Latest news with #AntonioGuterres
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
"IDF never targets civilians, anyone claiming otherwise is blatantly lying": Israel responds to remarks by UN Secy Gen Guterres
The Foreign Ministry of Israel issued a statement on Saturday in response to the remarks made by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres on the humanitarian aid to Gaza, and reiterated its stance that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), does not target civilians. In its statement posted on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, "Blaming Israel for the UN's failures and for Hamas's deeds is a deliberate tactic. The GHF has so far provided more than 46 million meals directly to Palestinian civilians, not to Hamas. Yet the UN is doing everything it can to oppose this effort. In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF's humanitarian operations." It further added, "The IDF never targets civilians, and anyone claiming otherwise is blatantly lying. It is Hamas that is deliberately targeting and murdering GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Fund) aid workers -- a crime the UN has never condemned -- and is also targeting civilians who are trying to collect aid from the GHF." Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen 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 Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow 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. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo In its concluding remarks, the Foreign Ministry noted, "The UN must now decide: Does it prefer to preserve its monopoly and a system that benefits Hamas -- thereby prolonging the war -- or is it interested in delivering humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza?" Live Events The remarks by Israel come after the UN Secretary-General had renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, noting that the humanitarian crisis has reached "horrific proportions". Guterres in his speech had said, "People are being killed for simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence." On the amount of aid reaching Gaza, he mentioned, "A trickle of aid is not enough, what is needed now is a surge. The trickle must become an ocean. We need concrete action so that aid can reach all". Offering remarks on reports alleging IDF soldiers shooting at people, Guterres said, "We don't need a report of that nature to acknowledge that there have been messy violations of international law and indeed when there is a violation of international law, there must be accountability". Guterres, in his speech, had said, "To those in power, say, enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands. To those with influence, I say, use it. To all member states, I say, uphold the UN Charter, you recommitted to it just yesterday for the 80th anniversary. Let us bring in life-saving supplies, let us reach people where they are, and let us recognise that the solution to this problem is ultimately political. The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-state solution . Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz delivered a joint statement on Friday, where they emphasised that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers have clear instructions to avoid harm to innocents. The statement issued by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The State of Israel absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels that have been published in the Ha'aretz newspaper, according to which 'IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid." The conflict in Gaza started after Hamas launched an attack on Israel in 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. In response to the Hamas attack, Israel vowed to destroy the group.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘IDF never targets civilians': Israel responds to remarks by UN chief Guterres
The Foreign Ministry of Israel issued a statement on Saturday in response to the remarks made by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres on the humanitarian aid to Gaza, and reiterated its stance that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), does not target civilians. In its statement posted on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, "Blaming Israel for the UN's failures and for Hamas's deeds is a deliberate tactic.(Reuters) In its statement posted on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, "Blaming Israel for the UN's failures and for Hamas's deeds is a deliberate tactic. The GHF has so far provided more than 46 million meals directly to Palestinian civilians, not to Hamas. Yet the UN is doing everything it can to oppose this effort. In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF's humanitarian operations." It further added, "The IDF never targets civilians, and anyone claiming otherwise is blatantly lying. It is Hamas that is deliberately targeting and murdering GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Fund) aid workers, a crime the UN has never condemned -- and is also targeting civilians who are trying to collect aid from the GHF." In its concluding remarks, the Foreign Ministry noted, 'The UN must now decide: Does it prefer to preserve its monopoly and a system that benefits Hamas -- thereby prolonging the war -- or is it interested in delivering humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza?' The remarks by Israel come after the UN Secretary-General had renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, noting that the humanitarian crisis has reached "horrific proportions". Guterres in his speech had said, "People are being killed for simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence." On the amount of aid reaching Gaza, he mentioned, "A trickle of aid is not enough, what is needed now is a surge. The trickle must become an ocean. We need concrete action so that aid can reach all". Offering remarks on reports alleging IDF soldiers shooting at people, Guterres said, "We don't need a report of that nature to acknowledge that there have been messy violations of international law and indeed when there is a violation of international law, there must be accountability". Guterres, in his speech, had said, "To those in power, say, enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands. To those with influence, I say, use it. To all member states, I say, uphold the UN Charter, you recommitted to it just yesterday for the 80th anniversary. Let us bring in life-saving supplies, let us reach people where they are, and let us recognise that the solution to this problem is ultimately political. The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-state solution. Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz delivered a joint statement on Friday, where they emphasised that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers have clear instructions to avoid harm to innocents. The statement issued by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The State of Israel absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels that have been published in the Ha'aretz newspaper, according to which 'IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid." The conflict in Gaza started after Hamas launched an attack on Israel in 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. In response to the Hamas attack, Israel vowed to destroy the group.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
UN officials say aid distribution system in Gaza leading to mass killings
United Nations officials on Friday said a US- and Israeli-backed distribution system in Gaza was leading to mass killings of people seeking humanitarian aid, drawing accusations from Israel that the UN was "aligning itself with Hamas". The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory says that since late May, more than 500 people have been killed near aid centres.(Reuters) Eyewitnesses and local officials have reported repeated killings of Palestinians seeking aid at distribution centres over recent weeks in the war-stricken territory, where Israeli forces are battling Hamas militants. The Israeli military has denied targeting people seeking aid and the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has denied any deadly incidents were linked to its sites. But following weeks of reports, UN officials and other aid providers on Friday denounced what they said was a wave of killings of hungry people seeking aid. "The new aid distribution system has become a killing field," with people "shot at while trying to access food for themselves and their families," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian affairs (UNWRA). "This abomination must end through a return to humanitarian deliveries from the UN including @UNRWA," he wrote on X. The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory says that since late May, more than 500 people have been killed near aid centres while seeking scarce supplies. The country's civil defence agency has also repeatedly reported people being killed while seeking aid. "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The search for food must never be a death sentence." Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) branded the GHF relief effort "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid". Israel denies targeting civilians That drew an angry response from Israel, which said GHF had provided 46 million meals in Gaza. "The UN is doing everything it can to oppose this effort. In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF's humanitarian operations," the foreign ministry said. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a newspaper report that the country's military commanders ordered soldiers to fire at Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza. Left-leaning daily Haaretz had earlier quoted unnamed soldiers as saying commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds near aid distribution centres to disperse them even when they posed no threat. Haaretz said the military advocate general, the army's top legal authority, had instructed the military to investigate "suspected war crimes" at aid sites. The Israeli military declined to comment to AFP on the claim. Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz that their country "absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels" and "malicious falsehoods" in the Haaretz article. The military said in a separate statement it "did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres". It added that Israeli military 'directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians.' Israel blocked deliveries of food and other crucial supplies into Gaza from March for more than two months. It began allowing supplies to trickle in at the end of May, with GHF centres secured by armed US contractors and Israeli troops on the perimeter. Guterres said that from the UN, just a "handful" of medical deliveries had crossed into Gaza this week. Civil defence says 80 killed Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP 80 Palestinians had been killed on Friday by Israeli strikes or fire across the Palestinian territory, including 10 who were waiting for aid. The Israeli military told AFP it was looking into the incidents, and denied its troops fired in one of the locations in central Gaza where rescuers said one aid seeker was killed. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP six people were killed in southern Gaza near one of the distribution sites operated by GHF, and one more in a separate incident in the centre of the territory, where the army denied shooting "at all". Another three people were killed by a strike while waiting for aid southwest of Gaza City, Bassal said. Elsewhere, eight people were killed "after an Israeli air strike hit Osama Bin Zaid School, which was housing displaced persons" in northern Gaza. MSF said that in the week of June 8, shortly after GHF opened a distribution site in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor, the MSF field hospital in nearby Deir el-Balah saw a 190-percent increase in bullet wound cases compared to the previous week. Militants attack Israeli forces Meanwhile, Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said they shelled an Israeli vehicle east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Friday. The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas-ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said they attacked Israeli soldiers in at least two other locations near Khan Yunis in coordination with the Al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,331 people, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
Roya News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Roya News
UN officials say new Gaza aid system leads to mass killings
United Nations officials on Friday said a US- and 'Israeli'-backed distribution system in Gaza was leading to mass killings of people seeking humanitarian aid, drawing accusations from 'Israel' that the UN was "aligning itself with Hamas". Eyewitnesses and local officials have reported repeated killings of Palestinians seeking aid at distribution centres over recent weeks in the war-stricken Strip. The 'Israeli' military has denied targeting people seeking aid and the US- and 'Israeli'-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has denied any deadly incidents were linked to its sites. But following weeks of reports, UN officials and other aid providers on Friday denounced what they said was a wave of killings of hungry people seeking aid. "The new aid distribution system has become a killing field," with people "shot at while trying to access food for themselves and their families," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian affairs (UNWRA). "This abomination must end through a return to humanitarian deliveries from the UN including @UNRWA," he wrote on X. The health ministry in Gaza says that since late May, more than 500 people have been killed near aid centres while seeking scarce supplies. The country's civil defence agency has also repeatedly reported people being killed while seeking aid. "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The search for food must never be a death sentence." Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) branded the GHF relief effort "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid". 'Israel' denies targeting civilians That drew an angry response from 'Israel', which said GHF had provided 46 million meals in Gaza. "The UN is doing everything it can to oppose this effort. In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF's humanitarian operations," the foreign ministry said. 'Israel's' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a newspaper report that the country's military commanders ordered soldiers to fire at Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza. Left-leaning daily Haaretz had earlier quoted unnamed soldiers as saying commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds near aid distribution centres to disperse them even when they posed no threat. Haaretz said the military advocate general, the army's top legal authority, had instructed the military to investigate "suspected war crimes" at aid sites. Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz: "[Israel] absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels" and "malicious falsehoods" in the Haaretz article. The military said in a separate statement it "did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres". It added that 'Israeli' military "directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians." 'Israel' blocked deliveries of food and other crucial supplies into Gaza from March for more than two months. It began allowing supplies to trickle in at the end of May, with GHF centres secured by armed US contractors and 'Israeli' troops on the perimeter. Guterres said that from the UN, just a "handful" of medical deliveries had crossed into Gaza this week. Civil defence says 80 killed Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP 80 Palestinians had been killed on Friday by 'Israeli' strikes or fire across the Strip, including 10 who were waiting for aid. The 'Israeli' military said it was looking into the incidents, and denied its troops fired in one of the locations in central Gaza where rescuers said one aid seeker was killed. Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP six people were killed in southern Gaza near one of the distribution sites operated by GHF, and one more in a separate incident in the centre of the territory, where the army denied shooting "at all". Another three people were killed by a strike while waiting for aid southwest of Gaza City, Bassal said. Elsewhere, eight people were killed "after an Israeli air strike hit Osama Bin Zaid School, which was housing displaced persons" in northern Gaza. MSF said that in the week of June 8, shortly after GHF opened a distribution site in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor, the MSF field hospital in nearby Deir el-Balah saw a 190-percent increase in bullet wound cases compared to the previous week. Hamas attacks 'Israeli' forces Meanwhile, Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said they shelled an 'Israeli' vehicle east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Friday.
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Foreign aid cuts hurt the most vulnerable in world's largest refugee camp
Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh – The sound of children at play echoes through the verdant lanes of one of the dozens of refugee camps on the outskirts of Cox's Bazar, a densely populated coastal town in southeast Bangladesh. Just for a moment, the sounds manage to soften the harsh living conditions faced by the more than one million people who live here in the world's largest refugee camp. Described as the most persecuted people on the planet, the Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh may now be one of the most forgotten populations in the world, eight years after being ethnically cleansed from their homes in neighbouring Myanmar by a predominantely Buddhist military regime. 'Cox's Bazar is ground zero for the impact of budget cuts on people in desperate need,' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during a visit to the sprawling camps in May. The UN chief's visit followed United States President Donald Trump's gutting of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has stalled several key projects in the camps, and the United Kingdom announcing cuts to foreign aid in order to increase defence spending. Healthcare in the camps has suffered as the severe blows to foreign aid bite. 'They call me 'langhra' (lame)' Seated outside his makeshift bamboo hut, Jahid Alam told Al Jazeera how, before being forced to become a refugee, he had worked as a farmer and also fished for a living in the Napura region of his native Myanmar. It was back then, in 2016, that he first noticed his leg swell up for no apparent reason. 'I was farming and suddenly felt this intense urge to itch my left leg,' Alam said. 'My leg soon turned red and began swelling up. I rushed home and tried to put some ice on it. But it didn't help.' A local doctor prescribed an ointment, but the itch continued, and so did the swelling. He soon found it difficult to stand or walk and could no longer work, becoming dependent on his family members. A year later, when Myanmar's military began burning Rohingya homes in his village and torturing the women, he decided to send his family to Bangladesh. Alam stayed behind to look after the cows on his land. But the military soon threatened him into leaving too and joining his family in neighbouring Bangladesh. The 53-year-old has been treated by Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, in the Kutupalong region of Cox's Bazar since arriving, but amputation of his leg seems likely. While some doctors have said he has Elephantiasis – an infection that causes enlargement and swelling of limbs – a final diagnosis is yet to be made. Along with the disease, Alam has to also deal with stigma due to his disability. 'They call me 'langhra'(lame) when they see I can't walk properly,' he said. But, he adds: 'If God has given me this disease and disability, he also gave me the opportunity to come to this camp and try to recover. In the near future I know I can start a new and better life.' 'The word 'Amma' gives me hope' Seated in a dimly lit room in a small hut about a 10-minute walk from Alam's shelter, Jahena Begum hopes aid organisations will continue supporting the camps and particularly people with disabilities. Her daughter Sumaiya Akter, 23, and sons, Harez, 19, and Ayas, 21, are blind and have a cognitive disability that prevents them from speaking clearly. They are largely unaware of their surroundings. 'Their vision slowly began fading as they became teenagers,' Begum says. 'It was very difficult to watch, and healthcare facilities in Myanmar could not help,' said the 50-year-old mother as she patted her daughter's leg. The young girl giggled, unaware of what was going on around her. Begum's family arrived in Cox's Bazar about nine months ago after the military in Myanmar burned their house down. 'We made it to the camps with the help of relatives. But life has been very hard for me,' said Begum, telling how she had single-handedly brought up her children since her husband's death eight years ago. Doctors from MSF have given her children spectacles and have begun running scans to understand the root cause of their disability. 'Right now, they express everything by making sounds. But the one word they speak, which is 'Amma', meaning mother, shows me that they at least recognise me,' Begum said. 'The word 'Amma' gives me hope and strength to continue trying to treat them. I want a better future for my children.' 'The pain isn't just physical – it's emotional' Clad in a blue and pink striped collared shirt and a striped brown longyi – the cloth woven around the waist and worn by men and women in Myanmar – Anowar Shah told of fleeing Myanmar to save his life, on top of losing a limb to a mine blast. Shah said he was collecting firewood in his hometown Labada Prian Chey in Myanmar when his leg was blown off by the landmine last year. Myanmar is among the world's deadliest countries for landmine and unexploded ordnance casualties, according to a 2024 UN report, with more than 1,000 victims recorded in 2023 alone – a number that surpassed all other nations. 'Those were the longest, most painful days of my life,' said the 25-year-old Shah, who now needs crutches to get around. 'Losing my leg shattered everything. I went from being someone who provided and protected, to someone who depends on others just to get through the day. I can't move freely, can't work, can't even perform simple tasks alone,' he said. 'I feel like I've become a burden to the people I love. The pain isn't just physical – it's emotional, it's deep. I keep asking myself, 'Why did this happen to me?'' More than 30 refugees in the camps in Bangladesh have lost limbs in landmine explosions, leaving them disabled and dependent on others. All parties to the armed conflict in Myanmar have used landmines in some capacity, said John Quinley, director of rights organisation Fortify Rights, in Myanmar. 'We know the Myanmar junta has used landmines over many years to bolster their bases. They also lay them in civilian areas around villages and towns that they have occupied and fled,' he told Al Jazeera. Abdul Hashim, 25, who resides in Camp 21 in Cox's Bazar, described how stepping on a landmine in February 2024 'drastically altered his life'. 'I have become dependent on others for even the simplest daily tasks. Once an active contributor to my family, I now feel like a burden,' he said. Since arriving in the camp, Hashim has been in a rehabilitation programme at the Turkish Field Hospital where he receives medication and physical rehabilitation that involves balance exercises, stump care, and hygiene education. He has also been assessed for a prosthetic limb which currently costs about 50,000 Bangladeshi Taka ($412). The cost for such limbs is borne by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 'Despite the trauma and hardship, I hold onto some hope. I dream of receiving a prosthetic leg soon, which would allow me to regain some independence and find work to support my family,' Hashim said. So far, a total of 14 prosthetic limbs have been distributed and fitted for camp inhabitants by the aid group Humanity & Inclusion, who have expertise in producing the limbs in orthotic workshops outside the refugee camps. Both Hashim and Shah are a part of the organisation's rehabilitation programme, which has been providing gait training to help them adapt to the future, regular use of prosthetic limbs. Tough decisions for aid workers Seeking to ensure refugees in the camps are well supported and can live better lives after fleeing persecution, aid workers are currently having to make tough decisions due to foreign aid cuts. 'We are having to decide between feeding people and providing education and healthcare due to aid cuts,' a Bangladeshi healthcare worker who requested anonymity, for fear his comment could jeopardise future aid from the US, told Al Jazeera. Quinley of Fortify Rights pointed out that while there are huge funding gaps because of the aid cuts, the Rohingya refugee response should not fall on any one government and should be a collective regional responsibility. 'There needs to be a regional response, particularly for countries in Southeast Asia, to give funding,' he said. 'Countries connected to the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) in the Middle East could also give a lot more meaningful support,' he said. He also recommended working with local humanitarian partners, 'whether it's Bangladeshi nationals or whether it's Rohingya refugee groups themselves' since they know how to help their communities the best. 'Their ability to access people that need support is at the forefront, and they should be supported from governments worldwide,' he said. For the estimated one million refugees in Cox's Bazar, urgent support is needed at this time, when funds grow ever scarce. According to a Joint Response Plan drawn up for the Rohingya, in 2024, just 30 percent of funding was received of a total $852.4m that was needed by the refugees. As of May 2025, against an overall appeal for $934.5m for the refugees, just 15 percent received funding. Cutting the aid budgets for the camps is a 'short-sighted policy', said Blandine Bouniol, deputy director of advocacy at Humanity & Inclusion humanitarian group. It will, Bouniol said, 'have a devastating impact on people'.
