&w=3840&q=100)
'It is killing people': UN chief slams US-backed Gaza aid operation as unsafe
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday slammed the US-backed aid initiative in Gaza, describing it as 'inherently unsafe' and bluntly stating, 'It is killing people' read more
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Centre des Expositions conference centre in Nice, France, on June 10, 2025. Reuters File
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday slammed the US-backed aid initiative in Gaza, describing it as 'inherently unsafe' and bluntly stating, 'It is killing people.'
The United States and Israel have pushed for the United Nations to cooperate with the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial aid mechanism.
However, the UN has declined to participate, raising concerns about the foundation's neutrality and accusing it of militarising humanitarian assistance and contributing to the forced displacement of civilians.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Guterres said that UN-led humanitarian operations are being 'strangled,' with aid workers themselves facing starvation.
He emphasised that Israel, as the occupying power, is legally obligated to allow and facilitate the delivery of aid throughout Gaza.
'People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence,' Reuters quoted Guterres as telling reporters.
'It is time to find the political courage for a ceasefire in Gaza,' he added.
Since Israel eased its 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited UN aid deliveries to resume, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to access assistance from both UN and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) operations, according to the United Nations.
A senior UN official said on Sunday that the majority of those fatalities occurred near GHF distribution sites.
GHF has not yet responded to a request for comment on Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks made on Friday, reported Reuters.
Earlier this week it said: 'Bottom-line, our aid is getting securely delivered. Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome the UN and other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza.'
GHF, which began operations in Gaza on May 26, relies on private US security and logistics firms to carry out its mission. As of Friday, GHF reported distributing over 48 million meals.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
On Thursday, the US State Department announced it had approved $30 million in funding for GHF and urged other nations to contribute to the initiative.
Both Israel and the United States have accused Hamas of diverting aid from UN-led efforts—an allegation the militant group has denied.
With inputs from agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Israeli military orders war crime probe into Gaza shootings, says report
Israel's Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near Gaza aid distribution sites, Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday. Palestinians walk past the rubble and destroyed vehicles in the Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip after a house was targeted by an Israeli strike, on June 27, 2025.(AFP) Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month in the vicinity of areas where food was being handed out, local hospitals and officials have said. Haaretz, a left-leaning Israeli newspaper, quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers as saying they were told to fire at the crowds to keep them back, using unnecessary lethal force against people who appeared to pose no threat. The military told Reuters that the Israel Defense Forces had not instructed soldiers to deliberately shoot at civilians. It added that it was looking to improve "the operational response" in the aid areas and had recently installed new fencing and signs, and opened additional routes to reach the handout zones. Haaretz quoted unnamed sources as saying that the army unit established to review incidents that may involve breaches of international law had been tasked with examining soldiers' actions near aid locations over the past month. The military told Reuters that some incidents were being reviewed by relevant authorities. It added: "Any allegation of a deviation from the law or IDF directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary." There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year-old military campaign by Israel against Hamas militants in Gaza that has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and displaced most of its two million inhabitants. Thousands of people gather around distribution centres desperately awaiting the next deliveries, but there have been near daily reports of shootings and killings on the approach routes. Medics said six people were killed by gunfire on Friday as they sought to get food in the southern Gaza Strip. MORE THAN 500 HAVE DIED, GAZA AUTHORITIES SAY In all, more than 500 people have died near aid centres operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) or in areas where UN food trucks were set to pass since late May, the Gaza health authorities have said. The unnamed Israeli soldiers told Haaretz that military commanders had ordered troops to shoot at the crowds of Palestinians to disperse them and clear the area. During a closed-door meeting with senior Military Advocate General officials this week, legal representatives rejected IDF claims that the incidents were isolated cases, Haaretz reported. There has been widespread confusion about access to the aid, with the army imposing for a time a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on approach routes to GHF sites. But locals often have to set out well before dawn to have any chance of retrieving food. In a statement late on Friday, a GHF spokesperson said there had been no incidents or fatalities to date at or in the immediate vicinity of its distribution sites. The statement said the IDF is tasked with providing safe passage for aid-seekers to all humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza, including GHF. "GHF is not aware of any of these incidents but these allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner,' the spokesperson said. The Gaza war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage into the enclave. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to local health authorities in Gaza. The Gaza health ministry said on Friday that at least 72 people were killed and more than 170 wounded by Israeli fire across Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Assam, Mizoram draft rules to curb illegal immigration
Two northeastern States have toughened their stand on identification documents to curb unauthorised cross-border movements of Bangladesh and Myanmar nationals. The Assam government has decided to implement a policy to issue Aadhaar cards to adult citizens only through the District Commissioners (DCs) to prevent Bangladeshi nationals from acquiring them, while the Mizoram Government plans to retain the identity cards of Myanmar nationals to regulate movement across the border. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the need to toughen the rules of issuing Aadhaar cards was discussed at the State Cabinet meeting on Friday (June 27, 2025). 'Usually, people who come to Assam and Bharat from Bangladesh [illegally] are adults. Since we have already achieved 100% Aadhaar coverage, we will thoroughly enquire into the applications of new adults,' he told journalists in Guwahati. 'Soon, only the DCs will have the power to issue Aadhaar cards. If such a policy is made, it will be difficult for Bangladeshi people to obtain Aadhaar. Detecting and pushing them back will be easy if they do not possess this document,' he said, hours after announcing that 20 more illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were pushed back. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government has been working on plugging the vulnerabilities of Aadhaar since April, when, Mr. Sarma said, people who did not apply for inclusion in the National Register of Citizens have been barred from getting the unique identification number. In September 2024, he said that four Assam districts had more Aadhaar cardholders than their projected population. Bengali-speaking Muslims are a majority in these districts — Barpeta bordering Bangladesh, Dhubri, Morigaon, and Nagaon. 'We found that 103.74% of the population were issued Aadhaar cards in Barpeta, 103.48% in Dhubri, 101.74% in Morigaon, and 100.68% in Nagaon. Some immigrants definitely managed to take Aadhaar,' the Chief Minister had said. In Aizawl, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma proposed the confiscation of the identity cards of Myanmar nationals who cross over into India frequently, amid the civil war in their country. He came up with this proposal at a meeting with Surinder Bhagat, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and Protector General of Emigrants, at the Chief Minister's Office recently. Acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar forcing many to take refuge in Mizoram, Mr. Lalduhoma said, 'Many refugees are law-abiding, but there are some who continue to cross the border to and from Myanmar, exploiting the ongoing crisis there.' He warned of stern action against those misusing the shelter provided, including the seizure of their Myanmar-issued identity documents. He suggested that such IDs be collected from each Myanmar national for the duration of their stay in Mizoram. The Chief Minister also stated that the government has started collecting biometric data of people entering the State from Myanmar.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Important moment after 30 years of war': Marco Rubio facilitates landmark Rwanda-Congo peace deal
Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo signed a US-brokered peace agreement on Friday (June 27), raising hopes for an end to fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more so far this year. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the two countries' foreign ministers at the Department of State in Washington for the signing of the agreement. 'This is an important moment after 30 years of war,' said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who hosted the two foreign ministers at the Department of State in Washington for the signing of the agreement. Show more Show less
