Latest news with #aid blockade
France 24
12 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Gaza famine warning as Israel resists ceasefire calls
The health ministry figure excludes deaths from hunger in the Palestinian territory gripped by dire humanitarian conditions made worse by Israel's total blockade of aid from March to May. This week, Israel launched a daily pause in fighting and opened secure routes to enable UN and non-governmental agencies to distribute food on Gaza's devastated streets. Hundreds of truckloads of aid have begun to arrive. But Israeli strikes continued overnight, killing 30 people in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Gaza's civil defence agency -- and experts warn a humanitarian catastrophe of historic proportions is imminent. "The worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in the Gaza Strip," said the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), a coalition of monitors tasked by the UN to warn of impending crises. Urgent action now The World Food Programme's emergency director, Ross Smith, likened the situation to some of the worst famines of the past century. "This is unlike anything we have seen in this century. It reminds us of previous disasters in Ethiopia or Biafra," Smith said via video-link from Rome. "We need urgent action now." In a statement released ahead of the IPC report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of distorting casualty figures and accused the group of looting food aid destined for Palestinian civilians. "While the situation in Gaza is difficult and Israel has been working to ensure aid delivery, Hamas benefits from attempting to fuel the perception of a humanitarian crisis," the statement said. "We already allow significant amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza every single day, including food, water and medicine. Unfortunately, Hamas... has been stealing aid from the Gaza population, many times by shooting Palestinians." As late as Sunday, Netanyahu had been insisting there was "no starvation in Gaza" but even his close international ally, US President Donald Trump, has now warned the situation appears to be "real starvation". Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, amid warnings of a wave of starvation. Then on Sunday, faced with a mounting international chorus of alarm, Israel began a series of "tactical pauses" while allowed aid trucks to cross two border crossings into Gaza, and Jordanian and Emirati planes to airdrop aid. Shipments have ramped up, but for the IPC this effort will not prove enough unless aid agencies are granted "immediate, unimpeded" humanitarian access. "Failure to act now will result in widespread death in much of the Strip," it said, warning that 16 children under the age of five had died of hunger since July 17. "Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths," it said. According to Netanyahu's office, the pause in military operations covers "key populated areas" between 10:00 am (0700 GMT) and 8:00 pm every day. Designated aid convoy routes will be secure from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said more than 200 truckloads of aid were distributed by the UN and aid agencies on Monday. Air strikes Another 260 trucks were permitted to cross into Gaza to deposit aid at collection points, four UN tankers brought in fuel and 20 pallets of aid were airdropped from Jordanian and Emirati planes, COGAT said. Overnight, however, strikes continued. Gaza's civil defence agency said Tuesday that Israeli air strikes killed at least 30 Palestinians, including women and children, in the central Nuseirat district. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the strikes were carried out overnight and into the morning and "targeted a number of citizens' homes" in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The local Al-Awda hospital said it had received "the bodies of 30 martyrs, including 14 women and 12 children". An Israeli military spokesman told AFP that he would need more information to enable him to look into the strikes. With aid experts pushing for a ceasefire to enable a large-scale humanitarian operation, Israel's foreign minister addressed reporters in Jerusalem to denounce what he called a "distorted campaign" of international pressure. Gideon Saar told reporters that if Israel was to halt the conflict while Hamas is still in power in Gaza and still holding hostages it would be a "tragedy for both Israelis and Palestinians".
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Netanyahu claims there is ‘no starvation in Gaza' in extraordinary denial of growing hunger crisis
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that accusations that Israel is conducting a campaign of starvation in Gaza are a 'bold faced lie', in an extraordinary denial of the growing humanitarian crisis in the enclave. As the Israeli leader attended a Christian conference in Jerusalem, he said: 'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza. ' He added that Israel had 'enabled the amount (of aid) required by international law to come in" and claimed Hamas "steals this humanitarian aid and then accuses Israel of not supplying it'. Netanyahu was speaking at a conference on Sunday hosted by adviser to US President Donald Trump and prominent evangelical pastor Paula White, according to the Times of Israel. His latest claims fly in the face of warnings from humanitarian organisations, who say that starvation and malnutrition has reached a critical point in Gaza. The World Health Organisation declared on Tuesday that malnutrition is on a 'dangerous trajectory' in the Gaza Strip, with 63 deaths in July. Around one in five small children in Gaza City are now acutely malnourished, according to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa). The UN has said that the hunger crisis is 'entirely preventable' and accused Israel of the 'deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health and humanitarian aid'. At the start of March, Israel implemented a total aid blockade in Gaza for 11 weeks, preventing humanitarian aid from entering the area. In May, the American-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) assumed control of aid distribution in Gaza, which was previously controlled by the UN. The new mechanism limits food distribution to a small number of hubs under guard of armed contractors. Since the change, hundreds of Palestinians have been shot dead while attempting to get aid. Hamas has denied stealing aid from collection sites and a recent USAID internal report said there was no evidence of systematic looting of supplies. Israel's military on Monday suspended its daily operations between 10am and 8pm in parts of central and northern Gaza, promising to open aid corridors to let food and medical supplies in after international pressure. However, within hours of this so-called 'humanitarian pause', Israeli forces resumed air raids which killed 63 people, according to Gaza health authorities. Save the Children 's director for the Middle East, Ahmad Alhendawi, said on Sunday that these temporary pauses in fighting were not sufficient to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The regional director said in a statement: 'Any increase in the entry of aid via land crossings has the potential to help people survive, primarily children, thousands of whom are otherwise facing their final days after nearly five months of total siege on the entry of all assistance. 'But just how lifesaving these pauses will be depends on how long they continue and the extent to which Israeli authorities facilitate safe and logistically feasible conditions for the delivery of assistance to starving children and families. 'The stage of malnutrition and starvation many people across Gaza are facing means one or even a few days of food aid will not be enough to bring them back from the brink of death. Malnutrition can be prevented, malnutrition can be treated – and we know how to do it. Malnourished people, especially children, need sustained access to diverse food, nutrition supplements, and sometimes specialist medical care, to reverse the damage that can be undone.'
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Albanese says Israel 'clearly' in breach of international law amid starvation in Gaza
The prime minister says it was a breach of international law to "stop food being delivered" which he said was an Israeli decision. Albanese said a decision would be made at an "appropriate time" on recognising a Palestinian state. Israel has allowed some aid to flow into Gaza as an estimated 2 million people face mass hunger. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Israel is "quite clearly" breaching international law by preventing aid deliveries into the besieged Gaza Strip. But he said Australia would not follow the likes of France and recognise a Palestinian state at an upcoming United Nations conference. In one of his strongest statements yet on the issue, Albanese said scenes of starvation in Gaza "break your heart", singling out a picture of an emaciated one year old boy, Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, that was widely published around the world last week. Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, a 1.5-year-old child in Gaza, faces life-threatening malnutrition as the humanitarian situation worsens due to ongoing Israeli attacks and blockade. Source: Getty / Anadolu / Getty Images He said civilian casualties and death in Gaza was "completely unacceptable" and "completely indefensible". "Quite clearly, it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered which was a decision that Israel made in March," he told the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday. "I'm not a lawyer, those things will play out their course, but I tell you what it's a breach of - it's a breach of decent humanity and of morality and everyone can see that. "I'm a supporter of Israel and Israel's right to defend itself, but that boy isn't challenging Israel's right to existence, and nor are the many who continue to suffer from the unavailability of food and water." Albanese said that he is a "supporter of Israel" and its right to "defend itself", saying that Hamas was holding not just Israelis hostage but also Palestinians. But he said international law states innocent people should not be held responsible for the actions of Hamas. "Israel as a democratic state has a responsibility to ensure that innocent lives are not lost, and we have seen too many Israeli and Palestinian lives lost." Australia won't yet recognise a Palestinian state The prime minister moved on to discuss how the war could come to an end, citing his support for a two-state solution. When asked about whether his support for a two-state solution extends to recognising a Palestinian state, Albanese said a decision would be made at an "appropriate time". "What we will do is we'll make a decision based upon the time. Is the time right now? Are we about to imminently do that? No, we are not." The prime minister listed his concerns about recognition, questioning how it would reduce Hamas' involvement in a Palestinian state and how such a state could exist and not threaten Israel's sovereignty. "We won't do any decision as a gesture. We will do it as a way forward if the circumstances are met," he said. Albanese said Australia is prepared to play a "constructive role" but has minimal influence as a "middle power" in global politics. He flagged that the United States would have a "critical role" to play as it has been an intermediary during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Air drops of aid to resume International aid organisations say mass hunger has now arrived among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with stocks running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, then reopened it in May but with different restrictions. Israel said it resumed aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, amid mounting international pressure and warnings from relief agencies of starvation spreading there. The Israeli military said "humanitarian corridors" would be established for the safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to Gazans and that "humanitarian pauses" would be implemented in densely populated areas. Albanese described Israel's allowance of aid airdrops and convoys as a "start" but that the civilian casualties in Gaza are "completely indefensible". On Wednesday, it was reported 15 people, including a six-week-old baby, starved to death in 24 hours in Gaza, according to doctors, linking this to a wave of hunger that persisted for months. Additional reporting by the Reuters News Agency.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
More than 100 NGOs warn ‘mass starvation' spreading across Gaza
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situationA statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that 'our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away'JERUSALEM: More than 100 aid organizations and human rights groups warned on Wednesday that 'mass starvation' was spreading in Gaza, as the United States said its top envoy was heading to Europe for talks on a possible ceasefire and aid is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than two million people are facing severe shortages of food and other essentials after 21 months of it denied blocking supplies, saying that 950 trucks' worth of aid were in Gaza waiting for international agencies to collect and distribute.'We have not identified starvation at this current point in time but we understand that action is required to stabilize the humanitarian situation,' an unnamed senior Israeli security official was quoted as saying by the Times of the ground, the Israeli military said it was operating in Gaza City and the north, and had hit dozens of 'terror targets' across the Palestinian civil defense agency told AFP that Israeli strikes killed 17 people overnight, including a pregnant woman in Gaza United Nations said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) started operations in late May — effectively sidelining the longstanding UN-led system.A statement with 111 signatories, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that 'our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away.'The groups called for an immediate negotiated ceasefire, the opening of all land crossings and the free flow of aid through UN-led United States said its envoy Steve Witkoff will head to Europe this week for talks on Gaza and may then visit the Middle 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,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told after Israel began easing a more than two-month aid blockade in late May, Gaza's population is still suffering extreme says humanitarian aid is being allowed into Gaza and accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering, including by stealing food handouts to sell at inflated prices or shooting at those awaiting said the United Nations, which refuses to work with it, 'has a capacity and operational problem' and called for 'more collaboration' to deliver life-saving the Israeli defense ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said nearly 4,500 trucks entered Gaza recently, with flour, baby food and high-calorie food for it said there had been 'a significant decline in the collection of humanitarian aid' by international organizations in the past month.'This collection bottleneck remains the main obstacle to maintaining a consistent flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,' it agencies, though, said permissions from Israel were still limited and coordination to move trucks to where they are needed — and safely — was a major humanitarian organizations said warehouses with tons of supplies were sitting untouched just outside the territory, and even inside, as they were blocked from delivering the goods.'Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions,' the signatories said.'It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage,' they added.'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 head of Gaza's largest hospital said Tuesday that 21 children had died due to malnutrition and starvation in the Palestinian territory over the previous three have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas negotiators in Doha since July 6 in search of an elusive truce, with expectations that Witkoff would join the talks as they entered their final than two dozen Western governments called on Monday for an immediate end to the war, saying suffering in Gaza had 'reached new depths.'Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,219 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Malay Mail
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
UN slams Israel as 10 more Palestinians killed seeking aid in Gaza, nearly 800 deaths at relief sites since May
JERUSALEM, July 12 — Ten Palestinians were reported killed yesterday while waiting for rations in Gaza, adding to nearly 800 similar deaths in the last six weeks, according to the UN, with Israel's army saying it issued new instructions to troops following repeated reports of fatalities. Friday's reported violence came as negotiators from Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas were locked in indirect talks in Qatar to try to agree on a temporary ceasefire in the more than 21-month conflict. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he hoped a deal for a 60-day pause in the war could be struck in the coming days, and that he would then be ready to negotiate a more permanent end to hostilities. Hamas has said the free flow of aid is a main sticking point in the talks, with Gaza's more than two million residents facing a dire humanitarian crisis of hunger and disease amid the grinding conflict. Israel began easing a more than two-month total blockade of aid in late May. Since then, a new US- and Israel-backed organisation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has effectively sidelined the territory's vast UN-led aid delivery network. There are frequent reports of Israeli forces firing on people seeking aid, with Gaza's civil defence agency saying 10 Palestinians were killed Friday while waiting at a distribution point near the southern city of Rafah. 'Unacceptable' The UN, which refuses to cooperate with GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives, said Friday that 798 people have been killed seeking aid between late May and July 7, including 615 'in the vicinity of the GHF sites'. 'Where people are lining up for essential supplies such as food and medicine, and where... they have a choice between being shot or being fed, this is unacceptable,' UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva. Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday's deaths, but has previously accused militants of firing at civilians in the vicinity of aid centres. Asked about the UN figures, the military said it had worked to minimise 'possible friction' between aid seekers and soldiers, and that it conducted 'thorough examinations' of incidents in which 'harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported'. 'Instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned,' it added in a statement. GHF called the UN report 'false and misleading', claiming that 'most deadly attacks on aid sites have been linked to UN convoys'. Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, told AFP that Israeli forces killed 45 people overall in the territory on Friday. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. Truce talks In Gaza's south, a witness said Israeli tanks were seen near Khan Yunis, reporting 'intense gunfire, intermittent air strikes, artillery shelling, and ongoing bulldozing and destruction of displacement camps and agricultural land'. Israel's military said troops were operating in the area against 'terrorist infrastructure sites, both above and below ground'. Hamas has said that as part of a potential truce deal it was willing to release 10 of the hostages taken during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the Gaza war. Netanyahu, who is under pressure to end the war after mounting military losses, said that would leave 10 living hostages still in captivity. 'I hope we can complete it in a few days,' he said of the initial ceasefire agreement and hostage release in an interview with US outlet Newsmax. 'We'll probably have a 60-day ceasefire, get the first batch out, then use the 60-day ceasefire to negotiate an end to this.' Netanyahu has said that a key condition of any deal is that Hamas first gives up its weapons and its hold on Gaza, warning that failure to do so on Israel's terms would lead to further conflict. Another issue holding up a deal is disagreement on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said. Hamas has said it wants 'real guarantees' for a lasting truce and Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza, and that it opposes any Israeli moves to push Palestinians into 'isolated enclaves'. The group's 2023 attack on Israel led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Out of 251 hostages seized in the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. At least 57,823 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. — AFP
