Latest news with #WorldFoodProgram
Mada
a day ago
- Politics
- Mada
Palestinian families secure trucks, humanitarian warehouses, enabling first aid distribution to households in months
Palestinians in northern Gaza received notifications to collect household aid from United Nations warehouses for the first time in months on Thursday, after dozens of trucks carrying vital supplies entered the strip under the protection of clans and families yesterday. The trucks safely reached warehouses operated by the World Food Program (WFP) and other international organizations in Gaza City. The distribution of aid has become a site of tension between Israel and humanitarian organizations in recent months as Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza and starvation has become pervasive. Israel initially blocked the most effective aid distribution mechanism — the UN distributing aid via households — sowing chaos at bakeries that were subject to theft and overcrowding. Israel then abetted the theft of trucks leaking the delivery route to thieves and targeting security forces tasked with securing supplies. Then, with humanitarian aid all but choked off, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — a shady joint venture with ties to American and Israeli intelligence and military figures — had complete sway over distribution. Since the foundation began operations in May, at least 549 people have been killed while attempting to get food in what Palestinians have described as 'aid traps.' The entrance of trucks on Wednesday through the Zikim border crossing came after consultations among northern Gaza's clans and families to ensure the safe passage of the trucks, Hosny al-Mughanny, the head of the Higher Commission for Tribal Affairs, told Mada Masr. Residents were deployed around the Khaldi and Tawam neighborhoods — areas previously targeted by looters. 'We issued instructions to all clans and families in northern Gaza to stand united against the gangs and looters, to spread out in groups in areas where trucks have previously been obstructed and respond firmly to anyone who attempts to come near,' he said. According to Mughanny, a prior meeting had taken place between the commission in northern Gaza and several relief organizations, including the WFP, resulting in an agreement to collaborate to ensure the safe arrival and distribution of aid to storage facilities. Yazan Ahmed and several young men in his family joined the groups protecting Wednesday's convoy. Some climbed onto the trucks, while others formed human chains in locations along the convoy routes. 'Some looters tried to approach the convoy routes, but we immediately dealt with them and forced them to go back to where they came from,' Ahmed told Mada Masr. 'People are literally dying of hunger because of aid thieves. Prices keep rising because they steal the aid and then resell it at exorbitant prices.' The Sahm unit, affiliated with Hamas's security forces and tasked with protecting aid convoys, issued a warning on Wednesday urging residents to stay clear of the trucks. The unit said any interference would be met with force, either by its members or by the clans securing the aid. Following the successful delivery, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to provide a plan within 48 hours to prevent the 'takeover' of aid by Hamas. The order came after Israel halted aid deliveries to Gaza and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to quit the government if immediate action was not taken to stop aid from reaching the group, an unnamed Israeli official told Channel 12. Nahed Shehaiber, the head of the Private Transport Association in Gaza, told Mada Masr that the Israeli military has routinely obstructed the delivery of aid to warehouses by forcing trucks to stop in certain areas, facilitating their looting by armed gangs. While none of the 45 trucks that entered northern Gaza on Wednesday was looted, he said, about 70 trucks let in through the south were intercepted and stripped of their contents by armed gangs in southern Khan Younis. The trucks were intended for WFP warehouses in central Gaza. Shehaiber called for the model implemented in the north to be extended to the south to ensure aid reaches those in need throughout the strip. On Thursday, some residents began receiving messages from international organizations notifying them to collect aid. Adham Hassan said he was contacted by Anera, an international NGO, and instructed to visit their Sheikh Radwan office in northern Gaza City to pick up a bag of flour — the first time he has received such a message in over three months.
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Health
- Japan Today
Trump administration authorizes $30 million for Israeli-backed group distributing food in Gaza
Palestinians carry sacks and boxes of food and humanitarian aid unloaded from a World Food Program convoy that had been heading to Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) By MATTHEW LEE and ELLEN KNICKMEYER The Trump administration has authorized providing $30 million to a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group that is distributing food in Gaza, a U.S. official said Tuesday, an operation that has drawn criticism from other humanitarian organizations. The request is the first known U.S. government funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's aid distribution efforts amid the Israel-Hamas war. The American-led group had applied for the money to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has been dismantled and will soon be absorbed into the State Department as part of the Trump administration's deep cuts of foreign aid. The application is part of a controversial development: private contracting firms led by former U.S. intelligence officers and military veterans delivering aid to some of the world's deadliest conflict zones in operations organized with governments that are combatants in the conflicts. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive diplomatic issue involving a controversial aid program, said the decision to directly fund GHF was made 'to provide effective and accessible humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.' The announcement comes as violence and chaos have plagued areas near the new food distribution sites since opening last month. GHF says no one has been killed at the aid sites themselves and that it has delivered some 44 million meals to Palestinians in need. Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds heading to the sites for desperately needed food, killing hundreds in recent weeks. The Israeli military says it has fired warning shots at people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner while going to the sites. Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire as crowds tried to reach a GHF site on Tuesday in southern Gaza. At least 19 were killed and 50 others wounded, according to Nasser hospital and Gaza's Health Ministry. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Israel wants the GHF to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups. Along with the United States, it accuses Hamas of stealing aid, without offering evidence. The United Nations, its affiliated aid agencies and private humanitarian groups that work in Gaza have denied that there has been any significant theft of their supplies by Hamas. The Associated Press reported Saturday that the American-led group had asked the Trump administration for the initial funding so it can continue its aid operation, which has been criticized by the U.N., humanitarian groups and others. They accuse the foundation of cooperating with Israel's objectives in the 21-month-old war against Hamas in a way that violates humanitarian principles. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters earlier Tuesday that she had no information to provide on funding for the foundation. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yemen Online
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Yemen Gov't forces Capture Houthi , Al-Qaeda Cells in Aden ,Taiz
Yemeni authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of Houthi-affiliated and Al-Qaeda cells in Aden and Taiz following intensive surveillance and intelligence tracking. Aden police issued an official statement confirming the capture of a specialized Houthi cell tasked with monitoring the movements of military and security officials within southern forces. The arrested individuals confessed to undergoing combat training in Houthi-run camps before being deployed to Aden for espionage missions. Meanwhile, Taiz's Supreme Security Committee reported the detention of several extremist operatives linked to Al-Qaeda. According to preliminary investigations, these operatives coordinated with Houthi militias to execute sabotage operations and target security, military, and civilian leaders in the province and liberated areas. Officials revealed that these individuals were directly involved in acts of assassination and destruction, including their suspected role in the murder of World Food Program employee Moayad Hamidi in Al-Turba in 2023. Security forces also uncovered explosive materials, light and medium weapons, along with vehicles rigged for terrorist attacks inside residences belonging to the detained cells. Authorities suspect these groups planned assaults on government institutions and security facilities in both Aden and Taiz. The Yemeni government hailed the operation as part of ongoing efforts to reinforce security and stability, pledging to counter the threats posed by Houthi militias and extremist organizations seeking to destabilize the nation.
Arab News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel may have breached EU agreement, bloc's foreign policy arm says
Palestinians try to get food at a charity kitchen providing hot meals in Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City on June 18, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP) Mourners carry a body for burial outside al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, on June 20, 2025, after several Palestinians were killed as they reportedly headed to a food distribution centre in the war-stricken Gaza Strip. (AFP) Palestinians try to get food at a charity kitchen providing hot meals in Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City on June 18, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP) Palestinians carry sacks and boxes of food and humanitarian aid that was unloaded from a World Food Program convoy that had been heading to Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip on June 16, 2025. (AP) BRUSSELS: The European Union's diplomatic service said on Friday there were indications that Israel had breached its human rights obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the bloc, according to a document seen by Reuters. Citing assessments by independent international institutions, the European External Action Service said 'there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.' The report comes after months of deepening concern in European capitals about Israel's operations in Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the enclave. 'Israel's continued restrictions to the provision of food, medicines, medical equipment, and other vital supplies affect the entire population of Gaza present on the affected territory,' the document said. Asked about the EU review, an Israeli official called it 'a one-sided report that exemplifies the double standards the EU uses toward Israel.' Under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which came into force in 2000, the EU and Israel agreed that their relationship 'shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.' The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced in May that the bloc would examine whether Israel was complying with the terms of the pact, after over half of EU members backed the conducting of a review. The report includes a section dedicated to the situation in Gaza, covering issues related to denial of humanitarian aid, attacks with a significant number of casualties, attacks on hospitals and medical facilities, displacement, and lack of accountability. The report also looks at the situation in the West Bank, including settler violence. The document relies on 'facts verified by and assessments made by independent international institutions, and with a focus on most recent events in Gaza and the West Bank,' it said. Israel has said that it respects international law and that operations in Gaza are necessary to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian group responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the review during a gathering in Brussels on Monday. Member countries remain divided in their approach to Israel. While some ministers could advocate for moving toward taking action based on the review, no concrete decisions are expected at Monday's session. Diplomats expect EU officials will reach out to Israel with the outcome of the review in an effort to influence it, and that ministers will return to the subject during a July meeting.
Hamilton Spectator
20-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Food rations are halved in one of Africa's largest refugee camps after US aid cuts
KAKUMA, Kenya (AP) — Martin Komol sighs as he inspects his cracked, mud-walled house that is one rain away from fully collapsing. Nothing seems to last for him and 300,000 other refugees in this remote Kakuma camp in Kenya — now, not even food rations. Funding for the U.N. World Food Program has dropped after the Trump administration paused support in March, part of the widespread dismantling of foreign aid by the United States, once the world's biggest donor. That means Komol, a widowed father of five from Uganda, has been living on handouts from neighbors since his latest monthly ration ran out two weeks ago. He said he survives on one meal a day, sometimes a meal every two days. 'When we can't find anyone to help us, we become sick, but when we go to the hospital, they say it's just hunger and tell us to go back home,' the 59-year-old said. His wife is buried here. He is reluctant to return to Uganda, one of the more than 20 home countries of Kakuma's refugees. Food rations have been halved. Previous ration cuts led to protests in March. Monthly cash transfers that refugees used to buy proteins and vegetables to supplement the rice, lentils and cooking oil distributed by WFP have ended this month. Each refugee now receives 3 kilograms (6 pounds) of rice per month, far below the 9 kilograms recommended by the U.N. for optimal nutrition. WFP hopes to receive the next donation of rice by August. That's along with 1 kilogram of lentils and 500 milliliters of cooking oil per person. 'Come August, we are likely to see a more difficult scenario. If WFP doesn't receive any funding between now and then, it means only a fraction of the refugees will be able to get assistance. It means only the most extremely vulnerable will be targeted,' said Colin Buleti, WFP's head in Kakuma. WFP is seeking help from other donors. As dust swirls along paths between the camp's makeshift houses, the youngest children run and play, largely unaware of their parents' fears. But they can't escape hunger. Komol's 10-year-old daughter immerses herself in schoolbooks when there's nothing to eat. 'When she was younger she used to cry, but now she tries to ask for food from the neighbors, and when she can't get any she just sleeps hungry,' Komol said. In recent weeks, they have drunk water to try to feel full. The shrinking rations have led to rising cases of malnutrition among children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. At Kakuma's largest hospital, run by the International Rescue Committee, children with malnutrition are given fortified formula milk. Nutrition officer Sammy Nyang'a said some children are brought in too late and die within the first few hours of admission. The 30-bed stabilization ward admitted 58 children in March, 146 in April and 106 in May. Fifteen children died in April, up from the monthly average of five. He worries they will see more this month. 'Now with the cash transfers gone, we expect more women and children to be unable to afford a balanced diet,' Nyang'a said. The hospital had been providing nutrient-dense porridge for children and mothers, but the flour has run out after stocks, mostly from the U.S., were depleted in March. A fortified peanut paste given to children who have been discharged is also running out, with current supplies available until August. In the ward of whimpering children, Susan Martine from South Sudan cares for her 2-year-old daughter, who has sores after swelling caused by severe malnutrition. The mother of three said her family often sleeps hungry, but her older children still receive hot lunches from a WFP school feeding program. For some children in the camp, it's their only meal. The program also faces pressure from the aid cuts. 'I don't know how we will survive with the little food we have received this month,' Martine said. The funding cuts are felt beyond Kakuma's refugee community. Businessman Chol Jook recorded monthly sales of 700,000 Kenyan shillings ($5,400) from the WFP cash transfer program and now faces losses. Those who are hungry could slip into debt as they buy on credit, he said. ___ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
