Latest news with #Mawasi
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Israel announces 'pause' to fighting in parts of Gaza as aid drops resume
Israel is halting the bombardment of densely populated parts of Gaza for 10 hours a day, as it yields to international pressure to let more aid into the war-ravaged strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the so-called "tactical pause" would be in place in areas around Deir al Balah, Gaza City, and the Mawasi camp. Until last week, Deir al Balah had been largely spared from Israeli strikes and shelling as it was believed to be the location where Hamas was holding Israeli hostages. There are 50 hostages held in Gaza, with 20 of them believed to still be alive. The population in Mawasi has surged in recent weeks, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Khan Younis and beyond were told to move to the coastal zone as displacement orders were expanded elsewhere in the strip, turning the area into a sea of tents. "This decision was coordinated with the UN and international organisations following discussions regarding the matter," the IDF said in a statement. The IDF "pauses" will run daily from 10am to 8pm "until further notice," it said. Israeli strikes elsewhere are expected to continue unchanged. Palestinian health authorities announced another five deaths from starvation late on Saturday, raising the death toll to 127 people, including 85 children. "A humanitarian truce is not a time for silence, but rather for saving those who remain alive," said the director general of Gaza's Ministry of Health, Dr Munir Al-Barsh, in a statement. "In light of a temporary truce stifled by international hesitation and silence, the wounded are crying out for help, children are starving, and mothers are collapsing over the ruins of what remains of life. "This truce will mean nothing if it doesn't turn into a real opportunity to save lives. "Every delay is measured by another funeral, and every silence means another child dying in its mother's arms without medicine or milk." Dr Al-Barsh said urgent medical evacuations were needed for patients requiring serious surgery and complex treatments, and the urgent entry of aid such as baby formula, nutritional supplements, and antibiotics. The development followed an announcement on Saturday night, local time, that the Israeli military would begin airdrops of aid into the strip. Seven pallets were dropped, carrying flour, sugar, and canned food. There are reports that as many as 11 Palestinians were injured as the pallets fell on their tents. The IDF also announced it would create "secure corridors" for the United Nations and aid agencies to pick up supplies sitting at the Gaza border and distribute them through the strip. A key criticism of Israel in recent weeks has been that it was too dangerous and difficult to collect the supplies, which are sitting on the Gaza side of the border, because of Israel's ongoing military activity. Israel has accused the UN of failing to do its job in taking the aid where it is needed. The humanitarian corridors will operate from 6am to 11pm daily. Philippe Lazarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA — the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees — called the airdrop announcement a "distraction". "Man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will," he said in a post on X. "Airdrops will not prevent aid diversion, principled humanitarian assistance will … Driving aid through is much easier, more effective, faster, cheaper, and safer. It's more dignified for the people of Gaza."
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Gaza facing man-made ‘mass starvation' as hunger deaths surge, WHO says
Palestinian children wait to receive food at a charity kitchen in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis,... Palestinian children wait to receive food at a charity kitchen in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in the southern... share
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israel sends team to Qatar for negotiations, but rejects Hamas demands to change ceasefire proposal
Israel has continued to launch waves of airstrikes in Gaza, hours after Hamas said it was ready to start talks 'immediately' on a US-sponsored proposal for a 60-day ceasefire. The announcement by the militant Islamist organisation increased hopes that a deal may be done within days to pause the killing in Gaza and possibly end the near 21-month conflict. On Saturday night Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the country would send negotiators to Qatar on Sunday for talks, despite his office also saying that changes requested by Hamas were not acceptable. Saturday was relatively 'calmer' after days of intense bombardment, aid officials and residents in Gaza said, although 24 Palestinians were killed, including 10 people seeking humanitarian aid, according to hospital officials. Airstrikes struck tents in the Mawasi coastal area in southern Gaza, killing seven, including a Palestinian doctor and his three children, according to medics at a nearby hospital. Four others were killed in the town of Bani Suheila, and three people were killed in three different strikes in the town of Khan Younis. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) made no immediate comment on the attacks. Separately, two US contractors with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were injured in the south of the territory after unknown assailants threw grenades at them at a food distribution site, the organisation said. The GHF, a US-supported private organisation that began handing out food parcels in Gaza last month, has been mired in controversy, with the UN secretary general, António Guterres, saying it was 'inherently unsafe' and that it was 'killing people'. The GHF denies this, saying it has delivered tens of millions of meals in 'safety and security'. On Saturday night the US state department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, blamed 'Hamas terrorists' for the attack, adding in a post on X: 'This act of violence against the people actually bringing relief to Gazans lays bare the depravity of Hamas.' Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks in shooting or shelling by the IDF while travelling to GHF sites or gathering in large crowds to get aid from convoys brought into Gaza by the UN that are often stopped and looted. Aid workers in Gaza have called again for an immediate cessation of hostilities, saying that fuel stocks for NGOs are close to running out, which would lead to the 'complete collapse' of humanitarian operations, much of the health system and communications across the territory. Power supplies in Gaza rely primarily on large quantities of diesel for generators. 'We are pretty much down to about half a day's worth. When that is gone, everything has to shut down,' said one humanitarian worker in Deir al-Balah. Israel imposed a tight 11-week blockade on Gaza after the most recent ceasefire collapsed in March, which has only been partly lifted to allow a small amount of food aid and medical supplies into the territory. No fuel has been permitted to enter, and supplies that still exist in Gaza are often in Israeli-controlled areas or combat zones and so inaccessible. Netanyahu is to fly to Washington on Sunday for talks with the US president, Donald Trump, who has said in a series of social media posts that he wants the Gaza war to stop. Drafts of the proposed deal seen by the Guardian include a provision specifying that Trump would personally announce any ceasefire – possibly in the coming days during Netanyahu's visit. However, sources close to Hamas said the organisation wants greater clarity over guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a permanent end to the war and the eventual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. There is also disagreement over who would be allowed to deliver the 'sufficient aid' described in the draft. Hamas want the GHF to be closed down. Israel wants to maintain a system of distribution independent from the UN or other countries. Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One late on Friday, Trump said he was optimistic and suggested there 'could be a Gaza deal' next week. But Israeli media have described a series of steps involving separate Israeli delegations flying to Qatar and Egypt to complete negotiations, and the current draft specifies that Steve Witkoff, Trump's personal envoy, will travel to the Middle East to finalise the deal. Analysts said this could mean lengthy delays before an agreement is reached. The war in Gaza was triggered by a surprise Hamas-led attack into Israel in October 2023, during which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. Fifty remain in Gaza, less than half still alive. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to a count by the territory's ministry of health that is considered reliable by the UN and many western governments.
The Guardian
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israel continues airstrikes on Gaza after Hamas says it is ready for ceasefire talks
Israel has continued to launch waves of airstrikes in Gaza, hours after Hamas said it was ready to start talks 'immediately' on a US-sponsored proposal for a 60-day ceasefire. The announcement by the militant Islamist organisation boosted hopes that a deal may be done within days to pause the killing in Gaza and possibly end the near 21-month conflict. Saturday was relatively 'calmer' after days of intense bombardment, aid officials and residents in Gaza said, although 24 Palestinians were killed, including 10 people seeking humanitarian aid, according to hospital officials. Airstrikes struck tents in the Mawasi coastal area in southern Gaza, killing seven, including a Palestinian doctor and his three children, according to medics at a nearby hospital. Four others were killed in the town of Bani Suheila, and three people were killed in three different strikes in the town of Khan Younis. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) made no immediate comment on the attacks. Israel's security cabinet was due to meet after sundown on Saturday but officials in Jerusalem said there was 'no guarantee' that ministers would make a decision on the Hamas response to the ceasefire deal. Separately, two US contractors with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were injured in the south of the territory after unknown assailants threw grenades at them at a food distribution site, the organisation said. The GHF, a US-supported private organisation that began handing out food parcels in Gaza last month, has been mired in controversy, with the UN secretary general, António Guterres, saying it was 'inherently unsafe' and that it was 'killing people'. The GHF deny this, saying it has delivered tens of millions of meals in 'safety and security'. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks in shooting or shelling by the IDF while travelling to GHF sites or gathering in large crowds to get aid from convoys brought into Gaza by the UN that are often stopped and looted. Aid workers in Gaza have called again for an immediate cessation of hostilities, saying that fuel stocks for NGOs are close to running out, which would lead to the 'complete collapse' of humanitarian operations, much of the health system and communications across the territory. Power supplies in Gaza rely primarily on large quantities of diesel for generators. 'We are pretty much down to about half a day's worth. When that is gone, everything has to shut down,' said one humanitarian worker in Deir al-Balah. Israel imposed a tight 11-week blockade on Gaza after the most recent ceasefire collapsed in March, which has only been partially lifted to allow a small amount of food aid and medical supplies into the territory. No fuel has been permitted to enter, and supplies that still exist in Gaza are often in Israeli-controlled areas or combat zones and so inaccessible. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, is to fly to Washington on Sunday for talks with the US president, Donald Trump, who has said in a series of social media posts that he wants the Gaza war to stop. Drafts of the proposed deal seen by the Guardian include a provision specifying that Trump would personally announce any ceasefire – possibly in the coming days during Netanyahu's visit. However, sources close to Hamas said the organisation wants greater clarity over guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a permanent end to the war and the eventual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. There is also disagreement over who would be allowed to deliver the 'sufficient aid' described in the draft. Hamas want the GHF to be closed down. Israel wants to maintain a system of distribution independent from the UN or other countries. Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One late on Friday, Trump said he was optimistic and suggested there 'could be a Gaza deal' next week. But Israeli media have described a series of steps involving separate Israeli delegations flying to Qatar and Egypt to complete negotiations, and the current draft specifies that Steve Witkoff, Trump's personal envoy, will travel to the Middle East to finalise the deal. Analysts said this could mean lengthy delays before an agreement is reached. The war in Gaza was triggered by a surprise Hamas-led attack into Israel in October 2023, during which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. Fifty remain in Gaza, less than half still alive. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to a count by the territory's ministry of health that is considered reliable by the UN and many western governments.
