Latest news with #GazaAid
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
The G.O.P. Scramble Over Trump's Policy Bill, and Tracking Major Supreme Court Rulings
Hosted by Will Jarvis Produced by Will Jarvis and Ian Stewart Edited by Ian Stewart and Jessica Metzger Featuring Catie Edmondson Top Senate Official Rules Against Several Key Provisions in G.O.P. Policy Bill, by Catie Edmondson and Margot Sanger-Katz With Flu Shot Vote, Kennedy's Vaccine Skepticism Comes Full Circle, by Sheryl Gay Stolberg Trump Justice Dept. Pressuring University of Virginia President to Resign, by Michael S. Schmidt and Michael C. Bender U.S. Approves $30 Million for Contentious New Gaza Aid Group, by Ephrat Livni The Lethal Risk of Seeking Food in Gaza, by Rawan Sheikh Ahmad and Adam Rasgon Supreme Court Rules Planned Parenthood Cannot Sue Over S. Carolina Defunding Effort, by Adam Liptak The Major Supreme Court Decisions in 2025, by Adam Liptak, Abbie VanSickle and Alicia Parlapiano Honey, We Shrunk the Cod, by Emily Anthes Tune in, and tell us what you think at theheadlines@ For corrections, email nytnews@ For more audio journalism and storytelling, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
US approves $30 million in funding for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
The US has approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the State Department said, calling on other countries to also support the controversial group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza . 'This support is simply the latest iteration of President [Donald] Trump 's and Secretary [Marco] Rubio 's pursuit of peace in the region,' State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott told reporters at a regular news briefing. Washington has long backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation diplomatically, but this is the first known US government financial contribution to the organisation, which uses private for-profit US military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution at so-called secure sites. Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19th, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid from both the UN and GHF operations. READ MORE Earlier this month, GHF halted aid deliveries for a day as it pressed Israel to boost civilian safety near its distribution sites after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. It says there have been no incidents at its sites. The foundation's executive director, Johnnie Moore, an evangelical preacher who was a White House adviser in the first Trump administration, said in a post on X on Thursday that the group has delivered more than 46 million meals to Gazans since it began its operations in May. Some US officials opposed giving any US funds to the foundation over concerns about violence near aid distribution sites, the GHF's inexperience and the involvement of the for-profit US logistics and private military firms, four sources said earlier this week. The United States could approve additional monthly grants of $30 million for the GHF, two of the sources said, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. In approving the US funding for the GHF, the sources said the State Department exempted the foundation, which has not publicly disclosed its finances, from an audit usually required for groups receiving USAID grants for the first time. There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year military campaign by Israel that has displaced most of Gaza's two million inhabitants. - Reuters (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025
Al Jazeera
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US approves $30m for controversial Israel-backed Gaza aid group
The United States says it has approved $30m in direct funding for the controversial Israel-backed group delivering aid in Gaza, despite growing concern over a series of deadly attacks on Palestinian aid seekers near its distribution hubs in the besieged territory. 'We call on other countries to also support the GHF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and its critical work,' State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters on Thursday. The GHF, backed by the US and Israel, has been a source of widespread criticism since its establishment in May. The organisation was set up amid growing pressure on Israel to ease its months-long total blockade on humanitarian aid entering the Strip. The blockade had pushed most of Gaza's population to the brink of starvation. International aid groups and the United Nations have refused to work with the GHF, saying it violates basic humanitarian principles by coordinating delivery with Israeli troops backed by privately hired and armed US security personnel. Video clips have emerged showing Palestinians being shot at while trying to collect food aid. At least 549 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food aid distributed at GHF sites, the Gaza Government Media Office said on Thursday. The GHF, which is officially a private group, has denied that deadly incidents have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points. The GHF's interim executive director, John Acree, welcomed the US contribution and said it was 'time for unity and collaboration'. 'We look forward to other aid and humanitarian organizations joining us so we can feed even more Gazans, together,' he said in a statement. Asked about the criticism of the operation, Pigott said the group has distributed 46 million meals so far, which is 'absolutely incredible' and 'should be applauded'. The financial support to the GHF is part of President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's 'pursuit of peace in the region', he said. 'Nothing but death' A witness who has tried unsuccessfully to receive aid from the distribution sites on several occasions described the nightmarish conditions he faced when attempting to reach the hubs. Atar Riyad, a father of eight originally from Beit Hanoon who has been displaced to Gaza City, told Al Jazeera he had travelled towards the distribution centres near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza several times. Thousands of hungry Palestinians would gather near the sites early in the morning, Riyad said. He said that on one occasion, he saw trucks running over aid seekers. On another, he saw the bodies of young people who appeared to have been shot. 'We went to only find death in front of us. There was nothing but death,' he said. Riyad said his best friend and neighbours were among those who had been killed at the distribution centres. 'All died as they tried to get food to feed their families,' he said. Kate Mackintosh, executive director of the UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe, told Al Jazeera that GHF workers could bear criminal liability for the killings of aid seekers near the group's distribution points. 'It's very unclear why these people are being targeted and killed, but I think it's pretty clear that these are unarmed civilians who are desperately trying to get food for their families,' she said. 'Firing upon people in that situation prima facie is a war crime.' She said that people working for the GHF would 'have to think about the extent to which they could be complicit in those crimes'. 'If they're aware that this is going to happen – or even in some jurisdictions they're aware of the substantial risk of this happening, which it seems they must be … they could be held criminally liable for participating in those crimes.' In the latest violence surrounding the distribution of food, an Israeli strike on Thursday hit a street in central Gaza, killing 18 people. Witnesses said a crowd of people had gathered to receive bags of flour from a Palestinian police unit that had confiscated the goods from gangs looting aid convoys. Efforts by the UN to distribute the food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys. The strike in the central town of Deir el-Balah on Thursday appeared to target members of Sahm, a security unit tasked with stopping looters and cracking down on merchants who sell stolen aid at high prices. The unit is part of Gaza's Hamas-led Interior Ministry but includes members of other factions. Israel has accused the Hamas group of stealing aid and using it to prop up its rule in the enclave. Israeli forces have repeatedly struck Gaza's police, considering them a branch of Hamas.
Asharq Al-Awsat
19 hours ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US State Department Approves $30 Million in Funding for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
The US State Department has approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the State Department said on Thursday, calling on other countries to also support the controversial group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza. "This support is simply the latest iteration of President Trump's and Secretary Rubio's pursuit of peace in the region," State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters at a regular news briefing. Reuters was first to report the move earlier this week. Washington has long backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation diplomatically, but this is the first known US government financial contribution to the organization, which uses private for-profit US military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution at so-called secure sites. Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid from both the UN and GHF operations. Earlier this month, GHF halted aid deliveries for a day as it pressed Israel to boost civilian safety near its distribution sites after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. It says there have been no incidents at its sites. The foundation's executive director, Johnnie Moore, an evangelical preacher who was a White House adviser in the first Trump administration, said in a post on X on Thursday that the group has delivered more than 46 million meals to Gazans since it began its operations in May. Some US officials opposed giving any US funds to the foundation over concerns about violence near aid distribution sites, the GHF's inexperience and the involvement of the for-profit US logistics and private military firms, four sources told Reuters earlier this week. The United States could approve additional monthly grants of $30 million for the GHF, two sources said, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. In approving the US funding for the GHF, the sources said the State Department exempted the foundation, which has not publicly disclosed its finances, from an audit usually required for groups receiving USAID grants for the first time. There is an acute shortage of food and other basic supplies after the nearly two-year military campaign by Israel that has displaced most of Gaza's two million inhabitants.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US to give $30 million to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation despite violence concerns
The US State Department has approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the first known financial contribution by the US government to the controversial group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza. The decision comes amid concerns over violence near aid distribution sites and the foundation's links to for-profit US firms. The US State Department has approved $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the State Department said on Thursday, calling on other countries to also support the controversial group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza. "This support is simply the latest iteration of President Trump's and Secretary Rubio's pursuit of peace in the region," State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters at a regular news briefing. Reuters was first to report the move earlier this week. Washington has long backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) diplomatically, but this is the first known US government financial contribution to the organization, which uses private for-profit US military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution at so-called secure sites. Earlier this month, GHF halted aid deliveries for a day as it pressed Israel to boost civilian safety near its distribution sites after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. It says there have been no incidents at its sites. (FRANCE 24 with Reuters) Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:Israeli attacks at Gaza aid distribution point, school and camp kill at least 56UN says Israel's 'weaponisation of food' in Gaza constitutes a war crime
