Latest news with #civilianDeaths
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Democrats demand Trump cut funding for controversial Gaza aid organization
Twenty-one Senate Democrats are demanding Donald Trump immediately cut funding to a controversial Gaza aid organization they say has resulted in the killings of more than 700 civilians seeking food and violated decades of humanitarian law. The letter, led by senators Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont, comes as international criticism mounts over the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operations, arguing that its model 'shatters well-established norms that have governed distribution of humanitarian aid since the ratification of the Geneva Conventions in 1949' by blurring the lines between aid delivery and military security operations. 'According to reports and eyewitness accounts, civilians have been fired at by tanks, drones, and helicopters, as well as soldiers on the ground, as they attempt to get food and humanitarian supplies,' the senators wrote. The Trump administration authorized a $30m grant to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in late June, with $7m already disbursed according to documents seen by the Guardian. The organization, which is backed by both Israeli and US interests, has been given preferential access to operate in Gaza through coordination with the Israeli military and private US security contractors. However, the rollout of the new scheme has been marked by death and destruction from the outset. Jake Wood, the founding executive director and former US marine, resigned on 25 May, saying: 'It is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.' Boston Consulting Group, the US firm handling some of the foundation's logistics, also withdrew shortly after. Since launching in May, the foundation's four distribution sites have become killing fields. UN human rights officials report 766 people were killed trying to reach GHF sites specifically, with nearly 5,000 more injured in the chaos. More than 1,000 have been killed trying to go to food aid sites in general, according to UN figures, and 100 are believed to have died of starvation. The senators also highlighted concerns about the US security contractors involved in the operation. Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions have reportedly been contracted to provide security at distribution sites, with Associated Press reporting: 'American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food.' According to the AP report they cite, 'bullets, stun grenades and pepper spray were used at nearly every distribution, even if there was no threat,' despite many contractors lacking combat experience or proper weapons training. UG Solutions, one of the North Carolina-based contractors, is reported to have recently hired the crisis communications firm Seven Letter, whose leadership includes former Biden and Obama administration spokespersons, bringing in former Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh in June, according to a press release on a now taken-down website. Anthony Aguilar, a US Army veteran and former contractor for the foundation, told BBC News over the weekend that he witnessed Israeli forces 'shooting at the crowds of Palestinians' and firing 'a main gun tank round from the Merkava tank into a crowd of people'. He described the operation as 'amateur' and said he had 'never witnessed the level of brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population'. The senators criticized the Trump administration for exempting the foundation from standard oversight procedures, including comprehensive audits usually required for first-time USAID grant recipients. They noted that USAID officials had raised 'critical concerns' about the proposal, citing 'operational and reputational risks and lack of oversight'. The foundation has maintained that it has distributed more than 95m meals to civilians across Gaza and denies that violence has occurred at its sites, attributing reports to Hamas misinformation. While on a presidential visit to Scotland, Trump on Sunday claimed that Hamas was stealing food aid sent to Gaza, parroting a similar allegation by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu which is being used to justify restrictions on humanitarian deliveries, despite Israel's own military officials admitted to not having any evidence to substantiate it.. In recent weeks, the organization has become increasingly aggressive in its social media responses, with posts claiming the UN 'can't successfully move their aid to Palestinians' and that 'they've simply stopped trying.' The foundation's executive chairperson, the Rev Johnnie Moore, also dug in, publishing an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal proposing to take over delivery of all UN aid sitting idle in Gaza. Moore wrote that there were hundreds of UN trucks loaded with food in Gaza, and offered to 'deliver all of this aid, for free, on behalf of the U.N'. However, the senators argue that the foundation's model, with only four militarized distribution sites, cannot replace the UN-led network that previously operated more than 400 aid distribution points during temporary ceasefires. The letter also lands as two prominent Israeli human rights groups, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, declared on Monday that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Their assessment, citing 'coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society', marks the first time major Israeli rights organizations have publicly reached this conclusion. The senators gave Secretary Rubio two weeks to respond to a series of detailed questions about civilian casualties, funding mechanisms, contractor operations, and compliance with humanitarian principles. 'There should be no American taxpayer dollars contributing to this scheme,' the senators wrote.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Democrats demand Trump cut funding for controversial Gaza aid organization
Twenty-one Senate Democrats are demanding Donald Trump immediately cut funding to a controversial Gaza aid organization they say has resulted in the killings of more than 700 civilians seeking food and violated decades of humanitarian law. The letter, led by senators Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont, comes as international criticism mounts over the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operations, arguing that its model 'shatters well-established norms that have governed distribution of humanitarian aid since the ratification of the Geneva Conventions in 1949' by blurring the lines between aid delivery and military security operations. 'According to reports and eyewitness accounts, civilians have been fired at by tanks, drones, and helicopters, as well as soldiers on the ground, as they attempt to get food and humanitarian supplies,' the senators wrote. The Trump administration authorized a $30m grant to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in late June, with $7m already disbursed according to documents seen by the Guardian. The organization, which is backed by both Israeli and US interests, has been given preferential access to operate in Gaza through coordination with the Israeli military and private US security contractors. However, the rollout of the new scheme has been marked by death and destruction from the outset. Jake Wood, the founding executive director and former US marine, resigned on 25 May, saying: 'It is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.' Boston Consulting Group, the US firm handling some of the foundation's logistics, also withdrew shortly after. Since launching in May, the foundation's four distribution sites have become killing fields. UN human rights officials report 766 people were killed trying to reach GHF sites specifically, with nearly 5,000 more injured in the chaos. More than 1,000 have been killed trying to go to food aid sites in general, according to UN figures, and 100 are believed to have died of starvation. The senators also highlighted concerns about the US security contractors involved in the operation. Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions have reportedly been contracted to provide security at distribution sites, with Associated Press reporting: 'American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food.' According to the AP report they cite, 'bullets, stun grenades and pepper spray were used at nearly every distribution, even if there was no threat,' despite many contractors lacking combat experience or proper weapons training. UG Solutions, one of the North Carolina-based contractors, is reported to have recently hired the crisis communications firm Seven Letter, whose leadership includes former Biden and Obama administration spokespersons, bringing in former Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh in June, according to a press release on a now taken-down website. Anthony Aguilar, a US Army veteran and former contractor for the foundation, told BBC News over the weekend that he witnessed Israeli forces 'shooting at the crowds of Palestinians' and firing 'a main gun tank round from the Merkava tank into a crowd of people'. He described the operation as 'amateur' and said he had 'never witnessed the level of brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population'. The senators criticized the Trump administration for exempting the foundation from standard oversight procedures, including comprehensive audits usually required for first-time USAID grant recipients. They noted that USAID officials had raised 'critical concerns' about the proposal, citing 'operational and reputational risks and lack of oversight'. The foundation has maintained that it has distributed more than 95m meals to civilians across Gaza and denies that violence has occurred at its sites, attributing reports to Hamas misinformation. While on a presidential visit to Scotland, Trump on Sunday claimed that Hamas was stealing food aid sent to Gaza, parroting a similar allegation by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu which is being used to justify restrictions on humanitarian deliveries, despite Israel's own military officials admitted to not having any evidence to substantiate it.. In recent weeks, the organization has become increasingly aggressive in its social media responses, with posts claiming the UN 'can't successfully move their aid to Palestinians' and that 'they've simply stopped trying.' The foundation's executive chairperson, the Rev Johnnie Moore, also dug in, publishing an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal proposing to take over delivery of all UN aid sitting idle in Gaza. Moore wrote that there were hundreds of UN trucks loaded with food in Gaza, and offered to 'deliver all of this aid, for free, on behalf of the U.N'. However, the senators argue that the foundation's model, with only four militarized distribution sites, cannot replace the UN-led network that previously operated more than 400 aid distribution points during temporary ceasefires. The letter also lands as two prominent Israeli human rights groups, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, declared on Monday that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Their assessment, citing 'coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society', marks the first time major Israeli rights organizations have publicly reached this conclusion. The senators gave Secretary Rubio two weeks to respond to a series of detailed questions about civilian casualties, funding mechanisms, contractor operations, and compliance with humanitarian principles. 'There should be no American taxpayer dollars contributing to this scheme,' the senators wrote. Also on Monday, independent senator Angus King from Maine said he would oppose providing additional US support to Israel until the country addresses the humanitarian crisis, saying Israel's conduct has been 'an affront to human decency'. King, who caucuses with Democrats, said in a statement: 'I am through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government and will advocate – and vote – for an end to any United States support whatsoever until there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy. 'My litmus test will be simple: no aid of any kind as long as there are starving children in Gaza due to the action or inaction of the Israeli government.'
Arab News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli displacement orders will lead to more civilian deaths, says UN human rights chief
GENEVA: Israeli displacement orders, followed by intensive attacks, on Deir Al-Balah in Gaza will lead to further civilian deaths, the head of the UN human rights office said on Tuesday. 'It seemed the nightmare couldn't possibly get worse. And yet it does... Given the concentration of civilians in the area, and the means and methods of warfare employed by Israel until now, the risks of unlawful killings and other serious violations of international humanitarian law are extremely high,' Volker Turk, the head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights said on Tuesday in a statement.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australia condemns Israel for ‘indefensible' Gaza deaths as it joins coalition of countries denouncing Israel
The thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza from Israel's bombing campaign are 'indefensible', minister Tony Burke has said, after Australia joined 27 other countries condemning Israel for denying humanitarian aid to Palestinians. The international statement – signed by Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, New Zealand and Japan among others – warned 'the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths'. It expressed horror at the deaths of hundreds of people at aid distribution sites through Gaza, and demanded Israel comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law. 'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,' the statement said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. The Israeli Government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.' The statement pleads for the end of the war in Gaza and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli hostages 'cruelly held captive by Hamas since 7 October 2023 [who] continue to suffer terribly'. Burke, Australia's home affairs minister, said Australia wanted to see the war stop. 'We've seen too many images of children being killed, of horrific slaughter, of churches being bombed. The images that we've seen have been pretty clear that so much of this is indefensible and – as that statement referred to – aid being drip-fed in,' he told the ABC on Tuesday. On Monday, Israel launched substantial air raids and a ground operation in Gaza, targeting Deir al-Balah, the main hub for humanitarian efforts in the devastated Palestinian territory, amid warnings of widening starvation. The latest assault began a day after the highest death toll in 21 months inflicted by the Israeli military on desperate Palestinians seeking food aid, with at least 85 killed in what has become a grim and almost daily slaughter. The UN food agency, the World Food Programme, said the majority of those killed on Sunday had gathered near the border fence with Israel in the hope of getting flour from a UN aid convoy when they were fired on by Israeli tanks and snipers. Burke said the federal government hopes 'something will break' the conflict in Gaza, voicing alarm over 'the increasing sight of people being killed on their way simply to get food and water'. 'None of this changes the fact that the hostages need to be released, of course that needs to happen,' he said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'What we are watching on the other side of the world is indefensible. The hostages still need to be released, but the war needs to end.' On Monday afternoon, the Israeli foreign ministry rejected the joint statement, saying it was 'disconnected from reality'. 'The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas's role and responsibility for the situation,' the ministry said. 'Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides. At these sensitive moments in the ongoing negotiations, it is better to avoid statements of this kind.' Federal parliament returns on Tuesday, with rallies and events to be held in Canberra calling on the government to do more to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. A coalition of aid groups including Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières will hold a 24-hour vigil where speakers will read the names of more than 17,000 Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. The Greens senator David Shoebridge is also expected to table an open letter to Anthony Albanese from more than 2,500 healthcare workers from across Australia urging stronger action to address the humanitarian crisis. Responding to the international joint statement, Shoebridge wrote on X that it was ' a welcome, if extremely late, step'. Independent senator David Pocock wrote: 'While welcome, we need more than words from the international community to stop the killing of civilians in Gaza, especially those seeking aid.'
BreakingNews.ie
12-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
59 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes and shootings near aid site in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including four children, hospital officials said on Saturday, while 31 others were fatally shot on their way to aid distribution sites. The children and two women were among at least 13 people who were killed in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late on Friday, officials in Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital said. Advertisement Fifteen others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital. People inspect the wreckage of a petrol station destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Saturday (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) The military did not respond to The Associated Press's request for comment on the civilian deaths. Separately, at least 31 people were killed on their way to a food distribution site near Rafah, said hospital officials and witnesses, including those wounded. The Red Cross said its field hospital saw its largest influx of dead in more than a year of operation after the shootings, and that the overwhelming majority of the more than 100 people hurt had gunshot wounds. Advertisement The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots toward people it said were behaving suspiciously to prevent them from approaching. It added it was not aware of any casualties from the incident. Witnesses there said they were on their way to the site seeking food and were shot at. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in their October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, fewer than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Advertisement Israel's offensive has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas-run government, does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organisations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. US President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. Advertisement But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough.
