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UK and 27 other nations condemn Israel over 'inhumane killing' of Gaza civilians seeking aid
UK and 27 other nations condemn Israel over 'inhumane killing' of Gaza civilians seeking aid

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

UK and 27 other nations condemn Israel over 'inhumane killing' of Gaza civilians seeking aid

The UK and 27 other countries have called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, where they say the suffering of civilians has "reached new depths". A joint statement says Israel's aid delivery model is dangerous and condemns what it calls the "drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians" seeking food and water. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for food over the weekend and that 19 others died as a result of malnutrition. Israel's foreign ministry rejected the countries' statement, saying it was "disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas". The ministry accused the armed group of spreading lies and undermining aid distribution, rather than agreeing to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israeli tanks advance into Gaza's Deir al-Balah city for first time Israeli forces kill 67 Palestinians seeking aid in northern Gaza, Hamas-run ministry says Dozens killed by Israeli gunfire near aid sites in south Gaza, Hamas-run ministry says There have been many international statements condemning Israel's tactics in Gaza during the past 21 months of its war with Hamas. But this declaration is notable for its candour. The signatories are the foreign ministers of the UK and 27 other nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and Switzerland. The statement begins by declaring that "the war in Gaza must end now". It then warns: "The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. 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. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid." There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while waiting for food since May, when Israel partially eased an 11-week total blockade on aid deliveries to Gaza and, along with the US, helped to establish a new aid system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to bypass the existing one overseen by the UN. Israel has said the GHF's system, which uses US private security contractors to hand out food parcels from sites inside Israeli military zones, prevents supplies being stolen by Hamas. But the UN and its partners have refused to co-operate with the system, saying it is unsafe and violates the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence. Last Tuesday, the UN human rights office said it had recorded 674 killings in the vicinity of the GHF's aid sites since they began operating eight weeks ago. Another 201 killings had been recorded along routes of UN and other aid convoys, it added. On Saturday, another 39 people were killed near two GHF sites in Khan Younis and nearby Rafah, according to Gaza's health ministry. The Israeli military said its troops fired warning shots to prevent "suspects" approaching them before the sites opened. And on Sunday, the ministry said 67 people were killed as they surged toward a convoy of UN aid lorries near a crossing point in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots at a crowd "to remove an immediate threat" but disputed the numbers killed. Following the incident, the World Food Programme warned that Gaza's hunger crisis had "reached new levels of desperation". "People are dying from lack of humanitarian assistance. Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment," the UN agency said. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday that 19 people had died as a result of malnutrition since Saturday and warned of potential "mass deaths" in the coming days. "Hospitals can no longer provide food for patients or staff, many of whom are physically unable to continue working due to extreme hunger," Dr Khalil al-Daqran, a spokesperson for al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, told the BBC. "Hospitals cannot provide a single bottle of milk to children suffering from hunger, because all baby formula has run out from the market," he added. Residents also reported that markets were closed due to food shortages. "My children cry from hunger all night. They've had only a small plate of lentils over the past three days. There's no bread. A kilogramme of flour was $80 (£59) a week ago," Mohammad Emad al-Din, a barber and father of two, told the BBC. The statement by the 27 countries also says Israeli proposals to move Gaza's entire 2.1 million into a so-called "humanitarian city" in the southern Rafah area are unacceptable, noting that "permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law". They urge Israel, Hamas and the international community to "bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire". And they warn that they are "prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace". That is seen by many as code for recognising a state of Palestine, something many countries have done but not all, including the UK and France. Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein rejected the criticism. "All statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it," he said. "Instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, Hamas is busy running a campaign to spread lies about Israel. At the same time, Hamas is deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid," he added. The Israeli military said earlier this month that it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed while seeking aid and that it was working to minimise "possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible". The Israeli military body responsible for co-ordinating aid, Cogat, also said on Monday that Israel "acts in accordance with international law and is leading efforts to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza in co-ordination with the international organisations". A spokesperson for the GHF meanwhile appealed to UN agencies to join its operation while also blaming them for "stopping" work and for failing to deliver supplies across the territory. Chapin Fay told journalists that he had been to border crossings where he saw aid supplies "rotting" because UN agencies would not deliver them. The Israeli foreign ministry said on Sunday that 700 lorry loads of aid were waiting to be picked up by the UN from crossings. The UN has said it struggles to pick up and distribute supplies because of the ongoing hostilities, Israeli restrictions on humanitarian movements, and fuel shortages. The 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 hostage. At least 59,029 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

UK sanctions 135 oil tankers of Russia's shadow fleet
UK sanctions 135 oil tankers of Russia's shadow fleet

LBCI

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • LBCI

UK sanctions 135 oil tankers of Russia's shadow fleet

Britain on Monday slapped sanctions on 135 oil tankers in Russia's shadow fleet, in a bid to disrupt the flow of money helping Moscow fund the war in Ukraine. Two entities involved in shipping were also sanctioned as part of the crackdown on a fleet "responsible for illicitly carrying $24 billion worth of cargo since the start of 2024," the foreign ministry said in a statement. Security analysts say Russia is secretly operating hundreds of vessels, seeking to dodge the sanctions Western nations have imposed on its oil exports over the war in Ukraine. AFP

China says Wells Fargo banker under exit ban is involved in a criminal case
China says Wells Fargo banker under exit ban is involved in a criminal case

Al Arabiya

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • Al Arabiya

China says Wells Fargo banker under exit ban is involved in a criminal case

China's foreign ministry said on Monday that Chenyue Mao, the Wells Fargo banker who has been blocked from leaving the country, was involved in a criminal case and obliged to cooperate with the investigation. Chinese law enforcement authorities have restricted Mao's exit in accordance with the law, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the ministry, told a regular press briefing. The US bank had suspended all travel to China after Mao's exit ban, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last week. The case was being investigated and Mao was obliged to cooperate with the investigation, Guo said, without elaborating on the case or how the banker was involved. 'Everyone in China, whether they are Chinese or foreigners, must abide by Chinese laws,' Guo said, adding that China will protect their legitimate rights and interests in investigations. Mao, who was born in Shanghai and based in Atlanta, currently serves as a managing director at Wells Fargo, specializing in the international factoring business.

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