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Days of Palestine
5 days ago
- General
- Days of Palestine
Fuel Blockade Deepens Gaza's Water Crisis
DaysofPal – Gaza's water crisis has reached a breaking point, as Israel's months-long fuel blockade continues to cripple the enclave's already-devastated infrastructure. Since the full halt of fuel deliveries on March 2, nearly all desalination plants, wastewater treatment facilities, and water pumping stations have shut down, leaving millions with little to no access to clean water. The impact on daily life is devastating. Families, many of them with children, are spending hours under the scorching summer sun searching for just a few liters of water. For many, even drinking water is becoming a rare commodity. 'We're on the verge of death,' said Asem Alnabih, spokesperson for Gaza's municipality. 'Water can reach only 50 percent of the city,' he told Al Jazeera yesterday. Out of more than 70 municipal water wells, only 12 remain in operation. The crisis is felt deeply in every corner of life. Aya Fayoumi, a displaced Palestinian, described the grim conditions her family faces: 'There's never any water in the toilets. There's barely enough drinking water. So we have nothing left for personal hygiene or to wash clothes.' The International Rescue Committee reports that most people in Gaza are now receiving far less than the World Health Organization's emergency minimum of 15 liters per person per day—a threshold meant to cover drinking, cooking, and basic sanitation. With fuel barred from entry and water systems collapsing, Gaza's population is being pushed further into an unfolding humanitarian disaster—one where survival itself is now tied to each drop of water.
TimesLIVE
11-07-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Greek lawmakers to vote on North Africa asylum ban as rights groups cry foul
A vote on the law, which would also allow authorities to quickly deport migrants without identification process, was expected on Thursday or Friday. It is expected to pass, given the ruling party's parliamentary majority. Greece, one of the main gateways into the EU for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, has taken an increasingly tough stand on migration since Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right New Democracy came to power in 2019, building a fence at its northern land borders and boosting sea patrols in the east. However, sea arrivals of migrants travelling from northeastern Libya to its southern islands of Crete and Gavdos, the closest European territory to North Africa, have surged this year. Dozens, including children, sat on mattresses in a temporary reception centre in Agyia, near the city of Chania, on Thursday. There were among hundreds rescued by the Greek coastguard in the Libyan Sea off Crete in recent days. "We are experiencing what I would call the worst crisis of the past two years," said Vasilis Katsikandarakis, head of the coastguard staff in western Crete. "All the burden has fallen on the coastguard, who don't have the necessary equipment and personnel to deal with the flows." Human rights groups said the proposed three-month asylum ban would violate international and European law, and called on the Greek government to recall it. "Seeking refuge is a human right. Preventing people from doing so is illegal and inhumane," the International Rescue Committee. Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis denied the law change was illegal and said it was meant to deter migrants. Mitsotakis met European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela on Thursday to discuss the issue on the sidelines of a conference in Rome. They agreed to work on resending an EU delegation to Libya to revive a visit which was aborted when the parallel government of Osama Hamad, which controls the east and large areas of the south, denied them entry. Reuters
Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Greece draws criticism over tougher asylum stance
More than 2,000 migrants have landed on Crete in recent days. Photo AFP A leading humanitarian group criticised Greece on Thursday after its government announced it would pause for three months all asylum hearings for people arriving in boats from North Africa, to deter a migration surge from Libya. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday told parliament Greece would adopt legislation Thursday to discourage asylum seekers from sailing out of North Africa. The move came after more than 2,000 migrants landed on Crete in recent days, sparking anger among local authorities and tourism operators. More than 7,000 have arrived on the island and nearby Gavdos since the start of the year, compared with 4,935 in 2024. Martha Roussou, Europe senior advocacy adviser at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said the plans "constitute a clear violation of the right to seek asylum under international and EU law". "People fleeing conflict and disaster must be treated with dignity and provided fair and lawful access to asylum procedures — not detained or turned away. Seeking refuge is a human right; preventing people from doing so is both illegal and inhumane," she said. Noting an "exceptional" situation, European Commission migration spokesperson Markus Lammert said: "We are in close contact with the Greek authorities to obtain necessary information on these measures" regarding their application. Lammert added the EU was continuing to support Greece financially and operationally and was ready to increase assistance and intensify cooperation but he stressed that "EU law must always be respected." The UN refugee agency UNHCR expressed "serious concern" at Greece's move. "Controlling a State's borders... must be in line with international and European law. Greece has a long-standing tradition of offering protection to people fleeing war and persecution. That tradition must be upheld," the body said. "The right to seek asylum is a fundamental human right, enshrined in international, European and national law, and applies to everyone regardless of how or where they arrive in a country. Even at times of migratory pressure, states must ensure that people seeking asylum have access to asylum procedures. "Returning people to a place where they would face threats to their life or freedom would breach the principle of non-refoulement. States cannot deviate from this important principle of international law." Announcing the measures, Mitsotakis said: "The road to Greece is closing... any migrants entering illegally will be arrested and detained." Crete is one of Greece's top travel destinations, and Mitsotakis's home island. Migrants entering illegally could be held for up to 18 months, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said. "Greece cannot have boats totalling 1,000 people a day," Plevris told Skai TV, saying Greece will hold a "draconian revision" of how it deals with migrants.
Mint
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Greek lawmakers vote on North Africa asylum ban as rights groups cry foul
ATHENS, July 10 (Reuters) - Greek lawmakers prepared to vote on legislation on Thursday that would temporarily halt the processing of asylum applications of people coming from North Africa, a move rights groups have called illegal. The vote comes amid a surge in migrant arrivals to the island of Crete and as talks with Libya's Benghazi-based government to help stem the flow were cancelled acrimoniously this week. Greece, one of the main gateways into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, has taken an increasingly tough stance on migration since Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right party came to power in 2019, building a fence at its northern land borders and boosting sea patrols in the east. Sea arrivals of migrants travelling from northeastern Libya to its southern islands of Crete and Gavdos, the closest European territory to North Africa, have surged this year. In response, Mitsotakis' government proposed legislation on Wednesday stipulating that migrants crossing illegally to Greece from North Africa by sea would not be able to file for an asylum for three months. A vote on the law, which would also allow authorities to quickly deport those migrants without any prior identification process, was expected later on Thursday or early on Friday. Human rights groups said the asylum ban would violate international and European law, and called on the Greek government to recall it. "Seeking refuge is a human right; preventing people from doing so is both illegal and inhumane," the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a statement. Mitsotakis - whose government controls 155 lawmakers in the 300-seated parliament - said on Wednesday the ban was "an emergency response to an emergency situation". Greece has long been accused by aid groups of forcibly ejecting migrants at its sea and land borders, also known as "pushbacks," an illegal practice. A Greek naval court has charged 17 coastguard officers over one of the Mediterranean's worst shipwrecks two years ago, in which hundreds of people are believed to have drowned. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Gulf Today
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Ukrainian aid projects wither as Western funding drops
Playing outdoors with his friend, Ukrainian teenager Nazar was badly injured when an explosive device blew up under his feet. Despite his phone being shattered by the blast from what was apparently a discarded munition, he called an ambulance and spent months in hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries and doctors managed to save his leg. Now at home in the eastern village of Nikopol, 130 km (80 miles) south of Kharkiv city and about half that distance from the frontline of Russia's war against Ukraine, the young teen and his mother rely on overseas aid to pay for his care. "They gave us crutches, a walking frame and also a computer tablet ... But mostly it was financial aid," Yevheniia Mostova, Nazar's mother, said in mid-May of the help she received from aid group the International Rescue Committee. That money is running low, however, after US President Donald Trump ordered a pause in foreign aid in January and froze operations at the US Agency for International Development. "We do not know what to do next," Mostova, 36, told Reuters in Nikopol, a village of small, single-storey homes, surrounded by tidy vegetable gardens. IRC's support was central to Nazar's mental recovery too, she said, after her traumatised son spent weeks unable to communicate. She now worries about paying for Nazar's painkillers and medical creams for his leg following several skin grafts. Groups like IRC that relied on US funding are reeling. Other leading donors, including Britain, are also paring back humanitarian aid as they seek savings to boost defence spending. The impact of these changes on Ukraine is particularly acute. Ukraine was by far the biggest recipient of USAID funds after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to the agency's now-defunct website, it has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance and has paid $30 billion directly into Ukraine's budget since. That has all but stopped. US support had been used to pay salaries of teachers and emergency workers, as well as helping Ukrainians displaced internally and overseas, de-mining and support for local media. The cuts coincide with Trump's lurch towards Russia in the war, leaving Ukraine more exposed than at any time since the early days of the full-scale invasion. Reuters spoke to eight non-governmental groups providing humanitarian services to Ukrainians, from medical aid to evacuations, as the war with Russia grinds into its fourth year. They detailed the turmoil caused by Washington's abrupt withdrawal, and cuts in funds from other countries. Two groups had laid off staff, some employees had taken salary cuts, one group has shut its Kyiv office while another is cutting back operations across Ukraine. All are downsizing significantly as funding slows. "The reduction in US assistance ... has already had a critical impact on our organisation," said Dmytro Sherembei, co-founder of the 100% LIFE group, the largest patient-led organisation in Ukraine for health conditions such as HIV. Ukraine is vulnerable, "not only due to ongoing epidemics of HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis, but also because it is a country under active military attack ... financial support is not only vital — it is the only way to save lives," he said. The Trump administration froze and then cut billions of dollars of foreign aid after taking office on January 20 to align with his "America First" policies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to European allies for help, but far from stepping up to fill the gap, they have also cut back humanitarian aid funding. After Trump called for Europe to shoulder more of the burden in NATO, alliance leaders backed the big increase in defence spending that he had demanded — pushing governments to hunt for savings in other areas, such as foreign aid. Britain plans to cut its aid budget to 0.3% of gross national income from 0.5% by 2027. Germany, another of the biggest donors of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, will cut its overall aid budget by almost 10% this year. "NGOs are competing for the same small pots of money available in Ukraine," said Alain Homsy, IRC's Ukraine country director in Kyiv. With frontlines stretching more than 1,000 km, and millions of Ukrainians living under the daily threat of Russian drone, missile and artillery fire, the needs are vast. US funding covered around 30% of coordinated humanitarian funding plans in Ukraine in 2022, 2023 and 2024, says ACAPS, an independent project that analyses global humanitarian activity. By the end of 2024, there were 39 active USAID programmes in Ukraine, with a total budget of $4.28 billion. Just three months later, in late March 2025, only about $1.27 billion of the awards remained active, ACAPS said. Similarly, aid from Europe is declining, from 6.2 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in 2022 to 4.1 billion euros in 2023 and about 3 billion last year, according to Taro Nishikawa, project lead for the Ukraine Support Tracker at the Kiel Institute think-tank. In the village of Morozivka, occupied by Russian forces for almost seven months before being retaken by Ukraine, the oldest among some 400 residents rely on free medicine from IRC. Its mobile doctors come around once a month, bringing medications for ailments including high blood pressure and diabetes. Svitlana Basova, a 56-year-old social worker, could not access treatment during the Russian occupation. More recently, she's had regular check-ups after her joint surgery. "They treat people well, they help us, (give us) medicines and also they help psychologically," she said. The village's nurse, Yuliia Samiha, 34, says the medical support is crucial. "We don't even have a pharmacy," she said. IRC is now reviewing how to allocate its funds. Britain recently halved the budget of a project with IRC and partners to support Ukrainians with job training and safety services, said Homsy. A UK foreign ministry spokesperson said there would be "no let-up" in support for Ukraine, but acknowledged there would be an impact on specific programmes after a recent government spending review. A German government official said Ukraine was a priority, and a fall in overall aid did not necessarily mean funding for Ukraine would fall. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For people in Samiha's small village, the idea of losing the help is hard to contemplate. The nearest hospital is some 20 km away and few of the elderly have access to private cars or any kind of regular public transport. "There are not many other options," she said. Elizabeth Piper and Vitalii Hnidiy, Reuters
