Latest news with #PhilippeLazzarini
Mint
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Israel-Hamas war: UN alleges Gaza aid system is leading to civilian deaths; Tel Aviv refutes ‘trying to sabotage…'
On Friday, the United Nations (UN) officials, including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a US-and Israeli-backed distribution system in Gaza was resulting in mass deaths of those in need of humanitarian aid. The Israeli military denied the allegations, with the foreign ministry asserting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) does not harm civilians and the UN is 'trying to sabotage humanitarian operations'. According to local officials and eyewitnesses, Palestianians have been killed many times at distribution centres in the last few days in the war-stricken territory, where Israeli forces are confronting Hamas militants, AFP reported. The US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has dismissed any deadly cases were connected to its places. 'Blaming Israel for the UN's failures and for Hamas's deeds is a deliberate tactic. The GHF has so far provided more than 46 million meals directly to Palestinian civilians, not to Hamas. Yet the UN is doing everything it can to oppose this effort. In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF's humanitarian operations,' the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated in a post on X. 'The IDF never targets civilians, and anyone claiming otherwise is blatantly lying. It is Hamas that is deliberately targeting and murdering GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Fund) aid workers -- a crime the UN has never condemned -- and is also targeting civilians who are trying to collect aid from the GHF,' it further said. The ministry added, "The UN must now decide: Does it prefer to preserve its monopoly and a system that benefits Hamas -- thereby prolonging the war -- or is it interested in delivering humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza?" Head of the UN agency for Palestinian affairs (UNWRA), Philippe Lazzarini, said, "The new aid distribution system has become a killing field," with those 'shot at while trying to access food for themselves and their families'. This abomination must end through a return to humanitarian deliveries from the UN including @UNRWA." Over 500 people have been killed surrounding aid centres while looking for limited supplies since late May, the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory said. The UN Secretary-General Guterres once again urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stating that the humanitarian crisis has escalated to 'horrific proportions.' He mentioned, "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence." 'A trickle of aid is not enough, what is needed now is a surge. The trickle must become an ocean. We need concrete action so that aid can reach all,' Antonio had said on assistance to Gaza. In a join statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday stressed that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers have explicit directives not to hurt innocents. 'The State of Israel absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels that have been published in the Ha'aretz newspaper, according to which 'IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid,' Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted. Nearly 1,200 people lost lives and 251 were held captive in a conflict that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out an attack on Israel. Israel promised to annihilate the group as a retaliation to the Hamas' action. Israel's military campaign has killed approximately 56,331 people, mainly civilians, the Gaza's health ministry said. (With inputs from AFP and ANI)
Barnama
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Barnama
UNRWA Chief Says New Gaza Aid System 'Has Become A Killing Field'
GENEVA, June 28 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Friday issued a scathing condemnation of the new aid distribution system operating in Gaza, warning it has turned into a "killing field" where over 400 desperate people have died in the past month, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. "The new aid distribution system has become a killing field," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote in a post on X. "Over 400 starving people reported killed since it started operating just a month ago. They were shot at while trying to access food for themselves and their families," he said. bootstrap slideshow He was referring to the Israeli attacks that happened near points of its new aid distribution mechanism, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation— a new Israeli plan to coordinate aid distribution in Gaza, which has been broadly criticised by UN agencies and humanitarian actors. Lazzarini said testimonies emerging from the ground indicate that soldiers opened fire "indiscriminately" as crowds gathered for food. "In the chaos, children were separated from their families: disorientated and traumatised," he added. Blasting the system as incompatible with humanitarian principles, the UNRWA chief said it was "not designed to address hunger and is often justified using the pretext of aid diversion that is yet to be substantiated let alone proven." "Instead of 'orderly food distribution,' this system brings dehumanisation, chaos and death," he said. "This cannot become the new norm." Calling the current setup an "abomination" Lazzarini urged a return to UN-led humanitarian deliveries, including through UNRWA, and called for an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of the siege to restore the flow of basic supplies such as food, medicine, soap, and fuel. -- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
UN officials say aid distribution system in Gaza leading to mass killings
United Nations officials on Friday said a US- and Israeli-backed distribution system in Gaza was leading to mass killings of people seeking humanitarian aid, drawing accusations from Israel that the UN was "aligning itself with Hamas". The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory says that since late May, more than 500 people have been killed near aid centres.(Reuters) Eyewitnesses and local officials have reported repeated killings of Palestinians seeking aid at distribution centres over recent weeks in the war-stricken territory, where Israeli forces are battling Hamas militants. The Israeli military has denied targeting people seeking aid and the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has denied any deadly incidents were linked to its sites. But following weeks of reports, UN officials and other aid providers on Friday denounced what they said was a wave of killings of hungry people seeking aid. "The new aid distribution system has become a killing field," with people "shot at while trying to access food for themselves and their families," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian affairs (UNWRA). "This abomination must end through a return to humanitarian deliveries from the UN including @UNRWA," he wrote on X. The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory says that since late May, more than 500 people have been killed near aid centres while seeking scarce supplies. The country's civil defence agency has also repeatedly reported people being killed while seeking aid. "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The search for food must never be a death sentence." Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) branded the GHF relief effort "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid". Israel denies targeting civilians That drew an angry response from Israel, which said GHF had provided 46 million meals in Gaza. "The UN is doing everything it can to oppose this effort. In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF's humanitarian operations," the foreign ministry said. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a newspaper report that the country's military commanders ordered soldiers to fire at Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza. Left-leaning daily Haaretz had earlier quoted unnamed soldiers as saying commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds near aid distribution centres to disperse them even when they posed no threat. Haaretz said the military advocate general, the army's top legal authority, had instructed the military to investigate "suspected war crimes" at aid sites. The Israeli military declined to comment to AFP on the claim. Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz that their country "absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels" and "malicious falsehoods" in the Haaretz article. The military said in a separate statement it "did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres". It added that Israeli military 'directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians.' Israel blocked deliveries of food and other crucial supplies into Gaza from March for more than two months. It began allowing supplies to trickle in at the end of May, with GHF centres secured by armed US contractors and Israeli troops on the perimeter. Guterres said that from the UN, just a "handful" of medical deliveries had crossed into Gaza this week. Civil defence says 80 killed Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP 80 Palestinians had been killed on Friday by Israeli strikes or fire across the Palestinian territory, including 10 who were waiting for aid. The Israeli military told AFP it was looking into the incidents, and denied its troops fired in one of the locations in central Gaza where rescuers said one aid seeker was killed. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP six people were killed in southern Gaza near one of the distribution sites operated by GHF, and one more in a separate incident in the centre of the territory, where the army denied shooting "at all". Another three people were killed by a strike while waiting for aid southwest of Gaza City, Bassal said. Elsewhere, eight people were killed "after an Israeli air strike hit Osama Bin Zaid School, which was housing displaced persons" in northern Gaza. MSF said that in the week of June 8, shortly after GHF opened a distribution site in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor, the MSF field hospital in nearby Deir el-Balah saw a 190-percent increase in bullet wound cases compared to the previous week. Militants attack Israeli forces Meanwhile, Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said they shelled an Israeli vehicle east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Friday. The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas-ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said they attacked Israeli soldiers in at least two other locations near Khan Yunis in coordination with the Al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,331 people, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
Roya News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Roya News
UN officials say new Gaza aid system leads to mass killings
United Nations officials on Friday said a US- and 'Israeli'-backed distribution system in Gaza was leading to mass killings of people seeking humanitarian aid, drawing accusations from 'Israel' that the UN was "aligning itself with Hamas". Eyewitnesses and local officials have reported repeated killings of Palestinians seeking aid at distribution centres over recent weeks in the war-stricken Strip. The 'Israeli' military has denied targeting people seeking aid and the US- and 'Israeli'-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has denied any deadly incidents were linked to its sites. But following weeks of reports, UN officials and other aid providers on Friday denounced what they said was a wave of killings of hungry people seeking aid. "The new aid distribution system has become a killing field," with people "shot at while trying to access food for themselves and their families," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian affairs (UNWRA). "This abomination must end through a return to humanitarian deliveries from the UN including @UNRWA," he wrote on X. The health ministry in Gaza says that since late May, more than 500 people have been killed near aid centres while seeking scarce supplies. The country's civil defence agency has also repeatedly reported people being killed while seeking aid. "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The search for food must never be a death sentence." Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) branded the GHF relief effort "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid". 'Israel' denies targeting civilians That drew an angry response from 'Israel', which said GHF had provided 46 million meals in Gaza. "The UN is doing everything it can to oppose this effort. In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF's humanitarian operations," the foreign ministry said. 'Israel's' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a newspaper report that the country's military commanders ordered soldiers to fire at Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza. Left-leaning daily Haaretz had earlier quoted unnamed soldiers as saying commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds near aid distribution centres to disperse them even when they posed no threat. Haaretz said the military advocate general, the army's top legal authority, had instructed the military to investigate "suspected war crimes" at aid sites. Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz: "[Israel] absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels" and "malicious falsehoods" in the Haaretz article. The military said in a separate statement it "did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres". It added that 'Israeli' military "directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians." 'Israel' blocked deliveries of food and other crucial supplies into Gaza from March for more than two months. It began allowing supplies to trickle in at the end of May, with GHF centres secured by armed US contractors and 'Israeli' troops on the perimeter. Guterres said that from the UN, just a "handful" of medical deliveries had crossed into Gaza this week. Civil defence says 80 killed Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP 80 Palestinians had been killed on Friday by 'Israeli' strikes or fire across the Strip, including 10 who were waiting for aid. The 'Israeli' military said it was looking into the incidents, and denied its troops fired in one of the locations in central Gaza where rescuers said one aid seeker was killed. Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP six people were killed in southern Gaza near one of the distribution sites operated by GHF, and one more in a separate incident in the centre of the territory, where the army denied shooting "at all". Another three people were killed by a strike while waiting for aid southwest of Gaza City, Bassal said. Elsewhere, eight people were killed "after an Israeli air strike hit Osama Bin Zaid School, which was housing displaced persons" in northern Gaza. MSF said that in the week of June 8, shortly after GHF opened a distribution site in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor, the MSF field hospital in nearby Deir el-Balah saw a 190-percent increase in bullet wound cases compared to the previous week. Hamas attacks 'Israeli' forces Meanwhile, Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said they shelled an 'Israeli' vehicle east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Friday.
NDTV
15 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"Killing Field": UN Says New Gaza Aid System Leads To Mass Killings
United Nations: United Nations officials on Friday said a US- and Israeli-backed distribution system in Gaza was leading to mass killings of people seeking aid and urged Israel to let UN humanitarian supplies to the war-stricken territory resume. Eyewitnesses and local officials have reported repeated killings of Palestinians seeking aid at distribution centres over recent weeks in the territory, where Israeli forces are battling Hamas militants. The Israeli military has denied targeting people seeking aid and the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has denied any deadly incidents were linked to its sites. But following weeks of reports, UN officials and other aid providers on Friday denounced what they said was a wave of killings of hungry people seeking aid. "The new aid distribution system has become a killing field," with people "shot at while trying to access food for themselves and their families," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian affairs (UNWRA). "This abomination must end through a return to humanitarian deliveries from the UN including @UNRWA," he wrote on X. The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory says that since late May, more than 500 people have been killed near aid centres while seeking scarce supplies. The country's civil defence agency has also repeatedly reported people being killed while seeking aid. "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The search for food must never be a death sentence." Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) branded the GHF relief effort "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid". - Israel denies targeting civilians - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday rejected a newspaper report that the country's military commanders ordered their soldiers to fire at Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza. Left-leaning daily Haaretz had earlier quoted unnamed soldiers as saying commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds near aid distribution centres to disperse them even when they posed no threat. Haaretz said the military advocate general, the army's top legal authority, had instructed the military to investigate "suspected war crimes" at aid sites. The Israeli military declined to comment to AFP on that claim. Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz that their country "absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels" and "malicious falsehoods" in the Haaretz article. The military said in a separate statement that it "did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres". It added that Israeli military "directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians." Israel blocked deliveries of food and other crucial supplies into Gaza from March for more than two months. It began allowing supplies to trickle in at the end of May, with GHF centres secured by armed US contractors and Israeli troops on the perimeter. Guterres said that from the UN, just a "handful" of medical deliveries had cross into Gaza this week. - Civil defence says 65 killed - Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP that 65 Palestinians had been killed on Friday by Israeli strikes or fire across the Palestinian territory, including 10 who were waiting for aid. The Israeli military told AFP it was looking into the incidents, and denied its troops fired in one of the locations in central Gaza where rescuers said one aid seeker was killed. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that six people were killed in southern Gaza near one of the distribution sites operated by GHF, and one more in a separate incident in the centre of the territory, where the army denied shooting "at all". Another three people were killed by a strike while waiting for aid southwest of Gaza City, Bassal said. Elsewhere, eight people were killed "after an Israeli air strike hit Osama Bin Zaid School, which was housing displaced persons" in northern Gaza. MSF said that in the week of June 8, shortly after GHF opened a distribution site in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor, the MSF field hospital in nearby Deir el-Balah saw a 190 percent increase in bullet wound cases compared to the previous week. Aitor Zabalgogeaskoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza, said in a statement that under the way in which the distribution centres currently operate: "If people arrive early and approach the checkpoints, they get shot." "If they arrive on time, but there is an overflow and they jump over the mounds and the wires, they get shot," he added. "If they arrive late, they shouldn't be there because it is an 'evacuated zone', they get shot." - Militants attack Israeli forces - Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said they shelled an Israeli vehicle east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Friday. The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas-ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said they attacked Israeli soldiers in at least two other locations near Khan Yunis in coordination with the Al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,331 people, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
