Latest news with #food shortage
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
UN says 'vast amounts' more aid needed to stop Gaza starvation
The UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has welcomed Israel's measures to allow more aid into Gaza, but said "vast amounts" of food are needed to stave off said 120 lorry loads were collected from crossings on Sunday during the first daily 10-hour "tactical pause" in military operations, and that Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped 28 packages of Fletcher told the BBC that it was just "a drop in the ocean" of what was required and that the coming days would be "make or break".Hours after he spoke, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said another 14 people had died as a result of malnutrition over the past 24 hours. That brought the total number of malnutrition-related deaths since the war begin in October 2023 to 147, including 88 children, according to the which controls the entry of all supplies to Gaza, has denied there is starvation in Gaza and rejected accusations of being responsible for food updates from GazaMalnutrition in Gaza at alarming levels, WHO warns as aid airdrops resumeBowen: Israel's aid measures a gesture to allies horrified by Gaza starvation'We need a real solution': Gazans welcome aid plan but fear it will not end crisis On Sunday, the Israeli military began actions that it said were aimed at "improving the humanitarian response" in Gaza and "refut[ing] the false claim of deliberate starvation".It announced that there would be a "local tactical pause" in military activity for humanitarian purposes in the al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City areas from 10:00 to 20:00 local time (07:00-17:00 GMT) every day until further notice, as well as "designated secure routes" to enable the safe passage of aid convoys from 06:00 to 23: military also allowed aid airdrops over Gaza to resume, despite aid agencies warning that the method was ineffective and military body Cogat, which co-ordinates the entry of aid into Gaza, said more than 120 lorry loads of aid were collected from crossings by the UN and other international organisations on Sunday, and that hundreds more lorry loads were awaiting an interview with the BBC's Today programme on Monday morning, Tom Fletcher said the UN had collected fewer than 100 lorry loads, which he described as "a start" for the 2.1 million Palestinians living in the noted that 600 to 700 lorry loads had entered Gaza daily on average during the two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the start of this year."So, it's the beginning, but the next few days are really make or break. We need to deliver at a much, much greater scale. We need vast amounts of aid going in, much faster."Asked to respond to Israel's criticism of UN agencies for not collecting aid from crossings, he said: "We're not going to leave on pallets if we can. But to get to it our drivers face bureaucratic constraints, they face massive security constraints."He also said that most of the UN's food lorries were looted after entering Gaza on Sunday."Most of those lorries... were hit by desperate individual civilians, starving. The flour was taken off those lorries and its very, very dangerous for our drivers."Fletcher also warned that UN teams on the ground believed the Israeli military's pauses would only last a week or so, which he said would be "clearly insufficient when before our eyes we're seeing this 21st Century atrocity on the ground"."We need a sustained period of delivery - weeks, months - to build up, to stop that starvation and build up the supplies again. Ultimately, we need a ceasefire. Pauses are a good step in the right direction, but stopping the conflict is the key." On Sunday, the World Health Organization warned that malnutrition was "on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July".Of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza in 2025, 63 had occurred this month, including 24 children under five and one child over five, the UN agency said."Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting," it WHO said the crisis was "entirely preventable" and condemned what it called the "deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid".In a speech in Jerusalem on Sunday, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hit back at claims that it was deliberately starving civilians in Gaza, which would amount to a war crime."What a bold-faced lie. There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza." he said."We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza. Otherwise, there would be no Gazans. And what has interdicted the supply of humanitarian aid is one force, Hamas. Again, the reversal of truth," he has denied stealing aid, and on Sunday the New York Times cited senior Israeli military officials as saying that the military had never found proof that the armed group had systematically stolen aid from the UN. Reuters news agency also reported last week that US government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of US-funded said the Israeli military's humanitarian pauses and corridors meant the UN had "no excuses left" not to collect and distribute all the aid from the crossings."Stop lying. Stop finding excuses. Do what you have to do."On Monday, local hospital sources said Israeli attacks across Gaza had killed more than 30 people, including aid Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 59,821 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Trickle of aid reaches starving Palestinians as Israel pauses fighting in parts of Gaza
Update: Date: 1 min ago Title: Palestinians desperately wait for food in Gaza Content: CNN's Nic Robertson reports on the scarce food conditions in Gaza, with children and mothers fighting off starvation as soup kitchens face shortages. Update: Date: 5 min ago Title: Aid trickled into Gaza by this weekend as Israel paused fighting in some areas. Here's the latest Content: Our coverage of developments in Gaza has resumed as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is expected to restart a tactical pause in fighting parts of the enclave. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again denied Palestinians in Gaza face starvation. 'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,' Netanyahu claimed. There were at least 63 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this month, precipitated by Israel's blockade of supplies, according to the World Health Organization. Despite Netanyahu's denial of the starvation, Israel began daily 'tactical pauses' in operations for parts of Gaza and designated aid corridors to allow more aid in, and over 100 trucks delivered aid to the enclave on Sunday. Here's the latest:
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Aid trucks move from Egypt to Gaza after Israel said it began airdrops
Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid wait on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing. (AFP pic) CAIRO : Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday, after months of international pressure and warnings from relief agencies of starvation spreading in the Palestinian enclave. Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Israeli military said 'humanitarian corridors' would be established for the safe movement of UN convoys delivering aid to Gazans and that 'humanitarian pauses' would be implemented in densely populated areas. Dozens of trucks carrying tonnes of humanitarian aid moved towards the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza, the Al Qahera correspondent said from the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. International aid organisations say there is mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with food running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, before resuming it in May with new restrictions. Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the UN of failing to distribute it. The UN says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. Israel's announcement on airdrops came after indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas were broken off with no deal in sight. The Israeli military said in a statement that the airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organisations and would include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar and canned food. Palestinian sources confirmed that aid had begun dropping in northern Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry said the military would 'apply a 'humanitarian pause' in civilian centres and in humanitarian corridors' on Sunday morning. It provided no further details. 'The IDF emphasises that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas,' the Israeli military said in its Saturday statement. 'Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organisations. Therefore, the UN and international organisations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas.' Aid ship intercepted The Israeli military stressed that despite the humanitarian steps, 'combat operations have not ceased' in the Gaza Strip. Separately, international activists on an aid ship that set sail from Italy en route to Gaza said in a post on X that the vessel had been intercepted. The Israeli foreign ministry said on X that naval forces 'stopped the vessel from illegally entering the maritime zone off the coast of Gaza' and that it was being taken to Israeli shores and all passengers were safe. The UN said on Thursday that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would allow 'the scaling up of humanitarian assistance' and said Israel had not provided enough route alternatives for its convoys, hindering aid access. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in the past few weeks, according to the Gaza health ministry, while 127 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, since the start of the war, which began nearly two years ago. On Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave. The military also said on Saturday that it had connected a power line to a desalination plant, expected to supply daily water needs for about 900,000 Gazans. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on Oct 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins.
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Aid Trucks Move from Egypt to Gaza after Israel Said it Began Airdrops
Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday, after months of international pressure and warnings from relief agencies of starvation spreading in the Palestinian enclave. Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reported Reuters. The Israeli military said "humanitarian corridors" would be established for safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to Gazans and that "humanitarian pauses" would be implemented in densely populated areas. Dozens of trucks carrying tons of humanitarian aid moved towards the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza, the Al Qahera correspondent said from the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. International aid organizations say there is mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with food running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, before resuming it in May with new restrictions. Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it. The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. Israel's announcement on airdrops came after indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas were broken off with no deal in sight. The Israeli military said in a statement that the airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations and would include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food. Palestinian sources confirmed that aid had begun dropping in northern Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry said the military would "apply a 'humanitarian pause' in civilian centers and in humanitarian corridors" on Sunday morning. It provided no further details. The Israeli military said in its Saturday statement that the Israeli army 'emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas'. "Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations. Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas." AID SHIP INTERCEPTED The Israeli military stressed that despite the humanitarian steps, "combat operations have not ceased" in the Gaza Strip. Separately, international activists on an aid ship that set sail from Italy en route to Gaza said in a post on X that the vessel had been intercepted. The Israeli foreign ministry said on X that naval forces "stopped the vessel from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza," that it was being taken to Israeli shores and all passengers were safe. The UN said on Thursday that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance" and said Israel had not provided enough route alternatives for its convoys hindering aid access. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in the past few weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry while 127 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, since the start of the war, which began nearly two years ago. On Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave. The military also said on Saturday that it had connected a power line to a desalination plant, expected to supply daily water needs for about 900,000 Gazans. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Aid trucks move from Egypt to Gaza after Israel said it began airdrops
Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday, after months of international pressure and warnings from relief agencies of starvation spreading in the Palestinian enclave. Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Israeli military said 'humanitarian corridors' would be established for safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to Gazans and that 'humanitarian pauses' would be implemented in densely populated areas. Dozens of trucks carrying tonnes of humanitarian aid moved towards the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza, the Al Qahera correspondent said from the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. International aid organizations say there is mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with food running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, before resuming it in May with new restrictions. Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it. The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. Israel's announcement on airdrops came after indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas were broken off with no deal in sight. The Israeli military said in a statement that the airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations and would include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food. Palestinian sources confirmed that aid had begun dropping in northern Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry said the military would 'apply a 'humanitarian pause' in civilian centers and in humanitarian corridors' on Sunday morning. It provided no further details. 'The IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas,' the Israeli military said in its Saturday statement. 'Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations. Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas.' Aid ship intercepted The Israeli military stressed that despite the humanitarian steps, 'combat operations have not ceased' in the Gaza Strip. Separately, international activists on an aid ship that set sail from Italy en route to Gaza said in a post on X that the vessel had been intercepted. The Israeli foreign ministry said on X that naval forces 'stopped the vessel from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza,' that it was being taken to Israeli shores and all passengers were safe. The UN said on Thursday that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would allow 'the scale up of humanitarian assistance' and said Israel had not provided enough route alternatives for its convoys hindering aid access. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in the past few weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry while 127 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, since the start of the war, which began nearly two years ago. On Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave. The military also said on Saturday that it had connected a power line to a desalination plant, expected to supply daily water needs for about 900,000 Gazans. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins.
