More than 100 aid, rights groups call for action as hunger spreads in Gaza
In a statement signed by 111 organisations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Refugees International, the groups warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave even as tons of food, clean water, medical supplies and other items sit untouched just outside Gaza as humanitarian organisations are blocked from accessing or delivering them.
"As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families. With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes," the organisations said.
"The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death."
The organisations called for governments to demand that all bureaucratic and administrative restrictions be lifted, all land crossings be opened, access to everyone across Gaza to be ensured and for the rejection of military-controlled distribution and a restoration of a "principled, UN-led humanitarian response".
"States must pursue concrete measures to end the siege, such as halting the transfer of weapons and ammunition."
Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, denies it is responsible for shortages of food.
More than 800 people have been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in mass shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centres. The foundation, backed by the United States, has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality.
Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in airstrikes, shelling and shooting since launching their assault on Gaza in response to attacks on Israel by the Hamas group that killed 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages in October 2023.
For the first time since the war began, Palestinian officials say dozens are now also dying of hunger.
Gaza has seen its food stocks run out since Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March and then lifted that blockade in May with new measures it says are needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Thailand, Cambodia clash despite ceasefire hopes
SAMRAONG, Cambodia: Thailand and Cambodia clashed for a fourth day on Sunday (Jul 27), despite both sides saying they were ready to discuss a ceasefire after a late-night intervention by US President Donald Trump. The neighbours, popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists, have been locked in their bloodiest conflict in years over the disputed border, with at least 33 people confirmed killed and more than 200,000 displaced. Both said they were willing to start talks to end the fighting, after Trump spoke to the two prime ministers late on Saturday and said they had agreed to meet and "quickly work out" a ceasefire. Cambodia said it fully endorsed Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire. Thailand said while it was grateful to the US President, it could not begin talks while Cambodia was targeting its civilians, a claim that Phnom Penh has denied. "Our condition is that we do not want a third country but are thankful for his (Trump's) concern," Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters before heading off to visit border areas. "We've proposed a bilateral between our foreign ministers to conclude the conditions for a ceasefire and drawing back troops and long-range weapons." Meanwhile, Cambodia said Thailand had started hostilities on Sunday morning and that Thai forces were mobilising along the border. "I made it clear to Honourable President Donald Trump that Cambodia agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet posted on Facebook, noting he had also agreed to Malaysia's earlier ceasefire proposal. Fresh artillery clashes erupted on Sunday morning near two long-contested ancient temples in the frontier region between northern Cambodia and northeast Thailand, which has seen the bulk of the fighting. Cambodian defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Thai forces began attacking areas around the temples at 4.50am. AFP earlier reported that the regular thump of artillery rattled windows in the Cambodian town of Samraong, around 20km from the frontline. A spokesperson from the Thai Army said in a statement on Sunday that "Cambodian soldiers" had opened fire in the early morning hours at Ta Muen Temple, Chong An Ma checkpoint and civilian residences in Surin province. The spokesperson also referred to a previous statement by Thai Army Deputy Spokesman Ritcha Suksuwanon who said that Cambodian forces began firing artillery around 4am as the two sides battled for control of strategic positions. "Subsequently at 6.40am, Cambodian forces had fired artillery that struck civillian homes in Surin province, causing a house to catch fire completely despite their claims of an unconditional ceasefire," the statement from the spokesperson read. "This demonstrates that Cambodian soldiers have not ceased fire as claimed," it added, claiming that this had necessitated retaliation from the Thai military by "employing long-range artillery to target Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers". Meanwhile, from the Cambodian side, defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata issued a statement denying that they fired first. The statement from Socheata also accused Thailand of "deliberate and coordinated acts of aggression". CEASEFIRE CALLS Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Sunday said his country "agreed with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the two armed forces". He said his Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will talk to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to coordinate with the Thais, but warned Bangkok against reneging on any agreement. After Trump's call, Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said he had agreed in principle to enter a ceasefire and start talks "as soon as possible". While both sides have expressed a desire for talks to end the crisis, neither has so far been willing to back down. "Any cessation of hostilities cannot be reached while Cambodia is severely lacking in good faith and repeatedly violating the basic principles of human rights and humanitarian law," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The spokesperson from the Thai Army also said in the statement on Sunday that Trump's telephone mediation on Saturday is a "separate issue", as "military forces on the battlefield continue to operate according to military tactics". "As for whether there will be a ceasefire, Thailand confirms that a ceasefire will occur only when Cambodia takes the initiative to approach us for negotiations," the statement by the army spokesperson added. A long-running border dispute erupted into combat this week with jets, tanks and ground troops battling in the rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. Thailand says seven of its soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths. The conflict has forced more than 138,000 people to be evacuated from Thailand's border regions, and 80,000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia. After an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday in New York, Cambodia's UN Ambassador Chhea Keo said his country wanted "an immediate ceasefire" and a peaceful resolution of the dispute. UN chief Antonio Guterres urged both sides on Saturday to "immediately agree to a ceasefire" and hold talks to find a lasting solution. Malaysia, as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on Saturday reiterated its call to both sides to exercise maximum restraint and undertake an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire". "We further urge both sides to return to the negotiating table to restore peace and stability based on the spirit of ASEAN family, unity and good neighbourliness," said the country's foreign affairs minister Mohamad Hasan. "We stand ready to continue our work through the good offices of the ASEAN Chair in facilitating both immediate neighbours and fellow members of ASEAN to resume talks and end the fighting." Earlier on Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had spoken to both countries' leaders and urged them to find a peaceful resolution. As well as blaming each other for starting the fight, Cambodia has also accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals.
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
Iran executes two members of banned group for targeting infrastructure
DUBAI - Iran executed two members of the outlawed Mujahideen-e-Khalq opposition group for targeting civilian infrastructure with homemade projectiles, the judiciary news outlet Mizan reported on Sunday. Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani-Eslamloo, "operational elements" of the MEK, were sentenced to death in a verdict upheld by the Supreme Court, Mizan said. "The terrorists, in coordination with MEK leaders, had set up a team house in Tehran, where they built launchers and hand-held mortars in line with the group's goals, fired projectiles heedlessly at citizens, homes, service and administrative facilities, educational and charity centres, and also carried out propaganda and information-gathering activities in support of the MEK," the report said. The defendants were indicted with "moharebeh", an Islamic term meaning waging war against God, destroying public property and "membership in a terrorist organisation with the aim of disrupting national security." The report did not say whether the defendants' actions took place during last month's Israel-Iran war, during which Tehran accused opposition groups like MEK of providing support to Israel from within Iran. The MEK, known in English as People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, were a powerful leftist-Islamist group that staged bombing campaigns against the shah's government and U.S. targets in the 1970s but ultimately fell out with the other factions of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since then, the MEK has opposed the Islamic Republic and its leadership in exile has been Paris-based. The group was listed as a terrorist organisation by the U.S. and the European Union until 2012. REUTERS
CNA
18 hours ago
- CNA
Thailand, Cambodia open to ceasefire talks
SAMRAONG, Cambodia: Thailand and Cambodia said that they were open to ceasefire talks, following a late-night intervention by US President Donald Trump. Hun Manet said on Sunday (Jul 27) that his foreign minister would talk to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to coordinate with the Thais, but warned Bangkok against reneging on any agreement. Meanwhile, Thailand said late Saturday it agrees in principle to entering a ceasefire with Cambodia and beginning a "bilateral dialogue" aimed at ending the nations' deadliest fighting in more than a decade. The Southeast Asian neighbours exchanged heavy artillery fire for a third straight day on Saturday, as a border conflict that has killed at least 33 people and displaced more than 150,000 from their homes spread across the frontier. "Thailand agrees in principle to have a ceasefire in place," the Thai foreign ministry said in a statement on X. That followed a post by Trump on Truth Social, who said he had spoken with Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and that the two sides have agreed to meet and "quickly work out" a ceasefire. Thailand's foreign ministry confirmed a phone call between Trump and Phumtham, and stressed that regarding a possible ceasefire and that "Thailand would like to see sincere intention from the Cambodian side". It said Phumtham requested Trump to "convey to the Cambodian side that Thailand wants to convene a bilateral dialogue as soon as possible to bring forth measures and procedures for the ceasefire and the eventual peaceful resolution of the conflict". ARTILLERY HEARD Thailand and Cambodia exchanged artillery fire for a fourth day Sunday, AFP journalists and the Cambodian defence ministry said, despite growing talk of a possible ceasefire. AFP journalists in the Cambodian town of Samraong, around 20km from the border conflict zone, heard the regular thump of artillery from dawn, tallying with a ministry spokeswoman's statement that clashes began near two disputed temples around 4.50am.
