'Monstrous...': Netanyahu Rages As Starmer Backs Palestinian Statehood, Warns Of Consequences
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Business Standard
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- Business Standard
$30 potatoes, $300 flour: Food prices reach extraordinary heights in Gaza
AdAm RAsgon & Ashley Wu Deadly chaos and violence have engulfed aid distribution in Gaza since Israel reconstituted the system in May as part of what it said was an effort to keep aid out of the hands of Hamas. The mayhem — and the limited amount of aid entering the enclave in the first place — has led many Palestinians to give up trying to get humanitarian aid, even though starvation is mounting. One of the few alternatives has been to buy food from markets in Gaza, which are stocked with a combination of aid materials — some of which may have been looted — commercial goods, and small amounts of locally grown produce. But the prices of many basic goods have skyrocketed. 'Have I ever seen this anywhere else to this extent?' Arif Husain, the chief economist at the UN World Food Programme, said in a phone interview on Wednesday. 'Absolutely not.' Sugar now costs about $106 per kilogram, compared with 89 cents before the war. Flour is $12 per kilogram, compared with 42 cents. Tomatoes are $30 per kilogram, compared with 59 cents — according to data published this week by the Gaza Governorate Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The data were collected by some of the chamber's staff members, who have been conducting surveys at markets in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Khan Younis. An emergency committee representing chambers of commerce in multiple areas of the enclave authorized the Gaza Governorate chamber to conduct the surveys and publish the results. 'The prices are insane — totally insane,' said Mohammad Fares, 24, a resident of Gaza City who was staying with a relative alongside his parents and two brothers because his family's home was destroyed earlier in the war. He has lost more than 50 pounds since the start of the war, he said. Fares said that he was unwilling to risk his life by going to aid sites, describing them as 'death traps' where Israeli soldiers fatally shoot people and desperate Palestinians threaten one another with knives. (The Israeli military has said that its forces have fired 'warning shots' when people approached its forces outside aid sites in what it described as a threatening manner.) Staying alive, Fares said, required his family to dig into what remains of its savings to purchase small quantities of flour and lentils. His family was no longer purchasing vegetables and fruits, which had long exceeded what they could afford, he added. 'At a certain level, people get priced out,' Husain said. 'The prices are so high that they become meaningless.' The focus, he said, becomes getting small amounts of the most essential goods. The instability in the supply of goods has caused drastic price fluctuations. For example, the price of flour reached $891 for a 25-kilogram sack on July 20, dipped to $223 on Sunday, and climbed to $334 on Wednesday, data from the enclave's Chamber of Commerce showed. The same amount of flour cost a little over $10 before the war.
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First Post
a few seconds ago
- First Post
Trump suspects Netanyahu prolonging Gaza war for political gain, but unlikely to act: Report
President Trump increasingly suspects that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is extending the war in Gaza for political gain and obstructing ceasefire efforts, according to a report, citing two unnamed administration officials read more President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a news conference in the East Room of the White House, on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. AP File US President Donald Trump increasingly suspects that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is extending the war in Gaza for political gain and obstructing ceasefire efforts, according to The Atlantic report, citing two unnamed administration officials. Despite these concerns, the officials said it is unlikely Trump will take any serious action against Netanyahu. A White House official told the publication that 'there is no significant rupture' in the relationship, adding, 'allies can sometimes disagree, even in a very real way.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Prime Minister Netanyahu's stance is complicating President Trump's efforts to stabilise the region and advance trade and business initiatives, reported The Atlantic. According to the report, citing US officials, one reason for envoy Steve Witkoff's current visit to Israel is to conduct an independent review of Israel's aid delivery to Gaza, amid Trump's rising concern over reports of a growing hunger crisis. Despite feeling slighted by Netanyahu, President Trump's frustration has not led to any major change in US policy. He continues to hold Hamas responsible for the latest collapse in ceasefire negotiations and has declined to align with France and the United Kingdom, who this week pledged to recognise a Palestinian state if Israel fails to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza and commit to a peace process. On Thursday morning, seemingly trying to set aside his differences with Netanyahu, Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!' A few weeks ago, President Trump and PM Netanyahu exchanged gestures of symbolic significance: Trump publicly criticised the 'out-of-control' prosecutors handling Netanyahu's corruption trial, while Netanyahu nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize he has long sought. However, the goodwill from these moves quickly faded, overshadowed by deeper tensions between the two leaders. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In recent days, Trump has openly distanced himself from Netanyahu, rejecting his efforts to downplay Gaza's famine. Disturbed by images of starving children, Trump sent envoy Steve Witkoff to pressure Israel on aid access. The White House was also caught off guard by Israeli strikes in Syria and a missile that hit Gaza's only Catholic church. With inputs from agencies
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First Post
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- First Post
Israel pledged $30 million to Gaza aid group GHF, Trump officials told Congress
Palestinian walk carrying sacks of flour near Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on July 27, 2025, after trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered into northern Gaza coming from the Zikim border crossing. AFP Senior officials from the Trump administration informed Congress this month that Israel has pledged $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), mirroring a similar amount previously committed by the United States, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters. The contribution, not publicly disclosed until now, supports a controversial armed private aid initiative in Gaza. While the US State Department had announced its $30 million grant to GHF in June, the identities of other donors to the foundation have largely remained unknown, as GHF does not reveal its funding sources. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD GHF's operations in southern Gaza have drawn criticism from humanitarian groups and the United Nations, which label the aid effort as both unsafe and ineffective—allegations the foundation denies. Despite mounting global pressure over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel has continued to back GHF's work. According to the sources, Aryeh Lightstone and Charles Leith—advisers to Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff—briefed members of the U.S. Senate and House committees on July 8 and 9 about the foundation's activities. During these sessions, they confirmed that Israel had agreed to match the American contribution, ensuring the group's operations would be funded through July. Neither Lightstone nor Leith responded to interview requests. The White House redirected inquiries to the State Department, which, along with the Israeli government, declined to comment. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US had dispensed $60 million for Gaza humanitarian aid. The State Department, however, has made no other announcements beyond the $30 million approved for the GHF in June. A third source familiar with the matter said some U.S. officials believe Trump likely was conflating the US and Israeli funds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lightstone and Leith told Congress the hope was that by August, other donors would see GHF's success and contribute to its operation, allowing the foundation to double its distribution sites from four to eight, according to the sources. Reuters could not verify whether Israel had disbursed the $30 million to GHF, which uses private for-profit US military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution to its sites. Speaking on Wednesday to the Hudson Institute think tank, GHF Executive Chairman Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, a former evangelical adviser to the White House during Trump's first term, said that as a private U.S. charity, the foundation did not have to disclose its donors. He indicated that GHF required more money. 'The biggest problem is just we need more of it, and $30 million is not going to get it done,' he said, in an apparent reference to the U.S. contribution. GHF said in an email to Reuters that it was focused on distributing as much food as was safely possible and was continuing to press the Israeli government to allow it to open additional distribution sites, including in northern Gaza. It declined to comment on its donors or funding. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD STARVATION IN GAZA GHF has been criticized by the United Nations, aid groups and others over what they say is an unsafe aid distribution model and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, allegations that GHF denies. Israel alleges that the U.N.-led aid system that has traditionally served the residents of Gaza has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the accusation. A recent US government internal analysis found no evidence of systematic theft of U.S.-funded aid by Hamas. Starvation has been spreading in Gaza, and a hunger monitor on Tuesday said a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding and immediate action is needed to avoid widespread death. In his Wednesday remarks, Moore denied that famine is developing. 'That's made up. There's not a famine. There's acute hunger. There's not enough food in the Gaza Strip,' he said. Gaza health authorities have been reporting increasing deaths from hunger-related causes and images of emaciated Palestinian children have drawn international condemnation. Trump this week declared that many people were starving, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said there was no starvation in the densely populated coastal enclave, largely destroyed by Israel's military offensive that has killed over 60,000 people according to Gaza health officials. Trump promised to set up new food centers and said the top priority in Gaza was feeding people. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gaza's food stocks have been running out since Israel, at war with Palestinian militant group Hamas since its fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in October 2023 according to Israeli tallies, cut off all supplies to the territory in March. That blockade was lifted in May but with restrictions that Israel says are needed to prevent aid being diverted to militant groups. Israel says it has no aim to starve Gaza. This week it announced steps to allow more aid in, including pausing fighting in some locations, air-dropping food and offering more secure routes. With inputs from agencies
