Latest news with #Yazan
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
‘Mass starvation' spreading across Gaza as war continues for 21 months, warn aid groups
'Mass starvation' is spreading across the population in Gaza as the devastating war continues for 21 months straight, over a 100 aid and human rights groups said on Wednesday. Yazan, a malnourished 2-year-old Palestinian boy, stands with his back turned in his family's damaged home in the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 23, 2025.(AFP) As many as 2 million people in Gaza have been scrambling for food and other basic essentials ever since the war began. The rights group also accused Israel of not allowing food inside the Palestinian territories to be distributed. Over the past three days, 21 children in Gaza died due to malnutrition and starvation, said the head of Gaza's largest hospital on Tuesday. The warning by aid organisations comes as the United States indicated that efforts were on to facilitate a ceasefire in the war-torn country and said that its Middle-East envoy Steve Witkoff will head to Europe for potential ceasefire talks. Witkoff comes with "a strong hope that we will come forward with another ceasefire as well as a humanitarian corridor for aid to flow, that both sides have in fact agreed to," said State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. Amid spread of 'mass starvation' in Gaza, Israel is under immense pressure over letting aid inside the country. However, Israel has denied blocking the aid and said that 950 trucks' worth of aid were in Gaza waiting for international agencies to collect and distribute, reported AP. "We have not identified starvation at this current point in time but we understand that action is required to stabilise the humanitarian situation," the Times of Israel quoted an unnamed senior Israeli security official as saying. Israel has also maintained that while it has allowed aid into Gaza, it was Hamas that was making things worse by stealing it and selling it at inflated prices. Palestinians killed at aid centres Lately, several people have been killed in Gaza reportedly while trying to get food or other supplies from aid centres. Health officials in Gaza say that on Tuesday and early Wednesday, 21 people were killed by Israeli strikes. According to the United Nations, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food and aid by Israel since late May, ever since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by the US and Israel, started operations in the region. During this time, the US-led aid system was sidelined. According to a statement signed by 111 aid and human rights organisations, they have called for an immediate ceasefire and Gaza and opening of all its borders to allow aid through UN-led systems. The statement warned that "our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away" "Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions," the statement added. "It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage…The humanitarian system cannot run on false promises. Humanitarians cannot operate on shifting timelines or wait for political commitments that fail to deliver access." The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2025, in which over 1,200 people, most of them civilians, died. In Israel's retaliation, around 59,219 Palestinians have been killed so far, most of whom are also civilians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. With inputs from AP.
Saba Yemen
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Palestinian Father, his four children martyred in Israeli airstrike on Their Tent in Khan Younis
Gaza – Saba: A Palestinian father and his four children were martyred on Saturday evening in an Israeli airstrike that targeted their tent in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. According to media sources, the victims were identified as Fadi Abu Al-Khair and his children: Yazan (12), Amjad (10), Muhannad (7), and Mohammad (6). The family was killed when an Israeli drone strike hit their tent in Hayat Camp, west of Khan Younis city. Medical sources in Gaza reported that 78 Palestinians have been martyred in Israeli airstrikes across various areas of the Strip since dawn today. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Days of Palestine
04-06-2025
- General
- Days of Palestine
Gaza Aid Turns Deadly: Families Shot While Seeking Food Amid Failed Relief Operation
DaysofPal — In a makeshift hospital tent outside Nasser Hospital, 13-year-old Yazan Musleh lies wounded, a white bandage covering the bullet wound on his frail body. His father, Ihab, sits beside him, visibly shaken by the events of Sunday morning when Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of Palestinians waiting for aid from the controversial, Israeli-American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Ihab had taken his two sons, Yazan and 15-year-old Yazid, from their shelter in al-Mawasi to Rafah's aid distribution center. After walking for over an hour to reach the site near the al-Alam Roundabout, he told his sons to stay on a nearby hill for safety while he scoped the area. 'I saw tanks nearby and was overcome with fear,' Ihab said. 'Moments later, gunfire erupted. I turned and saw Yazan collapse—he had been shot.' Yazid recalls the chaos: 'We were standing where our father told us, and then the tanks just opened fire. My brother was shot in the stomach—I saw his insides. It was terrifying.' Yazan was rushed to Nasser Hospital in a donkey cart. Doctors performed emergency surgery to repair severe damage to his intestines and spleen. His mother, Iman, sits beside him, wondering aloud why people seeking food are met with bullets. 'This isn't the first time,' Ihab added. 'Last time, we barely survived a deadly stampede. This time, my son was shot—and we still didn't get any food. But I'll keep trying. Hunger is killing us.' A Failing Aid Operation Backed by Military Contractors The GHF, launched in early 2025, promotes itself as a neutral aid effort but is operated with the help of U.S. private military contractors. Its credibility took a major hit even before aid was distributed: founder Jake Wood resigned just days before the first drop, citing ethical concerns. Soon after, Boston Consulting Group also pulled out. Global aid organizations have condemned the GHF's militarized and chaotic distribution methods. Others Caught in the Crossfire Nearby in the same hospital tent lies 40-year-old Mohammed al-Homs, also a father of five. He had arrived at the distribution site only to be shot twice—once in the leg and once in the mouth, shattering his front teeth. 'I collapsed on the ground, bleeding, surrounded by the dead and wounded. It felt like the end of the world,' he said. He lay there for nearly an hour before others were able to carry him to safety. 'That was my first and last time trying to get aid.' 'I Never Thought I'd Be Shot Over Food' Another victim, 36-year-old Khaled al-Lahham, had previously received aid on May 27 and returned hoping for more. He cares for ten displaced relatives in al-Mawasi. As he and five friends approached the site in a car, gunfire erupted again. 'A bullet went straight through my thigh. People were screaming and running. Panic erupted as bullets rained from both tanks and drones,' he recounted. Too injured to move, Khaled was rescued by a friend and taken to the hospital. 'I never thought getting food would mean risking my life,' he said. 'If they don't want us to have aid, why lure us there and kill us?' Final Thoughts The GHF operation continues to raise critical questions. What began as a promise of humanitarian relief has turned into a theater of chaos and violence. Human rights observers warn that these incidents not only violate international humanitarian law but also signal a disturbing trend of militarizing aid in active conflict zones. 'This is no longer an aid operation,' said a local paramedic. 'It's a battlefield.' Shortlink for this post:
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hunger and bullets: Palestinians recall Rafah aid massacre horror
Khan Younis, Gaza – Yazan Musleh, 13, lies in a hospital bed set up in a tent on the grounds of Nasser Hospital, his t-shirt pulled up to reveal a large white bandage on his thin torso. Beside him, his father, Ihab, sits fretfully, still shaken by the bloodied dawn he and his sons lived through on Sunday when Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of people gathered to receive aid from the Israeli-conceived, and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Ihab, 40, had taken Yazan and his 15-year-old brother, Yazid, from their shelter in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, to the Rafah distribution point that the GHF operates. They set out before dawn, walking for about an hour and a half to get to the al-Alam Roundabout roundabout in Rafah, near the distribution point. Worried about the size of the gathering, hungry crowd, Ihab told his sons to wait for him on an elevation near the GHF gates. 'When I looked behind the hill, I saw several tanks not far away,' he says. 'A feeling of dread came over me. What if they opened fire or something happened? I prayed for God's protection.' As the crowd moved closer to the gates, heavy gunfire erupted from all directions.'I was terrified. I immediately looked towards my sons on the hill, and saw Yazan get shot and collapse,' he recalls. Yazid, also sitting by his brother's bedside, describes the moments of terror. 'We were standing on the hill as our father told us, and suddenly, the tanks opened fire.' He says. 'My brother was hit in the stomach immediately.' 'I saw his intestines spilling out – it was horrifying. Then people helped rush him to the hospital in a donkey cart.' Down by the gates, Ihab was struggling to reach his sons, trying to fight against the crowd while avoiding the shots still ringing out. 'Shooting was coming from every direction – from tanks, quadcopters. 'I saw people helping my son, eventually dragging him away.' When Ihab managed to get away from the crowd, he ran as best as his malnourished body could manage, towards Nasser Hospital, in hopes that Yazan had been taken there. It felt like more than an hour, he says. At Nasser Hospital, he learned that Yazan had been taken into surgery. 'I finally breathed. I thanked God he was still alive. I had completely lost hope,' he says. The bullet that hit Yazan had torn through his intestines and spleen, and the doctors say he needs long and intensive treatment. Sitting by him is his mother, Iman, who asks despairingly why anyone would shoot at people trying to get food. She and Ihab have five children, the youngest is a seven-month-old girl. 'I went to get food for my children. Hunger is killing us,' says Ihab. 'These aid distributions are known to be degrading and humiliating – but we're desperate. I'm desperate because my children are starving, and even then, we are shot at?' He had tried to get aid once before, he says, but both times he came away empty-handed. 'The first time, there was a deadly stampede. We barely escaped. This time, my son was wounded and again… nothing,' he says. But he knows he cannot stop trying. 'I'll risk it for my family. Either I come back alive or I die. I'm desperate. Hunger is killing us.' The GHF, marketed as a neutral humanitarian mechanism, was launched in early 2025 and uses private US military contractors to 'secure the distribution points'.The GHF's head, Jake Wood, resigned his post two days before distribution began, citing concerns that the foundation would not be impartial or act in accordance with humanitarian principles. Five days later, on May 30, the Boston Consulting Group, which had been part of the planning and implementation of the foundation, withdrew its team and terminated its association with GHF. International aid organisations have been unanimous in criticising the GHF and its methods. Lying nearby in the tent ward is Mohammed al-Homs, 40, a father of five. He had also headed out early on Sunday to try to get some food for his family, but moments after arriving at the al-Alam Roundabout roundabout, 'I was shot twice – once in the leg and once in the mouth, shattering my front teeth,' he says. 'I collapsed, there were so many injured and dead around me. Everyone was screaming and running. Gunfire was coming from tanks, drones everywhere. It felt like the end of the world.' He lay bleeding on the ground for what felt like an hour, as medical teams were not able to reach the injured. Then, word spread that the gates had opened for distribution, and those who could move started heading towards the centre. It was only then that people could start moving the wounded to a nearby medical point. 'This was my first time trying to get aid, and it will be my last,' Mohammed says. 'I didn't expect to survive. We went looking for food for our hungry children and were met with drones and tanks.' Also in the tent is someone who had succeeded in getting an aid package on the first day of distribution, on May 27, and decided to try again on Sunday: 36-year-old Khaled al-Lahham. Al-Lahham is taking care of 10 family members: his parents, one aunt, and seven siblings, all of whom are displaced in the tents of al-Mawasi. He had managed to catch a ride with five friends that morning, driving as close as they could to the al-Alam Roundabout roundabout. As the distribution time approached, the six friends started getting out of the car. 'Suddenly, there was loud gunfire all around and people screaming. I felt a sharp pain in my leg – a bullet had passed clean through my thigh,' says Khaled, who did not make it fully out of the car. 'I was screaming and bleeding while people around me ran and screamed. The shooting was frenzied,' he adds. 'There were tanks, quadcopters – fire came from every direction.' Injured, Khaled could not get out of the car and huddled there until one of his friends managed to return and drive him to the hospital. 'I never imagined I'd face death for a box of food,' Khaled says. 'If they don't want to distribute the aid, why do they lie to people and kill them like this? 'This is all deliberate. Humiliate us, degrade us, then kill us – for food?'
The National
29-04-2025
- Health
- The National
Gaza's sole survivors: Children face lives marked by tragedy and trauma
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza In September last year, an Israeli air strike on central Gaza killed Yazan Tutah's mother, father and two siblings. Yazan, aged three, spent nearly a month fighting for his life in a hospital bed, unaware that he had lost all the people closest to him. Today he lives under the care of his grandmother, Ramziya Tutah, 67, who returned to Gaza city earlier this year during the two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The child's story is heart-breakingly common in Gaza. Official figures show more than 5,000 families have only one surviving member after a year-and-a-half of war that has devastated the territory. Although Yazan and his grandmother have found shelter again, the home they returned to feels empty. The real battle for Yazan is not his recovery from physical wounds, but from the psychological trauma of losing his family. Since the deadly strike last year, Yazan has been locked in a silent struggle with grief and confusion. Despite the tireless efforts of his grandmother and maternal uncles to ease his pain and encourage him to play with other children, Yazan remains deeply withdrawn. "He always asks about his parents and brothers," Ms Tutah tells The National, her voice breaking. "At night, he often wakes up crying, calling for his mother. Sometimes he screams and sobs for a long time before he falls asleep again." Yazan requires psychological support, a rare resource in Gaza with much of the enclave's healthcare and social services destroyed. "When the ceasefire happened, we hoped there would be more attention to children like Yazan," Ms Tutah said. "But the ceasefire didn't last." After the war resumed last month with renewed Israeli strikes, Yazan's condition worsened. Every time he hears an explosion, he begins to ask for his family again, Ms Tutah adds. "According to our official governmental statistics, there are 5,070 Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip from which only one surviving member remains,' Ismail Al Thawabteh, director of Gaza's government media office, tells The National. 'These surviving individuals urgently need special care, ongoing psychological support and attention to help them overcome the deep crises they are experiencing due to immense loss and pain. However, unfortunately, the necessary resources to provide such support are currently unavailable due to the lack of sufficient personnel and the closure of the crossings by the occupation, which has prevented medical delegations from entering Gaza." He says sole surviving family members represent "a tragedy that embodies the worst outcomes and consequences of this genocide". 'Most of those categorised as sole survivors are children, which only deepens the crisis they face as children, by nature, already require special care, let alone after losing their mother, father and entire family," he says. 'Many sole survivors are living through an even greater tragedy because several members of their families are still trapped under the rubble to this day, their bodies not yet retrieved, honoured or buried.' Mahmoud Sukkar, 17, is among the children hit hardest by the war. In October last year, an Israeli strike on northern Gaza killed 17 of his family members. "My family was bombed while I was outside the house," he tells The National. "Afterwards, I stayed briefly with my uncle. Then we had to flee to the south. I ended up living alone in a tent in Al Mawasi – those were the hardest moments of my life." Even months later, Mahmoud struggles to grasp the enormity of his loss. "It still feels like a dream," he says. "I can't comprehend living without my family, they filled my life with love and warmth. They were all gone in the blink of an eye, without having done anything wrong. 'When I first received the news, I was outside the house. A friend tried to soften the blow, telling me some were injured, some had been martyred and some were still alive. But when I arrived at the hospital, I found that they had all been martyred. That moment marked the beginning of the harshest and most painful chapter of my life.' Mahmoud says a sole surviving family member is "not a normal human being". "He has lost the most precious people in his life and no one can replace that," he adds. "No one can ease the loneliness or carry the weight of his pain." Civilians account for more than half of the 52,300 people killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023. More 18,000 children and 12,400 women have been killed and more than 2,180 families wiped out, according to figures released on Sunday by the government media office. The death toll includes more than 1,400 doctors and healthcare personnel, 113 civil defence members, 212 journalists and more than 750 humanitarian workers. More than 13,000 students, 800 teachers and 150 academics and university professors have been killed, the statistics show. 'The destruction is so widespread and systematic that it points unmistakably to a deliberate strategy of targeting civilians and critical life-sustaining sectors, in what human rights groups describe as acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing,' the government media office says.
