More than 100 NGOs warn 'mass starvation' spreading across Gaza
Image: AFP
More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza ahead of the US top envoy's visit to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and an aid corridor.
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where more than two million people face severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of conflict, triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel.
The UN said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May -- effectively sidelining the existing UN-led system.
A statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that "our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away".
The groups called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of aid through UN-led mechanisms.
It came a day after the United States said its envoy Steve Witkoff will head to Europe this week for talks on Gaza and may then visit the Middle East.
Witkoff comes with "a strong hope that we will come forward with another ceasefire as well as a humanitarian corridor for aid to flow, that both sides have in fact agreed to," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.
Even after Israel began easing a more than two-month aid blockade in late May, Gaza's population is still suffering extreme scarcities.
Israel says humanitarian aid is being allowed into Gaza and accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering, including by stealing food handouts to sell at inflated prices or shooting at those awaiting aid. 'Hope and heartbreak'
In their statement, the humanitarian organisations said that warehouses with tonnes of supplies were sitting untouched just outside the territory, and even inside, as they were blocked from accessing or delivering the goods.
"Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions," the signatories said.
"It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage," they added.
"The humanitarian system cannot run on false promises. Humanitarians cannot operate on shifting timelines or wait for political commitments that fail to deliver access."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the "horror" facing Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli military attack was unprecedented in recent years.
The head of Gaza's largest hospital said Tuesday 21 children had died due to malnutrition and starvation in the Palestinian territory in the past three days.
Standstill
Israel and Hamas have been engaging in drawn-out negotiations in Doha since July 6 as mediators scramble to end nearly two years of war.
But after more than two weeks of back and forth, efforts by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States are at a standstill.
More than two dozen Western countries recently urged an immediate end to the war, saying suffering in Gaza had "reached new depths".
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,106 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
26 minutes ago
- IOL News
Fatah's Jibril Rajoub: Africa's role in Palestinian unity and peace
KZN ANC Provincial Coordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu, KZN ANC Provincial Provincial Convenor Jeff Radebe, Palestine Secretary General Jibril Rajoub, Advisor of Palestine President Salman Elherfi and Deputy Convenor Weziwe Thusi. Image: Tumi Pakkies/ Independent Newspapers Palestinian leader and Secretary General of Fatah, Jibril Rajoub, has pleaded with Africa to unite to ensure the continent plays a powerful role in driving peace in conflict zones. "Our message, especially in this critical time, is that while Africa like many around the world, is not happy with the split amongst Palestinians, we want unity and Africa must lead the way in that. Africa must be united. You have to become again one family with one plan, with one leadership. While I am with Fatah and have been for more than 20 years, I believe, as South Africa has shown the world, the only way to unite with Hamas is through dialogue, national reconciliation, national unity and free elections," Rajoub told IOL in an exclusive interview in Durban, where the Fatah delegation is visiting as part of its visit to the country for a Liberation Movement summit, as guests of the ANC. The Fatah group is the second largest political party in the Palestinian Legislature and the largest in the multi-party Palestine Liberation Organisation, founded by the late Yasser Arafat. And, while Fatah has been in a factional battle with Hamas, Rajoub said his party remains open to unifying all groups under one Palestinian body. Thanking South Africa for their support of Palestinians and bravery in taking Israel to the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. "Those who brought Israel to the ICC and ICJ came from the disciples of Mandela in South. Our chemistry, that bond, with South Africa is unbreakable. And we appreciate it," added Rajoub. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Asked if Palestinians would ever accept a suggestion by US President Donald Trump to be relocated to another country, Rajoub was visibly shaken in his response. "The world must know that Palestinians will never leave our homeland. We are there and we will stay there. We have two choices: either martyrs or a free will not give up and we will not surrender, and we will continue our struggle until we have our rights, right self-determination, our national aspirations, our full independent sovereign Palestinian state, free and independent," added Rajoub. IOL
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
Hunger must never be 'weapon of war', UN chief tells Africa food summit
ADDIS ABABA - UN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday said food must not be used as a weapon of war as world leaders gathered for a food summit in Africa, where 280 million people face chronic hunger. The African Union urged donors to provide greater support for the world's poorest continent, which is struggling with poverty, unrest and the effects of climate change. A new report co-authored by several United Nations agencies found global hunger fell slightly in 2024 thanks to progress in Asia and South America. But 8.2% of the world - an estimated 638 to 720 million people - still faced hunger last year, and the situation was worsening, particularly in Africa, where the figure is 20.2%. "Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war," Antonio Guterres told the UN Food Systems Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa via video link. "Climate change is disrupting harvests, supply chains and humanitarian aid," he said. He highlighted the worsening crises in Sudan and Gaza. The World Health Organization has warned that malnutrition in the occupied Palestinian territory has reached "alarming levels" since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2. In late May, Israel began allowing a trickle of aid to enter, but more than 100 NGOs have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading. MILLIONS GOING HUNGRY The summit takes place against the backdrop of aid cuts by the United States and other Western nations that are badly affecting much of the developing world. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, head of the African Union's executive commission, told the summit that food insecurity was on the rise across Africa, blaming "climate shocks, conflicts and economic disruptions". "At this crucial moment, how many children and mothers on the continent are sleeping hungry? Millions, certainly," he said. Youssouf said more than 280 million Africans were malnourished, with "nearly 3.4 million... on the brink of famine" and some 10 million displaced by drought, floods and cyclones. He urged AU member states to devote 10% of their gross domestic product to agriculture to help foster "nutritional resilience". "But we cannot do this alone. We call on our partners to honour their commitments to finance and support African solutions," he said. 'NOT GOOD NEWS' The UN report made clear how far there was to go to meet its goal of ending world hunger by 2030. Current projections suggest some 512 million people will still be undernourished by the end of the decade, 60% of them in Africa. "Global hunger figures have slightly improved compared to 2022 and 2023," Alvaro Lario, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, told AFP. "But we have not come back to the levels of five years ago. This is not very good news." Four of the worst five countries for food security are in Africa: Nigeria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. The UN report highlights "persistent inequalities", with women and rural communities most affected, and the gap widening further over the previous year. "Despite adequate global food production, millions of people go hungry or are malnourished because safe and nutritious food is not available, not accessible or, more often, not affordable," it said. It found the response to price spikes between 2021 and 2023 was "more coordinated, informed and restrained" than the previous inflationary shock during the 2007-08 financial crisis. Some 2.3 billion people had to occasionally skip a meal in 2024 and are considered moderately or severely food insecure - 335 million more than in 2019.
eNCA
4 hours ago
- eNCA
Thailand and Cambodia agree truce after five days of fighting
SAMRAONG - Thailand and Cambodia's leaders agreed to an "unconditional" ceasefire Monday, after five days of combat along their jungle-clad frontier that has killed at least 36 people. More than 200,000 people have fled as the two sides fired artillery, rockets and guns in a battle over the long-disputed area, which is home to a smattering of ancient temples. The flare-up was the deadliest since violence raged sporadically from 2008-2011 over the territory, claimed by both sides because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907. Reading a joint statement from the leaders of both countries after peace talks, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said they had agreed "an immediate and unconditional ceasefire" with effect from midnight Monday (1700 GMT). "This is a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security," he said at a press conference in Malaysia's administrative capital Putrajaya, flanked by Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet. Anwar said a meeting of military commanders from both sides would take place on Tuesday morning, before the countries' cross-border committee would meet in Cambodia on 4 August. As the deal was being announced, an AFP journalist in the Cambodian city of Samraong -- 17 kilometres from the fraught frontier -- reported hearing continuing artillery blasts. - 'Very good results' - US President Donald Trump -- who both nations are courting for trade deals to avert the threat of eye-watering tariffs -- intervened over the weekend, and said both sides had agreed to "quickly work out" a truce. "Today we had a very good meeting and very good results," said Cambodia's Hun Manet, thanking Trump for his "decisive" support and saying the truce would serve as "a foundation for future de-escalation". Ahead of the summit, Thailand and Cambodia had traded fresh fire and barbed accusations. Cambodia's defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said it was "the fifth day that Thailand has invaded Cambodia's territory with heavy weapons and with the deployment of a lot of troops". And as he departed Bangkok airport, Phumtham told reporters he did not believe Cambodia was "acting in good faith". After the talks hosted by Anwar -- chair of the ASEAN bloc of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members -- Phumtham called for the truce to be "carried out in good faith by both sides". "Thailand decides for peaceful resolution, while continuing to protect our sovereignty and the lives of our people," he said. - 'Highly tense' - On the eve of the talks, Thailand's military said Cambodian snipers were camped in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets. POOL/AFP | MOHD RASFAN It said there was fighting at seven areas in the rural region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and fields where locals farm rubber and rice. "The situation remains highly tense, and it is anticipated that Cambodia may be preparing for a major military operation prior to entering negotiations," the Thai military statement read. Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn marked his 73rd birthday on Monday, but a notice in the country's Royal Gazette said his public celebrations scheduled for Bangkok's Grand Palace had been cancelled amid the strife. Trump has threatened both countries with high levies in his global tariff blitz unless they agree to independent trade deals -- but said he would "look forward" to signing them once "peace is at hand". Each side had already agreed to a truce in principle, while accusing the other of undermining peace efforts and trading allegations about the use of cluster bombs and targeting of hospitals. - Nationalist sentiment - Thailand says nine of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths. The Thai military said it had returned the bodies of 12 Cambodian soldiers killed in combat. More than 138,000 people have fled Thailand's border regions, while around 140,000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia. With the skirmish enflaming nationalist sentiments, Thailand warned its citizens to "refrain from any kind of violence, whether in speech or action" against Cambodian migrants living in the country. By Isabelle Leong With Chayanit Itthipongmaetee In Surin, Thailand
