Latest news with #MajdiFathi
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Kiwi donor outraged after Givealittle shuts down Gaza fundraising page
Palestinian children wait with others for food at a distribution point in Gaza City, on June 3, 2025. Photo: AFP / Majdi Fathi New Zealand donors are fighting Givealittle for refunds after their page was shut down over concerns around money laundering in Gaza. More than $3500 is locked in one Givealittle fund, which is destined for what organisers say is a friend to buy formula for babies, after the donation company changed its policy on Gaza. Givealittle has recently updated its policy in response to "operational risks" associated with transferring funds to individuals in Gaza, a spokesperson told Midday Report. As a result, four pages have been closed. One of those pages was a fundraiser set up by Ciara's friend in the United Kingdom to raise money to buy baby formula for families in need in Gaza. Ciara, who wishes to keep her last name anonymous, told Midday Report when the page was set up, Givealittle said it would be moderated in three days but in the meantime, they could start fundraising. "We just got straight into it and within about six days we had about $3500 fundraised," Ciara said. Palestinian children wait in front of a food distribution truck at a displacement camp near Gaza City's port on 22 May, 2025. Photo: AFP/ Omar Al-Qattaa Givealittle then asked for verification of their contact in Gaza who was getting the formula and distributing it to families. Ciara said they provided Givealittle with their contact's bank account details, written permission for them to fundraise on their contact's behalf and their passport. On 17 July, Givealittle emailed to say the page did not meet its requirements and would not be going ahead. "They have said that, in high-risk areas such as Gaza, they don't believe there is evidence of were their funds are going and that they would like [funds] to go through a registered charity instead," Ciara said. "They are leaning on some very tight New Zealand laws on anti-money laundering and countering terrorism regime, which are extremely tight and basically give us no wiggle room. "The thing that really got us was that they changed their policy on donating to individuals in Gaza while our page was receiving funds." Givealittle told Ciara in an email, which Midday Report has seen, that as a regulated platform under New Zealand's Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, they "have a duty to go beyond minimum requirements when we assess risk". The platform was worried the funds could be used by someone linked to Hamas, which New Zealand has listed as terrorist entity . "While we acknowledge the identity information you have provided for [their contact in Gaza] we note that your relationship with him only began in May of this year and has developed entirely online," the Givealittle email read. "In this context, we are unable to verify the end use of funds with the confidence required under our obligations. The risk of misuse - even where intentions are good - is high, and in such cases, we must err on the side of caution." Now the page has $3573 on hold that the organisers and donors can't access. "We have got many donors waiting, who require explanation on where their money is going," Ciara said. "Furthermore, we've got children, babies and families who are starving in Gaza ." She is still waiting on a response from Givealittle to explain what is happening with the funds. "We have just been absolutely beside ourselves. The devastation that's happening is unfathomable," Ciara said. "Here is a way for us to provide some kind of help. Yes, it might just be a drop in the ocean, but it is a tin of formula for a starving baby to get them through that next day. I just think it is absolutely outrageous. It's unforgivable and it's unacceptable." Givealittle said in a statement to Midday Report the decision to update its policy was not taken lightly. "The banking and financial infrastructure in Gaza is now so unstable that we can no longer, with certainty, verify the identity of individual beneficiaries or ensure that funds can be delivered safely and transparently," a spokesperson said. This policy applies to only to individual fundraising in Gaza. "Givealittle continues to support pages linked to registered New Zealand charities operating in the region, where funds can be safely distributed through trusted channels. We encourage donors who wish to help to continue giving through these organisations," the spokesperson said. "We appreciate the compassion of those who have created and supported these pages and are committed to ensuring that generosity continues to have an impact." Any payments already due to verified individuals will still be honoured. It comes after Midday Report reported PayPal was withholding funds donated by New Zealanders for families in Gaza. PayPal has yet to reply to requests for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Fifteen people, including baby, die of starvation in Gaza in one day, medics say
Palestinian children queue for a portion of hot food distributed by a charity kitchen in Gaza City, on July 20, 2025. Photo: Majdi Fathi A six-week-old baby was among 15 people who have died of starvation in Gaza in the past 24 hours, local health officials said, with malnutrition now killing Palestinians faster than at any point in the 21-month war. The infant died at a hospital ward in northern Gaza, the health officials said, naming him as Yousef al-Safadi. His uncle, Adham al-Safadi, told news agency Reuters Yousef's family couldn't find baby formula to feed him. "You can't get milk anywhere, and if you do find any it's $100 for a tub," he said, looking at his dead nephew. Three of the others were also children, including 13-year-old Abdulhamid al-Ghalban, who died in a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. The other two children were not named. Palestinian health officials say at least 101 people have died of hunger during the conflict, including 80 children, with most of them in recent weeks. Israel controls all aid supplies into the war-ravaged enclave, where most of the population has been displaced multiple times and faces acute shortages of basic necessities. Israel's handling of aid in the Palestinian enclave has been sharply criticised , with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday joining the foreign ministers of 27 other countries in calling for an immediate end to the conflict and an increase in the flow of aid. Shelling killed another 16 people living in tents in Gaza City on Tuesday, as Israeli troops launched attacks across the strip, health officials said. The Israeli military said it was not aware of any incident, or artillery in the area at that time. Gaza's health ministry said at least 72 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes in the past 24 hours. Israel says its assault on Gaza aims to destroy Hamas, which waged the deadliest attack in Israel's history on 7 October, 2023, killing at least 1200 Israelis including civilians, by its tallies. Israeli bombs and gunfire have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza since then, according to local health authorities. An elderly woman holds out an empty pot at a food distribution point in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 19, 2025. Photo: AFP / EYAD BABA The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency said on Tuesday that its staff, as well as doctors and humanitarian workers, were fainting on duty in Gaza due to hunger and exhaustion . "No one is spared: caretakers in Gaza are also in need of care. Doctors, nurses, journalists and humanitarians are hungry," UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. There has been international condemnation of mass killings of civilians and dire shortages of aid in Gaza, but no action that has yet stopped the conflict, or significantly increased supplies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that images of civilians killed during the distribution of aid were "unbearable" and urged Israel to deliver on pledges to improve the situation, but did not say what action European countries would take. Israel's military said that it "views the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza as a matter of utmost importance", and works to facilitate its entry in coordination with the international community. It has denied accusations it is preventing aid from reaching Gaza and has accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of stealing food, an allegation Hamas denies. Daily food gathering has become a deadly task for Gazans, with one UN agency estimating that more than 1000 people have died while trying to receive food aid since May. Israeli military statistics showed on Tuesday that an average of 146 trucks of aid per day had entered Gaza over the course of the war. The United States has said a minimum of 600 trucks per day are needed to feed Gaza's population. -Reuters
DW
09-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Israel tells aid ship to change course as it nears Gaza – DW – 06/09/2025
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage The ship is trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to the besieged enclave, where the UN has warned of a looming famine Image: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/picture alliance A ship carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip is approaching the Palestinian enclave, which is under an Israeli blockade. In addition to much-need supplies, the British-flagged Madleen is carrying climate advocate Greta Thunberg and several other activists. As it neared Gaza early on Monday morning, the occupants aboard the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's ship said it was coming "under assault" from Israeli forces and was surrounded by quadcopters. Israel's Navy has said it has told the aid ship to change course. On Sunday, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he had instructed the military to stop the ship from reaching Gaza, warning "the antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-propaganda-spouting friends" to turn back. We'll bring you the latest developments on the situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East region on Monday, June 9, 2025.
New York Post
27-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Shots fired at new Gaza food aid hub after thousands overrun center
Chaotic scenes showing civilians in Gaza overrunning one of two new US-backed aid distribution centers have been shared on social media. Thousands of Palestinians are seen crowding the center near the city of Rafah, which was supplying boxes of food, video taken on Tuesday shows. The newly opened centers, operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), aim to provide aid to around half of all Palestinians in the territory, or approximately one million people, by the end of the week. Aid boxes, including bags of rice, dried beans, flour, oil, salt and canned vegetables, were pictured on X. 6 The first two of four aid distribution centers have opened in Gaza. via REUTERS 'Approximately 8,000 food boxes have been distributed so far. Each box feeds 5.5 people for 3.5 days, totaling 462,000 meals,' the GHF said in a statement earlier. A further two aid distribution sites — operated by a private American security company and under the supervision of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) — are expected to open in the Gaza Strip. But after an orderly start to the food distribution, tensions seemed to boil over as thousands crowded around the aid centers, leading to the IDF firing shots to disperse the throngs of people. 6 The aid centers aim to deliver food to half of Gaza's two million inhabitants. AFP via Getty Images The IDF was forced to deny reports that its troops opened fire from a helicopter during the disarray at the center. Israeli forces did not carry out 'any aerial fire toward the humanitarian aid distribution center,' the IDF said in a statement. However, troops fired warning shots outside the compound, a military source told The Times of Israel. 'Control over the situation was established, food distribution operations are expected to continue as planned, and the safety of IDF troops was not compromised,' the source said. American security subcontractors fell back to allow 'a small number' of Palestinians to collect food from the distribution center, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said in a statement on Tuesday as it looked to downplay the chaos. 'The needs on the ground are great. At one moment in the late afternoon, the volume of people at the SDS [distribution center] was such that the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Gazans to take aid safely and dissipate,' the Foundation said in a statement. 6 The supply of food to Gaza has become a major diplomatic incident between Israel and the UN. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Aid has been allowed into Gaza for the past week by Israel following a 78-day blockade of the territory. Operations at the distribution center have since returned to normal, the GHF claimed. Non-profit leaders, meanwhile, have slammed the foundation as 'selfish' over its alleged mishandling of the new aid distribution center. 6 The destruction in the Gaza Strip. AFP via Getty Images 'The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has left Palestinians without food. The people that created it are selfish,' Emirati-backed NGO World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andrew wrote on X. WCK has refused to cooperate with GHF, whose CEO resigned earlier this week in frustration at what he called Israeli restrictions. The United Nations decried the scenes from the Gaza food distribution center on Tuesday as 'heartbreaking.' 6 The UN has accused Israel of making it difficult to supply aid to Gaza. REUTERS 'We have been watching the video coming out of Gaza around one of the distribution points set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. And frankly, these videos, these images, are heartbreaking to say the least,' Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres, said in a statement. 6 For its part, Israel has accused the UN of failing to collect humanitarian aid. via REUTERS Israel is still allowing the UN to deliver aid, but with obstacles, Dujarric added. For its part, Israel has accused the UN of failing to collect the humanitarian aid it says is piling up on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. More than 400 truckloads of humanitarian aid are still awaiting collection and distribution by the UN, the Israeli Defense Ministry's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said in a statement. 'In the past few days, the UN has avoided fulfilling its role and instead continues to spread false and incorrect information regarding civilian distress,' COGAT chief Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian said.
The Intercept
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
How to Write About Palestine
A man carries a dead child at Nasser Hospital, Khan Yunis, Gaza on May 24, 2025. Photo:Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu/Getty Images Begin on October 7th, 2023. Nothing important happened before this date. History began on October 7th. Never say the word occupation and avoid using terms like, 'apartheid,' 'segregation' and 'illegal settlements.' Avoid writing about the wall. If you do, preface its existence by talking about terrorism and security. Terrorism and security are very important words. Use them a lot in reference to Palestinians. Remind your audience that Palestine is a 'complicated' situation. Avoid the word genocide — for legal and technical reasons of course. If you must use the word, put it in quotes. Do not describe the escalation of Israeli hostility as an assault on the people of Gaza. Instead, use words like 'war,' and 'conflict,' because that makes it easier to avoid the g-word. When reporting on the dead, always use the passive voice and don't mention how they were killed, or by whom. As often as possible remind your readers of October 7th . When writing about Palestinians, do not forget to center Israeli feelings. Although the Israeli miliary is dropping bombs and killing Palestinians, the real story is about the persecution of Israelis in the wake of October 7th. Avoid making everything even more complicated pointing out that antisemitism is a European invention. Writing about Palestine mainly involves writing about Hamas. Writing about Hamas is almost as important as writing about October 7th. Hamas is a person, a thing, a monster, a ghost. Hamas is in every home. Hamas is in tunnels and hospitals. Hamas is in tents sleeping next to patients in wheelchairs. Hamas is in ambulances that are buried with paramedics. Hamas infiltrated World Food Kitchen and all the soup kitchens and schools, even the children's souls have been infiltrated by Hamas. Palestinian children try to get a ration of hot food from a charity kitchen set up at a camp for displaced people in Gaza City, on May 21, 2025. Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images The October 7th Hamas attack can be described in any of the following ways: horrific brutal gruesome murderous shocking atrocious harrowing graphic terrifying On the other hand, when writing about attacks on Palestinians no adjectives should be used. It's better to simply write something like, 'More than 90 killed in Gaza strikes.' You do not want readers to think you're taking a side. When writing about Palestine, do not let facts get in the way of telling a good story. To this end, ignore Palestinian sources. They may be biased. On the other hand, the Israeli military is a highly credible source of information. If the Israeli army says nothing happened, then nothing happened. When the army claims their troops didn't rape Palestinian women or use civilians as human shields, or shoot children in the head with sniper guns, continue to publish their denials without comment. Linking countries that fund weapons to the armies that use them fosters transparency. So, when you write about attacks on Tel Aviv, it is important to mention that the missiles were fired by Iran-backed Hezbollah. Do the same when you write about the Houthis. Do not follow the same protocols when it comes to Israel. The American-backed Israeli army makes its own decisions about when to drop American and British bombs. When talking about Muslim communities, throw around phrases like 'terrorist hotbed,' and 'Hamas sympathizers.' This works even when those communities are in the UK or America. Repeatedly demonize people who peacefully protest for Palestine. Center the voices of people living in Western countries who feel unsafe when they hear the phrase 'from the river to the sea.' Don't ask your readers to imagine how unsafe children actually living, wounded and dying in Gaza and the West Bank feel. Do not ask them to think about whether mothers feel safe as they enter labor. Do not write one single paragraph asking whether fathers burying their children have a right to feel unsafe in Gaza. When writing about Palestine, try not to zoom into individual stories or write about the intimate details of people's lives. Keep your focus on Hamas militants. In fact, when writing about Palestine try not to interview Palestinians at all. They might be Hamas or Hamas sympathizers. If you must interview a Palestinian, always begin by asking them to condemn October 7th. After this, be sure to ask them to confirm that Israel has a right to exist. Ask the same leading questions of anyone who looks like an Arab, or is Muslim, or who seems to sympathize with Palestinians. Sometimes they will throw the question back at you and ask if you think Palestine has a right to exist. Ignore this line of questioning as it only leads to trouble. When all else fails, remember: Begin on October 7th, 2023. Nothing important happened before this date. History began on October 7th. This piece borrows its satirical form from How to Write About Africa by the late Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina . Many of the details and critiques of the media examples are from the excellent report put out by the Australian Islamophobia Register in December 2023. Written by Dr Susan Carland, A War of Words: Preliminary Media Analysis of the Gaza War is a great resource. There are many articles online that can help you read more critically. Search 'media bias Palestine' and you'll find dozens of reports.
