Latest news with #aidworkers
News24
5 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Israeli strikes on Iran may have violated international law, UN mission says
Iranian Red Crescent/AFP A UN fact-finding mission said some of Israel's strikes on Iran may have violated international humanitarian law, killing civilians and aid workers. The mission flagged concerns over Israel's lack of advance warnings, which left millions at risk as people fled Tehran. Experts also raised alarm over detainees near bombing sites and Iran's reported arrests of activists and journalists accused of spying. A fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said on Monday that some of Israel's strikes on Iran may have broken international humanitarian law, citing the killing of civilians in an apartment block and three aid workers in Tehran. Israel began airstrikes on Iran in a surprise attack on 13 June that killed many of Iran's top commanders and has intensified attacks since, prompting an exodus from the capital. The United States joined on Sunday by hitting Iran's underground nuclear sites. 'Among those killed in Tehran were dozens of residents of an apartment complex and three humanitarian workers from the Iranian Red Cross, while damaged sites included a clinic for children with autism and a hospital in Kermanshah,' the investigative body said in a statement to journalists, referring to the Israeli strikes. 'This, and the reported lack of effective advance warning by Israel, which may affect the population's ability to reach safety, raise serious concerns in relation to the principles of proportionality, distinction, and precaution under international humanitarian law.' The mission said that millions had so far fled the capital and that a lack of warning systems, adequate shelters and internet restrictions had increased the dangers. After Israel struck a notorious jail for political prisoners on Monday, the experts voiced concern about detainees held near the sites of bombings. The statement said: It also voiced concerns about reports of arbitrary arrests by Iranian authorities of activists, journalists and social media users accused of espionage with Israel - a crime that is punishable by death in Iran.
The Independent
21-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
A deadly race for food: Palestinians in Gaza risk harrowing journey day after day
Each day, Palestinians in Gaza run a deadly gantlet in hopes of getting food. Israeli troops open barrages of gunfire toward crowds crossing military zones to get to the aid, they say, and knife-wielding thieves wait to ambush those who succeed. Palestinians say lawlessness is growing as they are forced into a competition to feed their families. A lucky few manage to secure some packets of lentils, a jar of Nutella or a bag of flour. Many return empty-handed and must attempt the ordeal again the next day. 'This isn't aid. It's humiliation. It's death,' said Jamil Atili, his face shining with sweat as he made his way back last week from a food center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed private contractor. He had suffered a knife cut across his cheek amid the scramble for food and said a contractor guard pepper-sprayed him in the face. Still, he emerged with nothing for his 13 family members. 'I have nothing to feed my children,' he said, nearly crying. 'My heart is broken.' Israel began allowing food into Gaza this past month after cutting it off completely for 10 weeks, though United Nations officials say it is not enough to stave off starvation. Most of the supplies go to GHF, which operates four food distribution points inside Israeli military zones. A trickle of aid goes to the U.N. and humanitarian groups. Both systems are mired in chaos. Daily gunfire by Israeli troops toward crowds on the roads heading to the GHF centers has killed several hundred people and wounded hundreds more in past weeks, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. At the same time, in past weeks, hungry crowds overwhelm most of the U.N.'s truck convoys and strip away the supplies. Israeli troops have opened fire to disperse crowds waiting for trucks near military zones, witnesses say — and on Tuesday, more than 50 people were killed, according to the ministry. The Israeli military says it is investigating. 'I don't see how it can get any worse, because it is already apocalyptic. But somehow it does get worse,' said Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian affairs office. Israel and GHF downplay the violence Israel says it has only fired warning shots at suspects who approached its forces along the roads to the GHF food centers. Palestinian witnesses say the troops fire to prevent crowds from moving past a certain point before the centers open or because people leave the road designated by the military. They describe heavy barrages from tanks, snipers, drones and even guns mounted on cranes. Asked how its soldiers control movement, the military told The Associated Press its 'operational conduct ... is accompanied by systematic learning processes.' It said it was looking into safety measures like fences and road signs. GHF says no shootings have taken place in or near its hubs. A spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity under GHF rules, said incidents take place before sites open involving aid-seekers who move 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' They said GHF is trying to improve safety, in part by changing opening times to daylight hours. Israel intends for GHF to replace the U.N.-led aid network in Gaza, contending that Hamas diverts large amounts of aid from it. The U.N. denies the claim. Ducking under fire Thousands of people must walk miles to reach the GHF centers, three of which are in the far south outside the city of Rafah. Palestinians said the danger begins when the crowds enter the Israeli military zone encompassing Rafah. Mohammed Saqer, a father of three who risked the trip multiple times, said that when he went last week, tanks were firing over the heads of the crowds as drone announcements told everyone to move back. It's 'like it was 'Squid Game,'' Saqer said, referring to the dystopian thriller TV series in which contestants risk their lives to win a prize. Just raising your head might mean death, he said. He and others crawled forward, then left the main road. A shot rang out nearby and they ducked, he said. They found a young man on the ground, shot in the back. The others assumed he was dead, but Saqer felt his chest — it was still warm, and he found a pulse. They carried him to a point where a car could pick him up. Saqer said he stood for a moment, traumatized by the scene. Then people shouted that the site had opened. The mad dash Everyone broke into a crazed run, he said. He saw several people wounded on the ground. One man, bleeding from his abdomen, reached out his hand, pleading for help. No one stopped. 'Everyone is just running to get to the aid, to get there first,' Saqer said. Omar al-Hobi described the same scene the four times he went last week. Twice, he returned empty-handed; once, he managed to grab a pack of lentils. On the fourth day, he was determined to secure flour for his three children and pregnant wife. He said he and others inched their way forward under tank fire. He saw several people shot in the legs. One man fell bleeding to the ground, apparently dead, he said. Horrified, al-Hobi froze, unable to move, 'but I remembered I have to feed my children.' He took cover in a greenhouse, then heard the announcement that the center was open and began to run. Avoiding thieves At the center, food boxes are stacked on the ground in an area surrounded by fences and earthen berms. Thousands rush in to grab what they can in a frantic melee. You have to move fast, Saqer said. Once supplies run out, some of those who came too late rob those leaving. He swiftly tore open a box and loaded the contents into a sack — juice, chickpeas, lentils, cheese, beans, flour and cooking oil. Then he took off running. There's only one route in and out of the center. But, knowing thieves waited outside, Saqer clambered over a berm, running the risk of being fired on by Israeli troops. 'It all depends on the soldiers' mood. If they are in a bad mood … they will shoot at me. If not, they will let me be,' he said. Heba Jouda said she saw a group of men beat up a boy of 12 or 13 years old and take his food as she left one of the Rafah centers. Another time, she said, thieves attacked an older man, who hugged his sack, weeping that his children had no food. They sliced his arm with a knife and ran off with the sack. The finish line Al-Hobi said he was trampled in the scramble for boxes. He managed to grab a bag of rice, a packet of macaroni. He snagged flour — but much of it was ruined in the chaos. At his family tent outside Khan Younis, his wife, Anwaar Saleh, said she will ration it all to make it last a week or so. 'We hope he doesn't have to go back. His life is the most important thing,' she said. Al-Hobi remains shaken — both by his brushes with death and the callousness that the race for food has instilled in everyone. 'No one will show you mercy these days. Everybody fends for themselves.' ___ El Deeb reported from Beirut, Keath from Cairo. AP correspondent Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
CBC
19-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
As death toll mounts, Gazans make life-risking journeys to seek food, aid
Social Sharing Like thousands of other Palestinians in Gaza, Hind Al-Nawajha takes a dangerous, kilometres-long journey every day to try to get some food for her family, hoping she makes it back alive. Accompanied by her sister, Mazouza, the mother-of-four had to duck down and hide behind a pile of rubble on the side of the road as gunshots echoed nearby. "You either come back carrying [food] for your children and they will be happy, or you come back in a shroud. Or you go back upset [without food] and your children will cry," said Nawajha, 38, a resident of Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza. "This is life; we are being slaughtered, we can't do it anymore." In the past two days, dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire as they tried to get food from aid trucks brought into the enclave by the United Nations and international relief agencies, Gaza medics said. On Thursday, medics said at least 51 people were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes, including 12 people who tried to approach a site operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the central Gaza Strip, the latest in near-daily reports of killings of people seeking food. The Israeli military said there were several attempts by "suspects" to approach forces in the area of Netzarim in a manner that endangered them. It said forces fired warning shots to prevent suspects from approaching them, and it was currently unaware of injuries in the incident. In an email, GHF criticized Gazan health officials, accusing them of regularly releasing inaccurate information. GHF said that Palestinians do not access the nearby GHF site via the Netzarim corridor. It did not address questions about whether GHF was aware that such an incident had occurred. Women, children killed in separate Israeli strikes Thirty-nine people were killed, meanwhile, in separate Israeli airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip, medics said. One of those strikes killed at least 19 people in a tent in the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, they added. Heba Ziada, 32, said her sister was killed in the strike on Al-Shati, which struck the entrance of a market in the refugee camp. "My sister was 14 years old. What did she do wrong?" Ziada told CBC News freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife on Thursday. Another strike killed at least 14 people and damaged several houses in Jabaliya, in the north of the enclave, medics said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on those attacks. In recent days, the Israeli military said its forces had opened fire and fired warning shots to disperse people who approached areas where troops were operating, posing a threat. It said it was reviewing reports of casualties among civilians. Returning empty-handed after trying to find food Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through the new U.S.- and Israeli-backed GHF, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces. Gaza's Health Ministry said hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to reach GHF sites since late May. The United Nations rejects the GHF delivery system as inadequate, dangerous and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. Israel says it is needed to prevent Hamas fighters from diverting aid, which Hamas denies. On Wednesday, the GHF said in a statement it had distributed three million meals across three of its aid sites without an incident. WATCH | A number of Palestinians trying to reach Rafah aid site killed on Monday: 'We saw death': Palestinians describe violence near GHF aid sites on Monday 3 days ago Duration 1:10 At least 20 people were killed and 200 others wounded in Israeli fire near an aid distribution site in Rafah on Monday, according to medics. The deaths are the latest in mass shootings that have killed at least 300 Palestinians in the past several weeks, Gaza's Health Ministry says, as they try to access food through the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution system. The Gaza war was triggered when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct.7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, while displacing almost the entire population of more than two million and causing a hunger crisis. The Norwegian Refugee Council warned Thursday that more than one million people were without adequate shelter in Gaza, saying equipment such as tents and tarpaulins had been blocked by Israel from entering since March 1. Nawajha returned empty-handed on Wednesday from her journey to find food, flopping down exhausted on the dusty ground outside the tent in Gaza City, where she has been displaced and sheltering with her family. She and her sister have been camping by the road for the past 20 days. They say they try to force their way into the distribution site where trucks carrying aid arrive, but are often outmuscled by men, who sometimes fight over sacks of flour coming off UN trucks. "[When] there is no food, as you can see, children start crying and getting angry," said Nawajha. "When we are for three, four kilometres or more on our legs... Oh my … our feet are bruised and our shoes are torn off."
Sky News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Controversial aid distributor claims Hamas has carried out deadly attack on bus carrying Palestinians
The controversial US and Israeli-backed aid distributor in Gaza has accused Hamas of a deadly attack on a bus carrying Palestinians working with the organisation. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said at least five aid workers were killed and it fears some team members "may have been taken hostage". The aid organisation also said multiple people were injured in the alleged attack. In a statement, the GHF has said the bus was carrying more than two dozen people working with the organisation when it was targeted at 10pm Gaza time (8pm UK time) on Wednesday. The GHF said those in the bus were "local Palestinians" working with the organisation to "deliver critical aid". "At the time of the attack, our team was en route to one of our distribution centres in the area west of Khan Younis", the GHF added. It continued in its statement: "We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage. "We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms. These were aid workers." The GHF also said in its statement that Hamas has in recent days been threatening members of the organisation, including aid workers, and civilians who have been receiving the aid. The organisation said it holds Hamas fully responsible for "taking the lives of our dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation's sites in central and southern Gaza". "Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people," the GHF said. "We will release additional information once it becomes available. Despite this heinous attack, we will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza." 3:59 The alleged attack came hours after health officials in Gaza said at least 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire at a GHF site close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City. Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site. Gaza's health ministry said earlier this week that around 160 people have been killed in shootings near aid sites run by the GHF since they began distributing aid on 26 May. However, the GHF has said there has been no violence in or around the distribution centres themselves. 1:45 Why is the aid system controversial? Israel and the US have said the GHF system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred. The foundation's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory. Jake Wood, a former US marine, resigned as head of the GHF in May before it began distributing aid in Gaza over concerns about is independence. Mr Wood said the foundation cannot adhere to the "humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon".
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Honours for Linda Norgrove's parents after years fighting for rights of women in daughter's name
Their lives were shattered 15 years ago when their kidnapped daughter was killed in Afghanistan during a rescue attempt by US forces. Heartbreakingly, John and Lorna Norgrove later learned it was an American grenade that killed their aid worker daughter Linda. Now the couple, who channelled their grief into a charity in her memory, have both been made OBEs in the King's Birthday Honours. Based on the Isle of Lewis, the Norgroves said their daughter would have been 'delighted' they were carrying on her work – and dedicated their new honour to women in Afghanistan. Linda, who grew up on Lewis, was kidnapped by the Taliban while doing aid work in September 2010. The following month a US special ops rescue mission was launched but the 34-year-old was fatally wounded by one of their grenades, dying shortly after her extraction. In her memory, her parents set up the Linda Norgrove Foundation which gives grants to fund education, health and childcare for women and children in Afghanistan. The couple said: 'We are a tiny charity, mostly volunteers, who all share the same goal – to make life better for women and children in Afghanistan. 'Having put a lot of effort into sponsoring women to study medicine in Afghanistan, we were heartbroken when the Taliban stopped them from attending university. We were privileged to have the chance to bring some of them here to Scotland last year to continue their studies. 'We dedicate this honour to all those brave women who remain in Afghanistan, or who have made the decision to move abroad and continue their studies. Their struggle continues and they are the real heroes of this story.' The Norgroves were among a slew of Scots recognised in the honours list for making a difference in their field of endeavour. Labour politician Pamela Duncan Glancy, the first wheelchair user elected to the Scottish parliament, becomes an MBE, while social media influencer Zahrah Mahmood, 34 – known as the Hillwalking Hijabi – was recognised with the same honour. Glaswegian mother-of-two Ms Mahmood, president of Ramblers Scotland, said: 'I'm still taking it in. I'm grateful, and I hope I can continue using whatever platform this brings to keep doing the work which matters to me and so many others.' Historian Alistair Moffat, who founded the Borders Book Festival, also becomes an MBE, for services to literature and culture. He has written more than 40 books on Scottish history. This year's Borders Book Festival starts on Thursday. Charles Pelling, manager of Edinburgh's Lady Haig Poppy Factory, was honoured with an OBE in recognition of services to veterans. Meanwhile, Debbie Crosbie – boss of building society Nationwide – paid tribute to her Glaswegian upbringing after receiving a damehood. She said: 'Most of my peer group have come from a much higher social demographic and they tended to be educated in either Oxford or Cambridge. 'I am actually hugely proud. I grew up in Glasgow, I wasn't different to any of my peer group, so to be given the opportunity to lead... I've had a massively rewarding career.' Ms Crosbie's fellow Glaswegian, Greggs chief executive Roisin Currie, is also among the business leaders honoured this year with a CBE.
