Latest news with #UNOfficefortheCoordinationofHumanitarianAffairs
Malaysia Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- Malaysia Sun
Daily World Briefing, July 24
Access to supplies for distribution to hungry Gazans and security risks for aid workers are putting relief operations under severe strain, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday. Relief workers face significant security risks. Supply crossings remain unreliable and critical supplies are routinely delayed or blocked. The amount of aid that has been entering Gaza is a trickle compared to the immense needs, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Israel must enable safe and unimpeded aid delivery, allow the entry of critical equipment and fuel, open all crossings, and restore movement along key supply routes," OCHA said. "Humanitarian staff must be able to operate safely, people must be allowed to move freely, and supplies, including from the private sector, must reach all parts of Gaza." Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a third round of peace talks here on Wednesday evening at the Ciragan Palace, during which the two sides agreed on another prisoner exchange. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov led the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, respectively. After the talks, Medinsky told reporters that Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners of war each. Russia has returned the bodies of 7,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers and is ready to return 3,000 more, he said. Sporadic clashes, drone strikes, and ground fighting continued in southern Syria's Sweida province and surrounding areas despite a declared truce, with the number of displaced reaching over 145,000, the United Nations said Wednesday. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the violence between July 20 and 22 has included mortar attacks and aerial surveillance, further injuring civilians and forcing thousands to flee. Most of the displaced have remained within Sweida province, while others have sought safety in neighboring Daraa and Rural Damascus governorates. Access to basic services remains severely disrupted across Sweida. The UN reported widespread outages in electricity, water, fuel, and telecommunications, while food insecurity is worsening due to market disruptions and the closure of bakeries. A proposed new round of tariffs by the United States could result in a 38-billion-euro (44.4 billion U.S. dollars) loss in Italian exports and reduce the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.8 percent by 2027, Italy's largest industrial association said Monday. The findings were published in a report by the research unit of Confindustria, Italy's main business lobby, amid concerns over rising protectionism and its spillover effects on the global economy. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to triple a basic tariff on imports from the EU to 30 percent if Brussels does not cut a deal by the end of the month. Tanzania's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday instructed election officials to begin consultations with political party leaders to ensure that candidate nominations are conducted by the law ahead of the October general elections. Jacobs Mwambegele, chairperson of the INEC, issued the directive while closing a training session for election officials in the Shinyanga Region. "You are expected to translate this training into your daily election duties by initiating meetings with political parties, distributing nomination forms, and conducting nominations for parliamentary and council seats in strict adherence to legal procedures," said Mwambegele.
Middle East Eye
21-07-2025
- Health
- Middle East Eye
UN warns Gaza families face 'catastrophic hunger'
The UN's humanitarian affairs office has warned that families in Gaza are enduring 'catastrophic hunger,' with children 'wasting away' and some dying before help can reach them. In a statement posted on X, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said people scouring for food are being shot at, calling the situation 'unconscionable.' It reiterated that safe, unhindered access for aid is a legal and moral necessity. The warning came as Israeli forces shot and killed at least 92 people waiting for food aid today. More than 900 have been killed in similar incidents since May, according to Gaza health authorities.
Middle East Eye
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel blocks UN official's visa over Gaza testimony and 'bias' claims
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has confirmed that he blocked a visa extension for Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Writing in Hebrew on X, Saar said the decision followed what he called 'biased and hostile conduct against Israel, which distorted reality, presented false reports, slandered Israel, and even violated the UN's own rules on neutrality'. 'Whoever spreads lies about Israel – Israel will not work with them,' he declared. Whittall recently testified on the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon. He also criticised the so-called GHF aid distribution sites, describing them as 'created to kill'.
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Israel will not renew visa of top UN humanitarian official
Israel has declined to renew the visa for Jonathan Whittall, the senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, a UN spokesperson said on Friday (July 18, 2025), adding there were intensifying threats of reduced access to suffering civilians. Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said visas for UN staff were recently renewed for shorter periods than usual and access requests to Gaza were denied for multiple agencies. Ms. Kaneko said permits for Palestinian staff to enter East Jerusalem were also withheld. Gaza is in the midst of a devastating Israeli military assault following a deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants. Israel has come under mounting criticism from the UN during its war in the Palestinian enclave, which has internally displaced Gaza's entire population and caused a hunger crisis. "Last week, it was indicated to us that our current Head of Office, Jonathan Whittall, won't have his visa extended by Israeli authorities beyond August. This came immediately after remarks he made at a press briefing about starving people being killed while trying to reach food," Ms. Kaneko said. Israel's mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has previously dismissed UN criticism as being biased. Context The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Gaza's Health Ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 58,000 Palestinians. It has also prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. The UN rights office says it recorded nearly 900 killings within the past six weeks near aid distribution sites and aid convoys in Gaza.
AsiaOne
19-07-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Israel will not renew visa of top UN humanitarian official, World News
WASHINGTON - Israel has declined to renew the visa for Jonathan Whittall, the senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, a UN spokesperson said on Friday (July 18), adding there were intensifying threats of reduced access to suffering civilians. Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said visas for UN staff were recently renewed for shorter periods than usual and access requests to Gaza were denied for multiple agencies. Kaneko said permits for Palestinian staff to enter East Jerusalem were also withheld. Why it's important Gaza is in the midst of a devastating Israeli military assault following a deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants. Israel has come under mounting criticism from the UN during its war in the Palestinian enclave, which has internally displaced Gaza's entire population and caused a hunger crisis. Key quotes "Last week, it was indicated to us that our current Head of Office, Jonathan Whittall, won't have his visa extended by Israeli authorities beyond August. This came immediately after remarks he made at a press briefing about starving people being killed while trying to reach food," Kaneko said. Israel's mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has previously dismissed UN criticism as being biased. Context [[nid:720336]] The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 58,000 Palestinians. It has also prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. The UN rights office says it recorded nearly 900 killings within the past six weeks near aid distribution sites and aid convoys in Gaza.
