‘Last lifelines' are collapsing in Gaza, says UN chief
A man and woman riding in a donkey-drawn cart carrying a water cistern while smoke billows behind them from Israeli bombardment, in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on July 21.
UNITED NATIONS, United States - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on July 21 condemned the 'accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions' in Gaza after more than 21 months of Israel's war with Hamas.
'The last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing,' his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
The United Nations chief 'deplores the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition.'
More than two dozen Western countries July 21 also
called for an immediate end to the war, saying that suffering had 'reached new depths' as Israel's military
expanded its operations to Gaza's central city of Deir el-Balah.
'The Secretary-General notes that the intensification of hostilities in recent days comes as the humanitarian system is being impeded, undermined and endangered,' Mr Dujarric said.
'A new evacuation order in parts of Deir el-Balah – home to tens of thousands – pushes people into more desperate conditions and further displacement and restricts the United Nations' ability to deliver life-saving aid.' AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
16 minutes ago
- Straits Times
New Mandai North Crematorium, ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15
Find out what's new on ST website and app. SINGAPORE – The new Mandai North Crematorium and an ash-scattering garden will open on Aug 15, built in anticipation of more annual deaths with Singapore's ageing population. The crematorium will be the country's fourth such facility, and the second to be overseen by the Government. Bookings for available cremation slots will be released from Aug 9. The current sole government-operated crematorium, Mandai Crematorium, handles more than 90 per cent of all cremations in Singapore. The rest are done in two private crematoriums. There were 26,442 deaths in Singapore in 2024, and this is projected to rise to about 40,000 by 2040, according to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. The new Garden of Serenity is Singapore's second inland ash-scattering facility, following the opening of the first in Choa Chu Kang Cemetery in 2021. The new garden is approximately 750 sq m in size. The demand for inland ash scattering has risen, with such requests almost tripling from 900 in 2021 to more than 2,300 in 2024 , the National Environment Agency (NEA) told The Straits Times in May. The new crematorium and garden will enable the Government to continue serving the nation's needs in the years ahead, NEA said in a statement on July 28. The cost to scatter the ashes at either garden is $320. The garden is open from 9am to 5.30pm daily. The Garden of Serenity is located right beside the new crematorium to give easy access to those who wish to scatter their loved one's ashes immediately. A nearby carpark ensures the garden is accessible to those who bring the ashes from home. At the garden, there are four lanes lined with pebbles for families to scatter the ashes. Trees and hedges are planted in between the lanes to provide privacy for families . Similar to the Garden of Peace in Choa Chu Kang, religious ceremonies or rites such as the burning of joss sticks, food offerings or playing of music are not allowed within the garden, to maintain a clean and serene environment. Families and visitors can use a prayer facility beside the garden to conduct simple rites. A section of the Garden of Serenity, where ash can be scattered on the stretch of pebbles provided. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Users can apply for ash scattering on NEA's ePortal, The Mandai North Crematorium has been in the works since 2017, but was completed only in 2024 due to issues with construction. The new facilities span approximately 2.4ha. The crematorium houses six service halls and 18 cremators. Currently, three service halls are equipped with nine cremators, and the remaining halls will be filled out at a later date. The new cremation facility has fitted automated guided vehicles to transport coffins from the hearse to the service hall. At the existing crematorium, this is usually done via a trolley that is pushed manually. A self-help system is in place at the ash collection centre to enable family members to collect their loved one's ashes with ease. The Government is studying two sites in Tanah Merah and Mandai for the potential development of a new funeral services and columbarium complex, to meet an expected increase in demand for after-death facilities. 'NEA will continue to plan ahead to ensure sufficient government after-death facilities and services, and to provide these services in a way that allows bereaved families to come together to send off their loved ones with dignity and respect,' the agency said.
Straits Times
16 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Science Journals: Lessons from weird fish sold in Singapore's wet markets
Find out what's new on ST website and app. An assortment of seafood is laid on the ground at Jurong Fishery Port. They are placed on ice to retain their freshness. SINGAPORE – Just like how the depths of the deep sea are home to strange, little-known creatures, Singapore's wet markets also dazzle visitors with a rich diversity of seafood. Even after spending a year surveying the seafood sections of markets here, Mr Elliott James Ong and Mr Kenny Lek say there are fish they have seen only once. United by a love for seafood, the pair founded Pasarfish in 2024 . It is an initiative that researches and teaches the sustainable consumption and heritage of seafood sold in supermarkets and wet markets. Despite the long tradition of Singapore's wet markets, little is known about the rich variety of catches that these ageing facilities showcase, with the last catalogue compiled in the 1990s by the Primary Production Department. The median age of market stallholders is 63, according to the National Environment Agency, which manages most of the markets here. Mr Ong, 29, and Mr Lek, 33, started compiling their own catalogue from June 2024 to fill this gap in knowledge. 'Knowing the identities of these fish and their abundance allows us to track their origins, fishing methods and sustainability,' said Mr Ong. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole Asia Singapore-only car washes will get business licences revoked, says Johor govt World Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel opens aid routes Sport Arsenal beat Newcastle in five-goal thriller to bring Singapore Festival of Football to a close Singapore Benchmark barrier: Six of her homeschooled kids had to retake the PSLE Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021 Pasarfish marries the co-founders' seemingly incompatible passions of food and conservation by advocating for consumption of seafood that does not drive marine life to the brink of extinction. As at July, Pasarfish has collected data on more than 200 species sold in markets here, with the hope of pushing for more traceability and sustainability assessments of Singapore's seafood supply chains. Of all the creatures catalogued from their visits, a strange golden fish from a small bucket at Tekka Market in Little India stands out. The stallholder selling the semi-translucent species told Mr Lek that it was an Asian arowana. But the only resemblance between the mystery specimen and the arowana was a large, upturned mouth. When pressed further, the woman said she had bought the fish from Jurong Fishery Port, which handles the vast majority of Singapore's imported seafood. Mr Lek said: 'They didn't really have an idea of where this species actually came from and whether it was caught on a regular basis. Of all the creatures catalogued from Pasarfish's visits, a strange golden fish from a small bucket at Tekka Market in Little India stands out. PHOTO: PASARFISH 'They just bought it from this fish trader from Jurong Fishery Port from a random bucket.' The fish's identity was unravelled on the same day with the help of Major-General William Farquhar, the first British resident and commandant of colonial Singapore. A Google search of the fish's features netted a 19th-century picture from the Farquhar Collection, a series of watercolour paintings by Chinese artists of flora and fauna that the leader commissioned. Said Mr Ong: 'It was a perfect match.' The painting was labelled in a neat, slanted script, with one of its local names, ikan biang biang, otherwise known as the shorthead hairfin anchovy. The pair theorised that the fish was likely commonly found at markets back then. The mystery of the anchovy stemmed from the fact that it had been forgotten and people now no longer know how to cook it, they concluded. The coastal fish is common in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is usually fried or salted. In Sarawak, the anchovy features in a raw fish delicacy called umai, where thin slices are cured with the sour juice of a native palm fruit and tossed with tropical herbs. It is unclear why stallholders buy fish they do not know since the species tend to be unpopular with consumers, said Mr Ong, who has encountered such situations several times. He added: 'Honestly, they go at very low prices, so there's no commercial value.' Still, these weird finds can contribute to science. Some of the anchovies were delivered to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, where they will remain as physical records of fish sold in Singapore markets. Dr Tan Heok Hui, the museum's senior collection manager of fishes, said the species was collected because it was uncommon in Singapore. 'Once it is deposited in the museum, it provides a time stamp, a possible genetic resource and historical record,' he added. 'The fact that it is uncommon in the trade in Singapore could lead to its inclusion into social history and trends of consumption.' Such resources can aid comparative studies as well as the tracking, tracing and managing of fish reserves. Wet markets can also be treasure troves for discovering new fish. Dr Tan said: 'Not all fish are possible to catch with your own hands or set of tools. I would rely on fisherfolk for their skill set with larger nets to fish from deeper waters.' Through forays into local markets in Indonesia, his team has uncovered new species such as the Crossocheilus obscurus carp and Hemibagrus velox catfish. Yellowtail fish, which are traditionally overharvested, being sorted into baskets at Jurong Fishery Port on June 20. ST PHOTO: ANG QING On a grim note, considering a fish weird can be a symptom of overconsumption. Worldwide, overharvesting has driven marine species' populations down, erasing them from collective memory as they become harder to find. This was witnessed during Pasarfish's market tours to raise awareness about seafood heritage and sustainable consumption, said Mr Lek, when only older folk recognise the species sold. I joined Pasarfish on one such tour at 2am on June 20 to learn more about Jurong Fishery Port, Singapore's sole port for fish. The cacophony of different tongues reflects the international diversity of the port's wholesale market, where about 100 merchants display piles of fresh seafood kept fresh with ice. There was hardly a moment of stillness throughout the two-hour tour. Sweaty men in yellow rubber boots processed prawns, sorted fish and shouted at idle buyers to get out of the way as they dragged baskets of slimy produce. Mr Ong and Mr Lek's knowledge was apparent, as out of more than 80 species of seafood at the port that they shared details about, only one species baffled them. After a brief search online, they identified it on their Instagram page as the Hawaiian ladyfish. Three ocellated parrotfish at Jurong Fishery Port. One of these was given away for free during the June 20 Pasarfish tour, a common practice for unpopular fish. ST PHOTO: ANG QING Another unusual fish we saw is the ocellated parrotfish that a fishmonger gave to Mr Ong for free, a practice often used to dispose of unpopular catch and build rapport. Eating certain fish perceived to be strange, however, can be a good choice, as doing so can be more sustainable for popular species. During the tour, our group of six encountered varying sizes of yellowtail fish, traditionally used to make fish balls. Mr Ong explained: 'This was historically one of the most common fish in Singapore. But they're not as common any more because the fish stocks are depleted.' He pointed out that the smaller yellowtail we spotted were signs of overfishing and unsustainable practices, with the fish not having had time to grow before they were caught. Instead, Mr Ong recommended using a wider range of fish for fish balls to avoid pressuring a single species. Other substitutes that can and have been used include wolf herring, milk fish and pike conger. To help consumers make better choices, Pasarfish plans to launch a guide of 60 common fish from its year-long survey by listing their local names, price ranges and sustainability recommendations.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
WFP urges quick approvals by Israel for trucks to move into Gaza
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations food aid agency needs quick approvals by Israel for its trucks to move into Gaza if it is to take advantage of Israel's planned humanitarian pauses in fighting, a senior World Food Programme official said on Sunday. Facing growing global condemnation as the World Health Organization said mass starvation had taken hold in Gaza, Israel said on Sunday it would halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of the enclave and allow new aid corridors. "We need not just words, but we need action there. We need to have really fast clearances and approvals," Ross Smith, WFP director of emergencies, told Reuters on Sunday. "If the waiting times are going to continue to be 10 hours, then we won't be able to take advantage of these pauses." COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19 and allowed the U.N.-led humanitarian operation to resume limited deliveries, a key U.N. complaint has been lengthy delays by Israel in allowing convoys to leave the crossing points to transport aid to warehouses and distribution points inside Gaza. U.N. data shows that only less than 8% of 1,718 WFP trucks made it to their destination within Gaza in the nearly ten weeks since Israel lifted its blockade. The rest were looted by "either peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors during transit," according to the U.N. data. Israel requires the U.N. and other groups to offload their aid at the crossing point and then send trucks from within Gaza to collect it and transport it within the war-torn enclave, where some 2.1 million people remain. "Everybody can see them driving in, and so they know that food is about to be loaded on them, and they start to wait and crowd," said Smith, adding that some convoys can wait up to 20 hours before Israel gives them the green light to enter Gaza. "If they are sitting there for 10 hours, loading and waiting, then at that point you have 10,000 people crowding outside," he said. Israel controls all access to Gaza and says it allows enough food aid into the enclave, where it has been at war with Palestinian militants Hamas for nearly 22-months. It accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the militants deny. The U.N. says it has not seen evidence of mass aid diversion in Gaza by Hamas. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday in their first airdrop in months, a Jordanian official source said, adding that the air drops were not a substitute for delivery by land. Smith said air dropping aid was "purely symbolic at the very best." The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. REUTERS
