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New York Times
5 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Israel Expands Offensive in Gaza and Raids a W.H.O. Office
The Israeli military has expanded its operations in a part of central Gaza that had remained relatively unscathed during the war with Hamas, raiding a U.N. facility and prompting panic among Palestinians who had sought refuge in the area. In the raid on the U.N. facility, a World Health Organization building in the city of Deir al-Balah, Israeli forces handcuffed and stripped male staff and family members and held them at gunpoint, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the agency, said in a statement. Women and children were forcibly evacuated south in the raid, which took place on Monday, he added. The Israeli military said that its forces had come under fire while operating in the area. It did not deny raiding the W.H.O. facility but said that any 'suspects' had been treated 'in accordance with international law.' Israeli troops have swept through much of Gaza backed by extensive airstrikes during the 21 months of the war. But the city of Deir al-Balah had been left largely untouched, partly because Israeli officials said they believed that hostages were being held there. On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered residents in parts of the city to leave or face life-threatening danger. Some Palestinians thought those warnings suggested that Israel was poised to launch a ground offensive in the city. The Israeli military launched strikes and ground operations around Deir al-Balah, but it was unclear how far the operations would expand. Israeli troops had not advanced into the densely populated city center, but residents were already fleeing. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
6 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Israel ramps up Gaza offensive as starvation crisis spirals - updates
Update: Date: Title: Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza's Deir al-Balah leave residents with nowhere to go, aid coordinator tells CNN Content: Israel's incursion in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Monday has 'worsened the situation more and more' as people in Gaza are displaced again, a humanitarian coordinator told CNN. 'There is no ability to help our people with the aid distribution,' said Eyad Awami, representative of the Global Gaza Relief Agency in Deir al-Balah, adding that the little aid that remains is difficult to distribute since no organization is supervising the deliveries. 'They (the Israeli military) order us to flee from our homes, and after that without our tents, without any safety, without any shelters… so there is no safe place that we can go and take care of our children and our elderly people,' Awami told CNN's John Vause. Israeli tanks on Monday rolled into Deir al-Balah, a part of central Gaza that has not previously seen ground operations in the 21-month war, according to Israeli media, aid agencies and witnesses. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment on its operations. However, Israel Army Radio said the operation had begun. The United Nations said the evacuation order had 'dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip.' Update: Date: Title: Western nations slam Israel's "drip feeding of aid" to Gaza Content: The foreign ministers of 25 Western nations slammed Israel for 'drip feeding' aid into the Gaza Strip, as the health ministry in the territory said that more than 1,000 people have been killed seeking humanitarian relief there since late May. The Palestinian health ministry did not specify the location of the deaths, but according to the United Nations, most casualties occurred while people were making their way to aid distribution sites operated by the controversial Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operating on May 27. Palestinian officials and witnesses have said the Israeli military is responsible for most of those deaths. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has acknowledged firing warning shots toward crowds in some instances, and denied responsibility for other incidents. In late June, the military said it had 'reorganized' the approach routes to aid sites to minimize 'friction with the population,' but the killings have continued. In their Monday statement, the Western foreign ministers said that 'the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.' 'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,' they said.
CNN
7 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Israel ramps up Gaza offensive as starvation crisis spirals - updates
Update: Date: less than 1 min ago Title: Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza's Deir al-Balah leave residents with nowhere to go, aid coordinator tells CNN Content: Israel's incursion in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Monday has 'worsened the situation more and more' as people in Gaza are displaced again, a humanitarian coordinator told CNN. 'There is no ability to help our people with the aid distribution,' said Eyad Awami, representative of the Global Gaza Relief Agency in Deir al-Balah, adding that the little aid that remains is difficult to distribute since no organization is supervising the deliveries. 'They (the Israeli military) order us to flee from our homes, and after that without our tents, without any safety, without any shelters… so there is no safe place that we can go and take care of our children and our elderly people,' Awami told CNN's John Vause. Israeli tanks on Monday rolled into Deir al-Balah, a part of central Gaza that has not previously seen ground operations in the 21-month war, according to Israeli media, aid agencies and witnesses. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment on its operations. However, Israel Army Radio said the operation had begun. The United Nations said the evacuation order had 'dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip.' Update: Date: 4 min ago Title: Western nations slam Israel's "drip feeding of aid" to Gaza Content: The foreign ministers of 25 Western nations slammed Israel for 'drip feeding' aid into the Gaza Strip, as the health ministry in the territory said that more than 1,000 people have been killed seeking humanitarian relief there since late May. The Palestinian health ministry did not specify the location of the deaths, but according to the United Nations, most casualties occurred while people were making their way to aid distribution sites operated by the controversial Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operating on May 27. Palestinian officials and witnesses have said the Israeli military is responsible for most of those deaths. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has acknowledged firing warning shots toward crowds in some instances, and denied responsibility for other incidents. In late June, the military said it had 'reorganized' the approach routes to aid sites to minimize 'friction with the population,' but the killings have continued. In their Monday statement, the Western foreign ministers said that 'the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.' 'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,' they said.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Tedros: Israeli army stormed WHO warehouses in Gaza Strip
The Israeli military has stormed warehouses and other facilities belonging the World Health Organization (WHO) during its advance in the Gaza Strip, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. Tedros said in a statement that a WHO's staff residence in Deir al-Balah, in the centre of the Gaza Strip, "was attacked three times today as well as its main warehouse." "Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict," the statement said. "Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff remains in detention." The organization is calling on the staffer's release. Tedros said that the WHO's main warehouse for the Gaza Strip, which is located in Deir al-Balah, was also damaged on Sunday "when an attack caused explosions and a fire inside." "With the main warehouse nonfunctional and the majority of medical supplies in Gaza depleted," he said. "As the lead agency for health, compromising WHO's operations is crippling the entire health response in Gaza," Tedros said. "A ceasefire is not just necessary, it is overdue." Israel's army did not initially comment on the incidents. The military moved into the south-west of Deir al-Balah on Monday morning to fight Palestinian militant organization Hamas there. It had previously called on thousands of Palestinians to leave the affected neighbourhoods in the direction of Al-Mawasi. Israel had previously refrained from military action in Deir al-Balah because hostages abducted by Hamas were suspected to be there. Al-Mawasi in the south-west of the embattled area was designated by Israel as a "humanitarian zone" earlier in the war. However, the Israeli military has since also attacked there multiple times. Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
WHO accuses Israel of strip-searching aid workers and striking staff homes
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has accused the Israeli military of strip-searching and detaining aid workers during attacks on staff housing and a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in Gaza. Three Israeli Defence Forces air strikes reportedly targeted the homes of WHO staff and their families on Monday, resulting in a fire and extensive damage. In a statement posted on X, the WHO said: 'Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. 'Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff member remains in detention. 'WHO demands continuous protection of its staff and the immediate release of the remaining detained staff member.' Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director General, said the strikes would further hinder attempts to support hospitals and doctors in the war-torn region at a time they are 'already critically short on medicines, fuel, and equipment'. 'As the lead agency for health, compromising WHO's operations is crippling the entire health response in Gaza,' Dr Tedros said. WHO operations compromised following attacks on warehouse and facility sheltering staff and families in Gaza WHO condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah, in the middle area of Gaza, the mistreatment of those sheltering there,… — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 21, 2025 Israel launched an offensive into southern and eastern districts of Deir al-Balah for the first time on Monday, an area the IDF suspects hostages may be held. Tank shelling in the area struck houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said. Earlier in the day, the IDF had ordered Palestinians to evacuate Deir al-Balah – an area where many of the displaced had sought refuge as it is one of the few territories where Israel has not conducted major ground operations. Dr Tedros said on X that a ceasefire in Gaza 'in not just necessary, it is overdue'. 'With the main warehouse non-functional and the majority of medical supplies in Gaza depleted, WHO is severely constrained in adequately supporting hospitals, emergency medical teams and health partners, already critically short on medicines, fuel, and equipment,' he said. 'WHO urgently calls on member states to help ensure a sustained and regular flow of medical supplies into Gaza.' . @WHO 's staff residence in Deir al Balah, #Gaza, was attacked three times today as well as its main warehouse. Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were… — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 21, 2025 Dr Tedros's renewed calls for a ceasefire come as the British government signed a joint statement with 28 international partners who have warned that the war must end as the suffering of civilians in Gaza had 'reached new depths'. The statement, also signed by France, Canada and Australia, condemned the 'drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food'. It criticised the Israeli government for its denial of 'essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population' and said it was 'horrifying' that more than 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. On Sunday, a day before the statement was released, at least 85 Palestinians were killed seeking aid – the highest death toll in 21 months inflicted by the Israeli military. The UN food agency, the World Food Programme, said the majority of those killed had gathered near the border fence with Israel in the hope of getting flour from a UN aid convoy when they were fired on by Israeli tanks. Last week, The Telegraph spoke to Professor Nick Maynard, a top Oxford surgeon currently working in Gaza, who said that snipers were deliberately targeting 'certain body parts on different days, such as the head, legs or genitals' near US-Israeli run aid distribution points. He added that he was seeing 'unprecedented levels' of severe malnutrition. 'The malnutrition I'm seeing here is indescribably bad. It's much, much worse now than a year ago.' Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private organisation backed by Israel and the United States, currently limits food distribution to four fixed sites in Gaza. Israel and the US have been criticised over near-daily shootings near the distribution sites, which have killed 875 Palestinians seeking food since May, according to the UN human rights office. In July, more than 170 NGOs called for the GHF food aid distribution scheme to be dismantled over concerns it is putting civilians at risk of death and injury. Israel's foreign ministry said the statement signed by Britain and its international partners was 'disconnected from reality'. 'The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas's role and responsibility for the situation,' the Israeli statement said. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the statement 'disgusting' and said blaming Israel was 'irrational' because Hamas rejects every proposal to end the war.
