Latest news with #JamesElder
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on annihilation in Gaza: the deaths mount, but the pressure has ebbed
'We cannot be asking civilians to go into a combat zone so that then they can be killed with the justification that they are in a combat zone.' It defies belief that the Unicef spokesperson, James Elder, should have needed to spell that out this week. And yet each day Palestinians continue to be killed while attempting to collect aid for their families from food hubs in Gaza, forced to make a lethal choice between risking being shot and letting their families slowly starve. More than 500 have died around the centres since the system was introduced – yet, with attention fixed on Israel's attacks on Iran, there has been little to spare for recent deaths. The Israeli military has given shifting accounts of events. But soldiers told the newspaper Haaretz that commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds that posed no threat. The Israeli prime minister and defence minister attacked the allegations as 'blood libels'. Médecins Sans Frontières has accurately described the system as 'slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid'. Meanwhile, Israel has closed crossings into the north. Overall, Gaza's health ministry says that 56,331 people have died in Israeli attacks since war began. Researchers who assess war casualties suggested this week that, far from being exaggerated, this undercounts the toll. They estimated that violent deaths had reached 75,000 by this January, with another 8,500 excess deaths due to the war. The toll of hunger has yet to be reckoned. The ceasefire with Iran has prompted talk that Benjamin Netanyahu may be contemplating an early election, hoping to ride to victory on the glory. That would be tough without the release of hostages and at least the impression of an end to the war in Gaza. Yet it remains unclear whether there is actual movement towards a deal with Hamas. Donald Trump's hazy vision of a grand deal for the Middle East is built upon a fantasy of Arab state acquiescence without any concrete offer for Palestinians. Without a proper agreement, the threat of strikes resuming would loom large, there would be no promise that proper aid would follow, and recovery would be impossible. The far-right coalition partners upon whom Mr Netanyahu depends want the 'day after' to bring not a resurgence of life but the disappearance of Palestinians from Gaza – and beyond. The surging violence and mass displacements in the occupied West Bank, which have seen 943 Palestinians killed by settlers or security forces since 7 October 2023, have been described as 'Gazafication'. Meanwhile, Israel entrenches its control politically. As Israel's allies stand by – or, like Mr Trump, spur on horrors such as the food scheme – the necessary destination of a two-state solution is becoming a mirage. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, has suggested openly that the US no longer sees an independent Palestinian state as a goal. European nations, including the UK, which had edged towards recognising one, have backed off since Israel attacked Iran. A review by the diplomatic service of the EU – Israel's biggest trading partner – found that the country was probably breaching human rights duties under their trade deal, yet the bloc has not acted accordingly. The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, rightly urged the EU to suspend the accord. While the arms and trade still flow, Israel's allies are complicit in the destruction of lives in Gaza. They must instead make themselves central to building a future for Palestinians in a state of their own. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Situation in Gaza rapidly deteriorating, UNICEF warns
While the world has been focused on the conflict between Israel and Iran, human rights organisations say the situation in Gaza has been rapidly deteriorating. Of particular concern are reports of shootings at aid distribution sites. Health authorities in Gaza say at least 450 people have died trying to obtain aid over recent weeks, including 40 in just the last 24 hours. The Israeli Defence Force is investigating the incidents. Israel has accused Hamas of hijacking aid deliveries and hiding amongst civilians. 7.30's David Speers interviews James Elder, the global spokesperson for UNICEF, who has just been in Gaza.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Gaza's Taps Running Dry: Fuel Crisis Deepens Daily Struggle For Families
UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder at press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva AMMAN/GENEVA, June 2025 – 'In a war already defined by its brutality, Gaza now teeters at its deadliest edge. Currently just 40 per cent of drinking water production facilities remain functional in Gaza (87 out of 217). Without fuel, every one of these will stop operating within weeks. 'Since all the electricity to Gaza was cut after the horrific attacks of 7 Oct 2023, fuel became essential to produce, treat and distribute water to more than two million Palestinians. 'If the current more than 100-day blockade on fuel coming into Gaza does not end, children will begin to die of thirst. Diseases are already advancing, and chaos is tightening its grip. 'Whilst alarm bells rightly ring on the nutrition situation in Gaza – just [last week] UNICEF reported a 50 per cent increase in children (6months to 5yrs) admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition from April to May – water cannot be sidelined. 'And so in the most relatable terms: Gaza is facing what would amount to a man-made drought. Water systems are collapsing. 'However, because this is man-made, it can be stopped. None of these problems are logistical or technical. They are political. Denial has become policy. If there is political will, the water crisis will be eased overnight – fuel would mean that water flows from hundreds of groundwater wells and restores supply within a day. But time is running out. 'To help paint the picture: without fuel, desalination plants that already operate on reduced capacity will cease completely, and critical membranes in the machinery will close, doing immense damage. Without fuel, trucking the millions of litres of water to people will stop. At major production points, large numbers of donkeys are starting to replace trucks. This is the last gasp of a collapsing system. A donkey cart can barely carry 500 litres. A truck, 15,000. And even the donkeys are slowing – there's barely enough food to keep them moving. 'Fuel is also the thread holding Gaza's devastated healthcare system together. Without it, hospital generators stop, oxygen production stops, and life-support machines fail. Ambulances can't move. Incubators go dark. Denying fuel doesn't just cut off supply – it cuts off survival. 'Or sanitation: The sewerage systems are broken. Sewage now flows into makeshift shelters and tents. There are already suspected cases of HepA and HepE, which are highly infectious. 'Or nutrition: Just as the water crisis is manmade, so too is the malnutrition it drives. In Gaza, these two crises feed off each other, creating a deadly cycle. On average, more than 110 children (6months to 5yrs) have been admitted for treatment for malnutrition every day since the beginning of 2025. 'At the start of this month a friend in Gaza said to me: 'we have learnt to live without so much. Without our homes; without safety; without loved ones…but we cannot live without food'. 'This week he clarified that: 'we have learnt to live without so much. Without our homes; without safety; without loved ones…we have even learnt we can live without food for a week, or more…but we cannot survive days without water'. 'UNICEF is very clear. This is Gaza's most critical moment since this war on children began – a woeful bar to sink below. A virtual blockade is in place; humanitarian aid is being sidelined; the daily killing of girls and boys in Gaza does not register; and now a deliberate fuel crisis is severing Palestinians most essential element for survival: water.'
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder warns situation in Gaza worsening as water crisis looms
The screams of injured children who can no longer access painkillers fill the air in Gaza, where UNICEF spokesperson James Elder says "daily atrocities" are not only being committed but have escalated in the past fortnight. Mr Elder told 7.30 Gaza is facing multiple crises, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his nation will continue its war in there until the nation's objectives are completed. Mr Elder says water is now scarce, may run out in just a fortnight and could result in children dying of thirst. Children here though are already dying, with a May UNICEF report stating 50,000 children had been injured or killed since Israel's response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 terror attack. The UNICEF spokesperson recounted the story of one child who had died after sustaining injuries near an aid site. "I went to a hospital and I met a little 13-year-old boy, he'd been given money just to go and buy bread for his family," Mr Elder recounted. "He saw a flood of people going to one of these [aid] sites and thought 'my goodness, my family, I can, I can end my mum's starvation pain'. "A tank shell exploded and ripped through his stomach. "When I met this little boy, he was telling his story and his dad's in tears. "Finally, after my two weeks in Gaza on my final day, this little guy, Abad Al Rahman, died of those injuries, died trying to get food for his family. "This is not a one off. This is happening consistently and will continue to because it's a combat site." The latest such incident allegedly occurred earlier on Wednesday when 19 people were reported to have been killed while trying to access aid in the central Gaza city of Nuseirat. Mr Elder says these incidents are emblematic of a rapidly worsening situation in Gaza, where aid stations are placed in combat sites, causing those living there to face even more danger as they attempt to procure essentials. "There is a handful of sites and they're militarised," he said. "The United Nations has made very clear there is reason why you cannot have one party to a conflict handing out aid to those it chooses in a combat site — because it's a combat site. "We have now seen reports of 400-500 hundred people killed around these distribution points. People go there because they are being starved [and] they're forced to go to these sites. "They were described to me like The Hunger Games [people] corralled into like cattle pens and then there's firing, there's tank shells. "And then when there is a a mass killing, it is explained away by the IDF as, 'It was a combat site.' Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel last week denied that there was any starvation occurring in Gaza during an appearance on 7.30. "Every report that came out was mentioning that this is a possibility for a future scenario — like an imminent threat, or anything like that," Ms Haskel said. "It means that it could happen in the future but we're monitoring it up closely." Mr Elder says things are much worse than that and that the water situation is dire. "Two things strike me beyond beyond the grave situation of civilians there," Mr Elder said. "One is water, there's been a complete denial of any fuel to come in for the desalinating plants for 100 days. "We are weeks away from children dying of thirst. "And the other ... I think of all the things being deprived from going into Gaza ... it's painkillers. "I never get used to seeing those little girls and boys with the burns or the shrapnel [wounds] but this time around I heard them. "This is utterly avoidable. This is not logistical, this is political. We could change this within 24 hours by allowing medicines and fuel and so on. "Children's bodies are not waiting for some technical declaration in Gaza." Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
The National
5 days ago
- General
- The National
Gaza facing 'man-made drought' with water system on brink of collapse
Gaza 's population, already struggling to feed themselves because of Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid, now face the prospect of a 'man-made drought' unless Israel starts to allow fuel into the coastal strip. After more than 20 months of war, only 40 per cent of the Palestinian territory's production facilities for drinking water remain functional – 87 out of 217 – but only as long as limited fuel reserves last, according to UN children's agency Unicef. 'If the current more than 100-day blockade on fuel coming into Gaza does not end, children will begin to die of thirst,' Unicef spokesperson James Elder warned. Fuel has become essential to power services such as water supply and health care for more than two million Palestinians, after Israel cut electricity supply to Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that triggered the war. Mr Elder said that while there was rightful concern over the nutrition situation in Gaza, with Unicef reporting a 50 per cent increase in children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years being admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition from April to May, 'water cannot be sidelined'. 'Gaza is facing what would amount to a man-made drought. Water systems are collapsing,' he told a press briefing in Geneva. Gaza's Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) said the lack of fuel and operating materials was threatening a complete breakdown in water and sanitation systems, with the functioning of desalination plants, pumping stations, and groundwater wells all affected. 'Access to clean and safe water has become a daily challenge that threatens public health and puts children's lives in direct danger,' the CMWU told The National. 'This collapse is not technical, it is the direct result of the blockade and denial of essential operational materials.' The utility called on the United Nations and international humanitarian organisations to act swiftly to prevent a health and environmental disaster. Besides pumps and generators, fuel is also needed for tankers to carry water to makeshift camps for Gazans displaced by the war. Assem Al Nabeeh, an engineer and spokesperson for Gaza city's municipality, detailed the scale of the infrastructure damage caused by Israel's war against Hamas. 'The occupation has destroyed more than 75 per cent of the city's central water wells, either entirely or partially,' Mr Al Nabeeh told the National. 'In Gaza city alone, we have over 110,000 metres of water pipelines damaged. The situation is far worse across the strip.' He said less than half of the city area currently receives any water supply. Even in the best circumstances in previous months, only half the city had access. Most residents haven't received water in months. International standards call for 100 to 120 litres of water per person per day but Gaza's residents receive far less, according to Mr Al Nabeeh. The result is outbreaks of gastrointestinal and skin diseases due to the lack of basic hygiene, he said. He said the lack of potable water was forcing some people to drink water from taps, which was only suitable for cleaning because of contamination and high salinity. 'This is not just a crisis of drinking water,' Mr Al Nabeeh said. 'It is a daily crisis of survival. Unless fuel, spare parts and maintenance equipment are allowed in, we will lose the entire system, and countless lives along with it.'
