Israel-Hamas war: 'Vast amounts of aid needed to stave off catastrophic health crisis in Gaza,' UN warns
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher made the remarks as Israel began limited pauses in fighting across three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day to address the worsening humanitarian situation.
Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza's population from the start of March. It then reopened aid centres with new restrictions in May, but said the supply had to be controlled to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas militants.
On Saturday, reports referencing US government data said there was no evidence Hamas had stolen aid from UN agencies.
Images of emaciated Palestinian children have led to widespread criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza, including by allies who are calling for an end to the war.
Mr Fletcher said one in three people in Gaza "hasn't eaten for days" and "children are wasting away".
He added: "We welcome Israel's decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, including lifting customs barriers on food, medicine and fuel from Egypt and the reported designation of secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys.
"Some movement restrictions appear to have been eased today, with initial reports indicating that over 100 truckloads were collected.
"This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis. Across the UN agencies and humanitarian community, we are mobilised to save as many lives as we can."
The Israel Defence Forces said yesterday that it is halting military operations in Muwasi, Deir al Balah and Gaza City daily from 10am to 8pm local time (8am to 6pm UK time) until further notice.
Combat operations have continued outside of this 10-hour window. Health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 41 Palestinians overnight into Sunday morning, including 26 seeking aid.
In a statement, the IDF said it would also establish secure routes to help the UN and aid agencies deliver food and other supplies.
Israel's announcement of what it calls a "tactical pause" in fighting comes after it resumed airdrops of aid into Gaza.
While the IDF reiterated claims there is "no starvation" in the territory, it said the airdrops would include "seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar and canned food to be provided by international organisations".
Palestinian sources confirmed that aid had begun dropping in northern parts of the territory.
Sabreen Hasson, a Palestinian mother who travelled to an aid point near the Zikim crossing to collect supplies, said: "I came to get flour for my children because they have not tasted flour for more than a week, and thank God, God provided me with a kilo of rice with difficulty."
But Samira Yahda, who was in Zawaida in central Gaza, said: "We saw the planes, but we didn't see what they dropped... they said trucks would pass, but we didn't see the trucks."
Another Palestinian told the AP news agency that some people feared going out and having a box of aid fall on their children.
1:19
Gaza is expected to be a focus during talks Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump in Scotland today.
Downing Street said Sir Keir will raise "what more can be done to secure the ceasefire [in the Middle East] urgently", during the meeting at the US president's Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire.
Reports also suggest the prime minister is planning to interrupt the summer recess and recall his cabinet to discuss the crisis on Tuesday.
Talks in Qatar over a ceasefire ended on Thursday after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams.
2:02
Mr Trump blamed Hamas for the collapse of negotiations as he left the US for Scotland, saying the militant group "didn't want to make a deal... they want to die".
Meanwhile the exiled head of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al Hayya, has warned ceasefire negotiations with Israel were "meaningless under continued blockade and starvation".
In a recorded speech, he added: "The immediate and dignified delivery of food and medicine to our people is the only serious and genuine indication of whether continuing the negotiations is worthwhile."
0:51
During a meeting with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday, Mr Trump emphasised the importance of securing the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
He said: "They don't want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision.
1:17
"I know what I'd do, but I don't think it's appropriate that I say it. But Israel is going to have to make a decision," he said.
Mr Trump also repeated claims, without evidence, that Hamas was stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it.
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Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Gaza latest: Israel to pause fighting to let aid into Gaza as UN warns 'children are wasting away'
Nearly 100 killed seeking aid in Gaza yesterday, health ministry says Close to 100 people were killed while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave. It comes as Israel announced a "one-week scale-up of aid" and declared military operations in three areas of Gaza would be halted for 10 hours daily until further notice to support this. The ministry said 67 people were killed in northern Gaza and six others in Khan Younis in the south. The Israel Defence Forces said that troops "fired warning shots in order to remove an immediate threat posed to them" after "a gathering of thousands of Gazans was identified in the northern Gaza Strip". "The IDF is aware of the claim regarding casualties in the area, and the details of the incident are still being examined," it added, without disclosing casualty figures. Crowd attacked by 'Israeli tanks and snipers' The UN's World Food Programme said a 25-truck convoy carrying food crossed the Zikim border yesterday morning aiming to reach communities in northern Gaza. It said the convoy encountered "large crowds of civilians anxiously waiting to access desperately needed food supplies". "As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire". There were further reports of Israeli attacks in other areas of Gaza not covered by the military pauses. The IDF issued a warning to residents in northern Gaza, including the cities of Beit Lahia and Jabalia, calling the areas "active combat zones and extremely dangerous". Israel begins 'scale-up of aid' in Gaza - but UN chiefs warn more needed to stop famine The United Nations says it welcomes Israel's decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid in Gaza but warned more action is needed to "stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis". UN aid chief Tom Fletcher made the remarks as Israel said it would halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and allow aid corridors to "refute the false claim of intentional starvation". Jordan, the UAE and Egypt said they delivered aid into Gaza by land and air - with Jordan and the UAE saying "25 tonnes of food aid and essential humanitarian supplies" were delivered by aid airdrops. It comes at a critical time. Fletcher welcomed the up-scale of aid but said one in three people in Gaza "hasn't eaten for days" and "children are wasting away". "This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis," he said. Other aid agencies made similar comments. Medecins Sans Frontieres said the pause in fighting and aid drop is "not enough" and there should be a distribution list "so that everybody knows that they're going to receive their own parcel". Unicef said the aid boost was an "opportunity to reverse this catastrophe" but said more humanitarian corridors needed to be opened to allow aid trucks through. Welcome back to our live coverage Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Gaza. Over the weekend, Israel announced an agreement to support a "one-week scale-up of aid" for the enclave following sustained and growing international condemnation that it is responsible for starvation there. In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces said it would establish secure routes to help the UN and aid agencies deliver food and other supplies, while aid airdrops have also resumed. But the United Nations has warned more action is needed to "stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis". To facilitate the scale-up of aid, the IDF said military operations in three areas would be halted daily from 10am to 8pm local time (8am to 6pm UK time) until further notice. But despite this, Israel later carried out an airstrike during the pause. It also warned that "intense force" was still being used in some areas of Gaza, including in Jabalia and Beit Lahia. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said at least 73 people were killed and around 150 people injured by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid yesterday. Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Sir Keir Starmer today, where Gaza is expected to be a focus during their talks in Scotland. Downing Street said the PM will raise "what more can be done to secure the ceasefire" in the Middle East during the meeting at the US president's Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire. As always, stay with us as we bring you the latest news on Gaza. That's all for now We're pausing our live coverage. We'll be back with any further developments, but in the meantime here's a quick summary of today's key points: Israel announced a 10-hour pause in three parts of Gaza to allow more aid into the devastated territory; The UN's aid chief said teams will distribute as much aid as they can during the pause, which will be repeated each day "until further notice"; Fighting continues in other parts, with medics reporting at least 16 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since last night; Meanwhile, a UK minister told Sky News it's a "matter of time" until the government recognises Palestinian statehood - but it must be part of a "pathway to peace"; And Bob Geldof told us he thinks Israel is lying about starvation in Gaza. Gazans react to pauses in fighting Gazans have reacted to news of pauses in fighting in some areas of Gaza to allow for new aid corridors into the enclave with relief. "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza," Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner, told Reuters. "We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up." However, some said they were concerned about how aid will be delivered and whether it will reach people seafely. "Aid should enter in a logical way. When aid is airdropped, it causes injuries and damage," displaced Gaza resident Suhaib Mohammed said. Israel intercepts Gaza-bound aid ship sailed by activists An aid ship headed for Gaza was intercepted by the Israeli military late last night. According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition - which last month tried to reach the territory with a crew including activist Greta Thunberg - Israel detained 21 people on board. The coalition operating the vessel Handala said the Israeli military "violently intercepted" the ship in international waters, about 40 miles from Gaza, just before midnight. "All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade," the group said. The Israeli military has not commented. The foreign ministry said the navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. Regional human rights group Adalah said the raid violated international law, and demanded the release of the 21 activists. "The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognised under international law," Adalah said. UN aid chief welcomes pause in Gaza The UN's aid chief has just shared a few words on social media, reacting to Israel's announcement this morning. A pause took effect this morning - lasting for 10 hours in three parts of Gaza - to allow more aid in. Tom Fletcher said UN teams will step up efforts to feed Palestinians during the pause, which will repeat each day until further notice. "In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said. Baby died of starvation weighing less than when she was born Warning: some of the details and images in this post may be distressing The latest child to starve to death in Gaza died weighing less than the day she was born. Zainab abu Habib was just five months old as her mother, Esraa abu Habib, gave her one last kiss yesterday. She was brought into the paediatric department at Nasser Hospital on Friday, already dead. A worker at the morgue carefully removed her Mickey Mouse-printed shirt. His thumb was wider than her ankle and he could see the bones on her chest. The girl weighed more than 3kg at birth, her mother said, but after what a doctor described as "severe, severe starvation", her weight was less than 2kg at the end. Her father, Ahmed abu Habib, said she needed a special baby formula that "did not exist in Gaza", as he prepared for her funeral in the southern city of Khan Younis. The head of the paediatric department, Dr Ahmed al Farah, said the baby needed a special type of formula for allergies to cow's milk. With none of the formula she needed, Zainab developed chronic diarrhoea and vomiting, he said, and she wasn't able to swallow. 'Many will follow' Like many of Gaza's Palestinians, the baby's displaced family lives in a tent. Esraa said she breastfed the girl for six weeks before trying to feed her formula. "With my daughter's death, many will follow," she added. "Their names are on a list that no one looks at. They are just names and numbers... our children, whom we carried for nine months and then gave birth to, have become just numbers." Israel's denial Zainab is one of dozens of children reported by Gaza's health ministry to have died of malnutrition-related causes. Israel, as we've been reporting, has paused the fighting in certain parts of Gaza to allow more aid in, following widespread criticism over its access to the territory - see our 8.02 post for more on that. Its foreign ministry, however, denies any starvation. It said last Saturday: "Israel rejects the false accusations of 'starvation' propaganda initiated by Hamas which manipulates pictures of children suffering from terminal diseases. It is shameful." In pictures: Palestinians gather to collect aid These are some of the latest pictures from Gaza today, showing crowds gather for aid in the north. Trucks have also lined up at the southern border in Egypt. Recognising Palestine as a state is a 'matter of time', says UK minister A UK minister has told Sky News the government is "unequivocal" in its commitment to recognise Palestine as a state. James Murray, the exchequer secretary to the Treasury, said it's a "matter of time". But that has to be part of a "pathway to peace", he said, as the prime minister comes under pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood. Murray told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: "We are fully committed to recognition of Palestine. That's unequivocal. The prime minister has made that absolutely clear. "It's not a question of if, what we now need to focus on is how do we make Palestinian statehood a reality."
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Israel pauses military action, opens aid lines amid Gaza crisis
"A third of the population (in Gaza) is not eating for days," the World Food Programme, led by Cindy McCain, said in a statement on X. "Some 470,000 people are enduring famine-like conditions. 90,000 women and children need urgent nutrition treatment. People are dying due to a lack of humanitarian assistance." More than 125 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said over the weekend. A five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on July 26. In recent weeks, more than 800 people have been killed while trying to reach food, according to the United Nations, mostly in shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers. Israeli officials have said they've allowed enough food into Gaza since war broke out in October 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel, blaming the terrorist group for suffering in a region of 2.2 million people. Meanwhile, ceasefire talks have stalled, with no permanent end to the fighting in sight. Here's what to know about the growing humanitarian crisis. What's going on in Gaza? Beginning July 27, Israel will pause military action in a humanitarian area along the coast of Gaza for 10 hours at a time, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, each day. The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Tom Fletcher, aid chief for the United Nations, called the move a "welcome announcement" in a post on X. "In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," Fletcher wrote. What do human rights groups say? The U.N.'s World Food Program also welcomed the news, saying in a statement, "we hope these measures will allow for a surge in urgently needed food assistance to reach hungry people without further delays." Israel's move comes after 111 groups signed a joint statement calling for governments to take action, as mass starvation spread and restrictions on humanitarian aid prevented resources from reaching Palestinians in Gaza. "The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death," the groups, made up of mostly aid and human rights organizations, wrote. Why was aid restricted before? Hunger in Gaza escalated after Israel cut off supplies in March. Israel had said it was committed to allowing in aid - but needed to control it to prevent it from being diverted by Hamas. The country also accused the U.N. of failing to act in a timely fashion, saying 700 truckloads of aid were idling inside Gaza. "Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations," the Israeli military said in a July 26 statement. "Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas." An internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, Reuters reported last week. Where are ceasefire talks? President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on July 25 to abandon ceasefire negotiations, saying it was clear Hamas did not want a deal. "I think they want to die," Trump said of the militants. "And it's very bad. And it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job." Humanitarian groups have urged Israel to reach a deal, saying the only real solution to the suffering in Gaza is a complete end to the fighting. "An agreed ceasefire is the only way for humanitarian assistance to reach the entire civilian population in Gaza with critical food supplies in a consistent, predictable, orderly and safe manner," the U.N. World Food Program said in their statement. Contributing: Reuters
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Israeli forces kill 63 Palestinian in Gaza within hours of ‘humanitarian pause'
The Israeli military killed at least 63 people across Gaza just hours after declaring daily 'pauses' in operations to facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid, health officials said. The military said on Sunday it would suspend operations daily from 10am until 8pm in parts of central and northern Gaza, including al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City, and promised to open aid corridors from 6am to 11pm to let in food and medical supplies. However, within hours of the so-called 'humanitarian pause' taking effect, Israeli forces resumed air raids. One reported strike targeted a bakery in an area designated as a 'safe zone', according to Al Jazeera. The humanitarian crisis continued to worsen. Health officials reported six more deaths, including of two children, from starvation in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 133. Among the latest to succumb was five-month-old Zainab Abu Haleeb, who died of malnutrition at the Nasser Hospital. 'Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead,' her mother Israa Abu Haleeb told Al Jazeera. The World Food Programme said one in three people in Gaza had gone days without food and about half a million were experiencing famine-like conditions. More than 20 per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding women were malnourished, according to the World Health Organization. Israel maintains that it is working to improve aid access and denies that famine exists in Gaza. But aid organisations say the situation is catastrophic, with a quarter of the population at risk of acute malnutrition. UN officials say the crisis won't ease unless Israel speeds up the movement of aid convoys through its checkpoints. A top UN official said last week Palestinians were beginning to resemble 'walking corpses'. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said humanitarian workers were encountering children who were 'emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying' without immediate intervention. 'Families are no longer coping. They're breaking down, unable to survive,' Mr Lazzarini said. 'Their existence is threatened.' Israel has severely limited the flow of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza, allowing only a small number of trucks to enter each day after enforcing an 11-week total blockade earlier this year. UN officials warn the current level of aid is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of need. The Israeli military intercepted an aid ship bound for Gaza that aimed to breach the blockade on the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and confiscating all cargo, including baby formula, food, and medicine, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Sunday. The group said Israeli forces 'violently intercepted' their vessel, Handala, in international waters around 40 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, cutting off cameras and communication shortly before midnight on Saturday. 'All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade,'' the group said in a statement. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israeli forces prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza. It was reported on Sunday that Jordan and the UAE had begun airdropping aid into the besieged Palestinian territory. But Mr Lazzarini said 'airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation'. 'They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians. It is a distraction & smokescreen,' he said in an X post. 'A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements with dignified access to people in need. Israel's war on Gaza has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, injured over 144,000, and left most of the densely populated coastal territory in ruins and the majority of its 2.2 million people homeless and starving. Israel launched the war in October 2023 after nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack.
