Israel promises to increase aid supplies to Gaza
has promised it will allow a 'substantial' increase of humanitarian aid, food and other supplies into
Gaza
, following negotiations with the European Union.
The move comes several days before
EU
foreign ministers were due to debate taking action to put pressure on Israeli prime minister
Binyamin Netanyahu
to end the humanitarian blockade that has choked off the supply of aid flowing into Gaza.
In a deal agreed in recent hours, Israel committed to allow trucks full of aid waiting at the border to Gaza to enter the
devastated Palestinian enclave
, a spokesman for the European Commission said.
The deal, aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis and heading off the starvation of Palestinian civilians, was negotiated by the EU's foreign affairs chief,
Kaja Kallas
and Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar.
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'These measures are or will be implemented in the coming days with the common understanding that aid at scale must be delivered directly to the population and that measures will be continued to be taken to ensure there is no aid diversion to Hamas,' a spokesman for Ms Kallas said on Thursday.
Under the agreement Israel has committed to allow a greater number of aid trucks into Gaza, open more crossing points in the north and the south of the territory, including routes for aid to get into the strip from Jordan and Egypt.
The EU said the deal would also allow for the resumption of fuel deliveries to humanitarian facilities, and the repairing of vital infrastructure. EU officials said Israel agreed to stop blocking off the power supply of a water desalination facility which had provided clean drinking water to civilians in Gaza.
The commission, which is the EU's executive arm, said the agreement would also enable 'the distribution of food supplies to bakeries and public kitchens throughout the Gaza Strip'.
At least 57,500 Palestinian have been killed during Israel's 21-month military occupation and bombardment of Gaza, according to health authorities in the Palestinian territory.
Political pressure increased on Israel after a total blockade of aid for 11 weeks earlier this year brought the population in Gaza to the point of starvation. Aid agencies have said deliveries of food, medicine and fuel into the war-torn enclave since then have been wholly insufficient.
There have been multiple incidents of civilians being shot and killed by Israeli forces while trying to pick up aid from a small number of designated distribution centres set up under effective Israeli control in recent weeks.
The concessions from Israel come several days before the EU's 27 foreign ministers were to discuss a range of options they could take to increase pressure on Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
UN agency says staff fainting from hunger as starvation spreads in Gaza
The head of the UN agency for Palestinians has said its staff are fainting from hunger as the starvation crisis in Gaza resulting from an Israeli blockade on most aid into the territory worsens. 'People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses,' Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) said in a post on X. At least 113 people have died of hunger in Gaza, 45 of them in the last four days. This deepening crisis is affecting everyone, including those trying to save lives in the war-torn enclave … When caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing. He added that Unrwa had the equivalent of 6,000 loaded trucks of food and medical supplies waiting in Jordan and Egypt and urged Israel to allow 'humanitarian partners to bring unrestricted and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to Gaza'. Reports of people fainting and dropping dead of hunger have emerged in recent days. Civil defence workers have released pictures of gaunt bodies with little more than skin covering their bones. Palestinians carrying pans gather to receive hot meals distributed by a charity organization in Gaza City, where residents are struggling to access food due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and attacks. Picture: Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images As international pressure mounted for a breakthrough to end nearly two years of devastating war, Hamas said it had sent its response on the latest ceasefire proposal to mediators. An Israeli official told the Associated Press that the latest Hamas proposal was 'workable'. The US envoy, Steve Witkoff, was scheduled to meet the top Israeli adviser, Ron Dermer, and the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Sardinia, an Italian government source confirmed. Mediators rejected a previous version of the deal, telling Hamas to come back with a more realistic proposal or risk jeopardising the negotiations. A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters the Hamas response was 'flexible, positive and took into consideration the growing suffering in Gaza and the need to stop the starvation'. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, recalled the Israeli negotiators from Doha on Thursday for consultations. Israeli media reported that significant gaps remained between the two sides, including over to what point Israeli troops should withdraw during the ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File Picture: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin International pressure for a deal is growing, as images of starving Palestinians provoke global condemnation of the Israeli blockade of the strip. An EU commission spokesperson said all options remained on the table if Israel did not improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israel had agreed to expand aid access with the EU earlier this month. The deal under consideration is expected to involve a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Talks would be held during the ceasefire period to reach a lasting truce and aid supplies to the besieged strip would be increased. It has only been since the end of the war between Iran and Israel war last month that the serious prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza has emerged. The outcome of the 12-day conflict has given Netanyahu domestic breathing space to push for a deal. As negotiations continue, Israeli attacks have increased. At least 89 people were killed in the last 24 hours as Israeli airstrikes pounded central Gaza, health authorities said. 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A ceasefire deal is unpopular among the more extreme members of Netanyahu's cabinet and Israel has sought to keep open the possibility of restarting the war after the ceasefire period. - The Guardian Read More Israeli official says Gaza ceasefire proposal from Hamas is 'workable'
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
‘They are very weak, they're thin, their minds have stopped': Stranded fathers' anguish over children in Gaza
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Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Kneecap describe decision to ban them from Hungary as ‘political distraction'
The trio, who are outspoken supporters of Palestine, were due to perform at Sziget Festival on August 11 and remain on the line-up on its website. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs wrote on social media platform X that the decision to ban Kneecap was because the group's "members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups". But in a statement posted on Instagram, Kneecap described the decision to bar them from entry as "political distraction" and pointed out that none of the group has any criminal convictions. A spokeswoman for Sziget Festival also described the move as "unnecessary and regrettable". "Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution," she added. The statement from Kneecap said: "To the tens of thousands of fans who we were buzzing to see in person at Sziget, we're sorry we won't be with you. "The authoritarian government of Viktor Orban say we 'pose a national security threat'. "Which is f****** outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, like a hero just a few weeks ago. "There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country. We stand against all hate crimes and Kneecap champions love and solidarity as well as calling out injustices whenever we see it. "It's clear that this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people." Government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote in a post on X: "Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification.' Kovacs later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years, claiming that their entry would "seriously threaten national security". In May, member Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah. He denies the offence. Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always". Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year. More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, have also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation. Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government's decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance on August 11. "Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or anti-Semitism," they said in a statement last week. Sziget's other performers this year include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
