controversial Gaza aid group backed by the Trump administration and Israel, according to an internal memorandum. Jeremy Lewin, a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) associate, signed off on the award despite an assessment in the memorandum that the GHF funding plan failed to meet required 'minimum technical or budgetary standards'. The June 24 action memorandum to Lewin was sent by Kenneth Jackson, also a former DOGE operative who serves as an acting deputy US Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator. The pair has overseen the agency's dismantling and the merger of its functions into the State Department. Lewin also overrode 58 objections that USAID staff experts wanted GHF to resolve in its application before the funds were approved, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Lewin, who runs the State Department's foreign aid programme, cleared the funds only five days after GHF filed its proposal on June 19, according to the June 24 'action memorandum' bearing his signature. 'Strong Admin support for this one,' Lewin wrote to USAID leaders in a June 25 email that urged disbursement of the funds by the agency 'ASAP'. Lewin and Jackson have not issued comments on the matter. The documents underline the priority the Trump administration has given GHF despite the group's lack of experience and the killing of hundreds of Palestinians near its Gaza aid distribution hubs. GHF, which closely coordinates with the Israeli military, has acknowledged reports of violence, but claims they occurred beyond its operations area. Lewin noted in the email that he had discussed the funds with aides to Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's negotiator on Gaza, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's office. He acknowledged that authorising the funds would be controversial, writing, 'I'm taking the bullet on this one.' 'Inhumane and deadly' The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Witkoff and Rubio did not reply to a question about whether they were aware of and supported the decision to waive the safeguards, according to the Reuters news agency. The State Department said in a statement that the $30m was approved under a legal provision allowing USAID to expedite awards in response to 'emergency situations' to 'meet humanitarian needs as expeditiously as possible'. 'The GHF award remains subject to rigorous oversight, including of GHF's operations and finances,' the statement said. 'As part of the award, GHF was subject to new control and reporting requirements'. In response to a request for comment, a GHF spokesperson said, 'Our model is specifically designed to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Every dollar we receive is safeguarded to ensure all resources — which will eventually include American taxpayer funds — reach the people of Gaza.' The spokesperson added that such requests for clarification from the US government about fund applications were routine. Speaking about the nine conditions that were waived, the spokesperson said, 'We are addressing each question as per regulations and normal procedure and will continue to do so as required.' Gaza's Health Ministry has said at least 743 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,891 others injured while seeking assistance at GHF aid sites. The GHF, which began operating in the bombarded Palestinian enclave in late May, has drawn widespread criticism amid multiple reports that its contractors, as well as Israeli forces, have opened fire on aid seekers. Leading humanitarian and human rights groups have demanded the immediate closure of the GHF, which they accused of 'forcing two million people into overcrowded, militarised zones where they face daily gunfire and mass casualties'. Amnesty International has described the group's operations as an 'inhumane and deadly militarised scheme', while the UN insists that the model is violating humanitarian principles. Palestinians under bombardment in Gaza, where a famine looms as Israel maintains a crippling blockade, have no choice but to seek aid from the GHF despite the risks involved.
Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel says it launched ‘special, targeted operations' in southern Lebanon
Israeli troops have entered southern Lebanon, the military says, to dismantle infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah, in its latest near-daily violation of its November ceasefire with the Lebanese armed group. The military said in a statement on Wednesday that it had launched 'special, targeted operations' to destroy Hezbollah facilities and prevent the group from 'reestablishing itself in the area'. It claimed the ground incursion had been launched, acting on 'intelligence information and the identification of Hezbollah weapons and terrorist infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon'. The army statement said the 9th Brigade was in the Labbouneh area, while troops from the 300th Brigade were operating in the Jabal Blat area further west – both within sight of the border. It shared a video captioned 'footage from a targeted nighttime operation of the 9th Brigade in southern Lebanon', troops were shown walking on the ground. The army has not commented on whether the incursion marks the first time it has operated on the ground in Lebanon since agreeing to the United States-brokered ceasefire in November 2024. Since striking the deal, which sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah – including several months of all-out war – Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes across Lebanon, including multiple strikes on the capital, Beirut. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, but numerous civilians have been killed and wounded, and residential buildings were destroyed. Israeli attacks across Lebanon The new operation was announced as Israel intensified its strikes in Lebanon amid Hezbollah's weakened position, the Lebanese army staying on the sidelines and the international community's failure to pressure Israel to abide by the truce. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has repeatedly asked the US and Israel to rein in Israel's attacks on the country. On Sunday, the Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the group remains open to peace, but it will not disarm or back down from confronting Israel until it ends its air raids and withdraws from southern Lebanon. 'We cannot be asked to soften our stance or lay down arms while [Israeli] aggression continues,' Qassem told thousands of supporters gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs for Ashura, an important day in the Shia Muslim calendar. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the region. Israel was required to fully withdraw its troops from the country, but has kept them in five locations it deems strategic to its own interests. Thomas Barrack, an adviser to US President Donald Trump who serves as Washington's ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, returned to Beirut on Monday, praising the Lebanese government's response to a US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah amid Israel's continued military presence in the country. Since the Gaza war started in October 2023, Israel has also carried out attacks against members of Palestinian factions that maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in camps for Palestinian refugees. On Tuesday, an Israeli strike on a vehicle near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli killed at least three people and injured 13 others, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Health. The military later announced that it had killed Mehran Mustafa Ba'jur in the strike, describing him as one of Hamas's key commanders in Lebanon. It underscored that Israel's assaults are being launched across the country, not just in the south. It was the first time an Israeli assassination had taken place in the area since the truce.
Al Jazeera
9 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
US mercenaries linked to GHF fund 'engaged in horrific crimes'
US mercenaries linked to GHF fund 'engaged in horrific crimes' Quotable Annelle Sheline, a former US State Department official, says the US is complicit in crimes against Palestinians and violating international law alongside Israel. Video Duration 01 minutes 02 seconds 01:02 Video Duration 00 minutes 48 seconds 00:48 Video Duration 01 minutes 05 seconds 01:05 Video Duration 00 minutes 59 seconds 00:59 Video Duration 01 minutes 06 seconds 01:06 Video Duration 01 minutes 29 seconds 01:29 Video Duration 01 minutes 00 seconds 01:00
