Hundreds bang pots, pans in London in Gaza hunger crisis protest
Protesters banged pots and pans on Downing Street in London to denounce Gaza's urgent hunger crisis. The protest follows reports that over 1,000 Palestinians were shot while queuing for food. Gaza's Health Ministry says 122 people have died of starvation.
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Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
‘Horrors upon horrors': How US Congress responded to mass hunger in Gaza
Washington, DC – The images of emaciated children coming out of Gaza have moved some of Israel's staunchest supporters in the United States Congress to decry the humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian territory ravaged by Israeli-imposed starvation. Some Democratic lawmakers pointedly condemned Israel over the past few days, slamming the US and Israeli-backed GHF food distribution mechanism that has led to the killing of more than 1,000 Palestinian aid seekers. But others issued vague statements calling for aid to enter Gaza without directly blaming Israeli policies. 'This is the reality: Having already killed or wounded 200,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the extremist Israeli government is using mass starvation to engineer the ethnic cleansing of Gaza,' progressive Senator Bernie Sanders said in a statement late on Friday. He accused the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of carrying out an 'extermination' campaign in Gaza. The anger threatens to shake the strong bipartisan support that Israel has enjoyed for decades in Congress, which authorises the billions in military aid that the staunch US ally receives from Washington annually. But so far, there does not appear to be a significant push to impose actual consequences on the Israeli government for its forced mass hunger campaign in Gaza. Just last week, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve $500m in missile defence support to Israel. 'This cannot continue' On Saturday, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen hit out at Netanyahu and US President Trump for replacing humanitarian aid groups in Gaza 'with mercenaries – leading to more death and devastation'. 'Every day, the horrors in Gaza reach new, unimaginable depths,' Van Hollen wrote in a social media post. The Trump administration has been talking up US support for the GHF operation – which the United Nations and rights groups have described as a 'death trap' and 'human slaughterhouses' – and falsely blaming Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 'This cannot continue,' Van Hollen said. Congressman John Garamendi suggested that Israel's 'dangerous and wilful failure to enable humanitarian aid' in Gaza amounts to genocide. Only a handful of progressive congressmembers have accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, of an effort to destroy the Palestinian people. But leading rights groups and UN experts have concluded that the Israeli military campaign is genocidal. 'Israel has the ability and the means to deliver adequate food to the Palestinians,' Garamendi said in a statement. 'They also have the obligation under international law to deliver it; it's the choice of Prime Minister Netanyahu not to feed Gaza.' It must end. My statement on the starvation crisis in Gaza. — John Garamendi (@RepGaramendi) July 26, 2025 Numerous Israeli officials have publicly said that they aim to cut off aid to Gaza and force all Palestinians to leave the territory, effectively promoting ethic cleansing. Many have suggested that there are no innocent people in the enclave. Earlier this week, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu appeared to confirm that his country is purposely starving Gaza, saying that 'there is no nation that feeds its enemies.' 'The government is racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out,' Eliyahu said in a radio interview, according to The Times of Israel. According to Gaza's health authorities, at least 127 Palestinians have died of malnutrition in the enclave, including five on Saturday. On Thursday, Congressman Wesley Bell – who was backed with millions of dollars from pro-Israel groups last year to defeat former Congresswoman Cori Bush, a leading critic of Israeli policies – spoke out against Israel's actions. 'I've always supported Israel's right to exist and defend itself. That hasn't changed,' Bell said in a social media post. 'But supporting this government's actions – allowing children to starve and firing on civilians seeking food – is something I can't stand by. This isn't self-defense. It must stop.' Congresswoman Summer Lee also said on Friday that Israel is blocking humanitarian assistance to Gaza while shooting at aid seekers looking to receive food from GHF sites. 'People are collapsing in the streets from extreme starvation. Horrors upon horrors,' Lee said in a social media post. 'The US must stop funding Israel's manufactured famine and genocide.' Vague statements Not all US lawmakers who spoke on the issue were as forceful as Lee when addressing the crisis. Many failed to point the finger at Israel, while others prefaced their mild criticism of the US ally with customary condemnation of Hamas. Several congressmembers reiterated the Israeli lie that Hamas steals UN humanitarian aid – a claim that has been denied by UN agencies and aid groups on the ground, and for which the Israeli military officials acknowledge they have no evidence. Congresswoman Grace Meng said in a statement that 'as a mother', her heart breaks to see children in Gaza starve, but she proceeded to repeat pro-Israel talking points about the humanitarian situation. 'It is important to recognize that Israel has facilitated the entry of over 1.8 million tons and over 96,000 trucks into Gaza, while Hamas continues to hold hostages, extort the aid system, and refuse ceasefire deals to stay in power and prolong the war,' Meng said in a statement. My full statement on the humanitarian crisis and the urgent need for peace in Gaza👇 — Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) July 25, 2025 Throughout more than 22 months of war, Israel has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza – but far below the needs of the population. And since March, Israel has tightened its blockade on the territory, making the deadly GHF sites nearly the only source of food for Palestinians. Hamas also denies rejecting ceasefire deals. Instead, the group says it is seeking a permanent end to the war, while several Israeli officials have said that Israel will proceed with its military campaign in Gaza even if a short-term truce is reached. Congressman Adam Smith called on Israel to take the 'steps necessary to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe' in Gaza, but he focused his criticism on Hamas, echoing unfounded Israeli arguments about the group blocking ceasefire deals and stealing the aid. 'I believe we can both continue to support Israel in their effort to defend themselves against Hamas, Iran and others in the region who continue in their efforts to attack and destroy Israel, and work immediately to relieve the suffering of the people in Gaza,' Smith said in a statement. Similarly, Senator Cory Booker released a 172-word statement on the starvation crisis in Gaza that mentioned the word 'Israel' only once – in calling for a strategy to 'strengthen Israel's security.' 'It is our collective moral duty to ensure that humanitarian relief reaches those who need it most urgently,' Booker said in a statement. Criticising Trump At the same time, some Democrats invoked the crisis to rebuke Trump – their political rival – without denouncing Israel. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries set the tone for that approach with a statement late on Friday that focused on Trump but failed to explicitly criticise Israel. 'The starvation and death of Palestinian children and civilians in an ongoing war zone is unacceptable,' Jeffries said. 'The Trump administration has the ability to bring an end to this humanitarian crisis. They must act now.' Statement on the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza. — Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) July 26, 2025 For his part, Congressman Tim Kennedy underscored that Trump has failed to deliver his promise of ending the war on Gaza. 'His strategic and moral failure has led to deteriorating conditions, with new reports and images of mass starvation of Palestinians,' Kennedy said in a statement. Trump's Republican Party has been largely silent about the worsening hunger in Gaza. But Congressman Randy Fine – a close ally of the US president – appeared to at once endorse Israel's starvation campaign in Gaza while dismissing it as 'Muslim terror propaganda'. 'Release the hostages,' he wrote in a social media post earlier this week. 'Until then, starve away.'
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel says it's distributing aid in Gaza, so why are people starving?
One hundred twenty-seven people, 85 of them children, have died from hunger or malnutrition as a result of Israel's siege of Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked all aid to Gaza in March, claiming that it was to pressure Hamas into accepting a ceasefire that Israel broke unilaterally later that month. This week, the Israeli government has blamed the United Nations for the situation, even accusing its aid agency of working with Hamas to restrict food from getting to people. This was not the first time Israel blocked aid from entering Gaza. In March 2024, Israel stopped UN aid convoys from reaching northern Gaza as it attempted to starve the population there into fleeing. In September, 15 international aid organisations said Israel was blocking 83 percent of Gaza's aid. In both instances, Israel denied blocking aid, blaming either UN inefficiency or Hamas for aid not reaching people in areas it has claimed to control for much of the war. So, what has Israel said, and does it accept that a man-made famine is under way in Gaza? Here's what we know. So is there no aid system in Gaza now? After receiving much criticism over the increased threat of famine that its siege had inflicted on Gaza, Israel, along with its US ally, backed the creation of the GHF in May. The GHF was intended to replace the UN and international aid agencies, which have operated some 400 aid distribution points across Gaza, with four erratically operated distribution points in Gaza's centre and south. Since May, the Israeli military and private contractors, understood to be American, have killed more than 1,000 people trying to access food at GHF distribution points. There are still some limited UN aid distribution operations, but they are so severely restricted that their effect cannot be felt. Does Israel accept that there's starvation in Gaza? It does not. On Friday, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is responsible for coordinating aid into Gaza, contradicted the claims of numerous aid agencies, asserting that 'there is no famine in the Gaza Strip'. However, it said, there were 'pockets' across Gaza where people had 'issues of access to food'. So Israel claims that there's enough aid being distributed? Not so much. Israel claims that shortfalls are occurring because much of the aid lies 'rotting in the sun' because the UN has not distributed it. Israel's military radio, Kan, recently reported that the Israeli army has burned or buried some 1,000 trucks' worth of aid that it deemed spoiled or expired. David Mencer, a spokesperson for Netanyahu's office, told the BBC on Friday that the UN in Gaza is a 'billion-dollar racket' and accused the UN of working with Hamas to 'restrict … aid to its own people'. Mercer did not provide any reason as to why the UN might do that, or any evidence to back his claims. Is the UN working with Hamas? Not according to the UN itself. On Wednesday, addressing the UN Security Council, Israel's ambassador, Danny Danon, accused UN aid chief, Tom Fletcher, as well as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, of somehow being affiliated with Hamas. Danon provided no evidence. Responding in writing the following day, Fletcher said, 'I expect the Israeli authorities to immediately share any evidence that led them to make such claims.' In January 2024, Israel accused another UN aid body, the UN Relief and Works Agency, of working with Hamas. An independent review into Israel's allegations concluded in April 2024 that it had provided no evidence to support its claim. Is Hamas stealing aid? Not according to Israel's military and its principal ally, the US. Citing unnamed Israeli military officials, The New York Times reported on Saturday that the UN aid operation was relatively reliable and less vulnerable to interference than others, adding that there was no evidence Hamas regularly stole from the UN. An internal report by the US's development agency, USAID, in late June also concluded that there was no evidence of the systematic looting of US-provided aid by Hamas. So far, the only evidence of aid being systematically looted points to criminal gangs now partnering with Israel and the GHF. So, why isn't aid reaching people in Gaza? Months of Israel's siege have led to the effective breakdown of Gaza's society, with food convoys at risk of being overwhelmed by starving, desperate crowds, the UN says. To deliver aid to where it is needed, the UN would need the support of the Israeli military. On Wednesday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said half of the 16 food distribution requests submitted to the Israeli military had been refused. 'Bureaucratic … and other operational obstacles imposed by Israeli authorities; ongoing hostilities and access constraints within Gaza; and incidents of criminal looting, and more shooting incidents that have killed and injured people gathering to offload aid supplies along convoy routes' have limited efforts to deliver aid, Dujarric told reporters. What is the outcome of that? Starvation. As we noted above, 122 people, most of whom are children, have already died of starvation in Gaza. Death through hunger occurs over three stages. The first starts as early as a skipped meal; the second comes with any prolonged period of fasting when the body relies on stored fats for energy. The third, and often fatal, stage is when all stored fats have been depleted and the body turns to bone and muscle as sources of energy. It is, according to Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan, a British-Egyptian paediatrician and neurologist who has volunteered in Gaza, 'a very cruel, slow death'. Why have more children died than adults? Because their bodies are using less to do more. Children, especially infants and toddlers, have much less muscle and fat to draw on during famine, while their basic metabolism is working harder as they grow. The outcome is that they have a much-reduced buffer when food intake stops. What are the chances that Israel's siege might end? Nobody knows. Netanyahu's right-wing coalition has so far seemed immune to international outrage and internal dissent over its war on Gaza. It dismisses the accusations of engaging in crimes against humanity and disregarding international law as 'anti-Semitic' and 'blood libel'. In the minds of most analysts, the only power with the influence capable of restraining Israel in Gaza and the region is US President Donald Trump. However, predicting how the notoriously mercurial US president may behave is generally regarded as a job beyond the abilities of most analysts.
Al Jazeera
5 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
UK to airdrop aid in Gaza, evacuate children needing medical care
The United Kingdom says it is working with Jordan on 'forward plans' to airdrop aid into besieged Gaza and evacuate children needing medical care as Israel's forced starvation and bombardment of Palestinians fuel global outrage. Two infants on Saturday became the latest Palestinian children to die from malnutrition. The total number of starvation deaths in the territory has risen to more than 120, including more than 80 children. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the proposal on Saturday in an emergency call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In a readout of the call, the UK government said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace,' according to Britain's Press Association. 'The prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' the readout said. Starmer's Labour government has been roundly accused at home of doing too little too late to alleviate the intense suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK have been protesting weekly against Israel's genocidal war since October 2023, making it clear they feel their voices aren't being heard. Public anger has been further stoked as police in the UK arrested more than 100 people at peaceful protests across the country last weekend that called for a ban on the campaign group Palestine Action to be reversed. Demonstrations took place on Saturday in Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Truro and London as part of a campaign coordinated by Defend Our Juries. Starmer is also facing mounting pressure to recognise a Palestinian state as France has said it will do at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. More than 200 British parliamentarians urged the prime minister to take this course of action this week. There has been further controversy over accusations the UK government has continued with arms sales to Israel despite stating it had scaled back weapons sales. A report in May found that UK firms have continued to export military items to Israel despite a government suspension in September amid allegations that the UK Parliament has been deliberately 'misled'. The report by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International and Workers for a Free Palestine revealed that the UK sent '8,630 separate munitions since the suspensions took effect, all in the category 'Bombs, Grenades, Torpedoes, Mines, Missiles And Similar Munitions Of War And Parts Thereof-Other'. 'Waiting for the green light to get into Gaza' In the meantime, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), said proposed airdrops of aid would be an expensive, inefficient 'distraction' that could kill starving Palestinians. Israel said on Friday that it will allow airdrops of food and supplies from foreign countries into Gaza in the coming days in response to critical food shortages caused by its punishing months-long blockade. But in a social media post, Lazzarini said the airdrops would 'not reverse the deepening starvation' and called instead for Israel to 'lift the siege, open the gates [and] guarantee safe movements [and] dignified access to people in need.' Airdrops, he said, are 'expensive, inefficient [and] can even kill starving civilians'. 'A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will,' he said, calling on Israel to allow the UN and its partners to operate at scale in Gaza 'without bureaucratic or political hurdles'. He said UNRWA has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt 'waiting for the green light to get into Gaza'. 'Driving aid through is much easier, more effective, faster, cheaper and safer' than airdrops, he said, adding that it is also more dignified for the people of Gaza. More than 100 aid and human rights groups this week called on governments to take urgent action as a hunger crisis engulfs Gaza, including by demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid. In a statement signed and released on Wednesday by 109 organisations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Doctors Without Borders (also known as MSF), the groups warned that deepening starvation of the population was spreading across the besieged enclave.
