Latest news with #international pressure
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Israel Eases Gaza Aid Curbs Amid International Outcry
Live on Bloomberg TV CC-Transcript 00:00A lot of international pressure had been building on Israel to do something about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Resume the passage of humanitarian aid. What do we know? What are the latest developments from the weekend in terms of what is being allowed in now? So, I mean, there does seem to be a change of policy there and we'll see how long it lasts, because as you know, we've been here several times before. So what we can see on the ground is air drops going in. And we know that Israel did some and then we had some coming in, I think from from Jordan as well, anyway. Yeah. And you have aid trucks coming in from both Egypt and Jordan. But I think all the aid groups unanimously are saying it's nowhere near enough. So definitely better than last week. But we're talking about a drop in the ocean relative to what's required. And remember, they're playing a lot of catch up here because you have this total blockade for a least two or three months. And it's been a trickle since then. But as you say, the international pressure, I think, has got to the point where it sort of becomes indefensible not to try and do something. Yeah. Is this going to have any bearings on the cease fire discussions which also collapsed towards the end of last week? I mean, to some extent, but I mean, in terms of the actual impacts on the cease fire and the terms and conditions that both sides want. I can't see a change of change there. And we keep coming up against again and again, you know, there's this sort of insurmountable clash, I would say, between what Hamas is asking for and what Israel is asking for. I don't see any change in that, at least at the moment. Yeah. Later today, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is going to be meeting with President Trump to discuss trade deal, obviously, and amongst other things they're going to be talking about Gaza. The UK prime minister is also under a lot of pressure now because of President Macron's decision last week to recognise Palestinian statehood. Right. The UK have not said anything to that effect, but he has said that he wants to work with President Trump on pushing for a lasting ceasefire. How much leverage really does the UK Prime Minister have and also how much leverage in this instance does the U.S. have in terms of trying to procure that lasting ceasefire? Yeah, I mean, so starting with the UK on the U.S., I would say next to none, or at least I see no evidence whatsoever that there is any influence there. And that in terms of the sort of the second leg of that, which is the U.S. influence on Bibi, I mean, that waxes and wanes and it kind of depends on what's happening on the ground within Israel. And as you know, Netanyahu is in a more precarious position politically than he was, say, a couple of weeks ago. You know, he's lost his majority, obviously, in the Knesset. And to some extent, he will have to respond, I would suspect, with more thought to what's going on domestically than to the U.S. pressure. That's not to say he ignores what the U.S. is saying, but he's very sort of 5050 about whether he's going to respond in a positive way to what he's being asked to do. Yeah, And also, the U.S. seemed to be a little bit frustrated. And if you listen to the language that came out of Steve Wake of when those ceasefire discussions broke down, he said he doesn't think that Hamas are acting in good faith or in a cooperative manner. So even the U.S. are frustrated with how all this is going.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Israel Says It Has Paused Some Military Activity in Gaza as Anger Grows Over Hunger
The Israeli military said it had paused military activity in parts of Gaza on Sunday to allow in international aid amid global outrage over the severe hunger faced by Palestinians in the besieged enclave. The decision was a sharp reversal by Israel and followed growing international pressure over the dire conditions in Gaza, where nearly one in three people has not been eating for days on end, according to the United Nations World Food Program. Aid agencies and many countries, including some of Israel's traditional allies, say Israel is responsible for the desperate situation after first blocking and then restricting aid deliveries to Gaza for months. Six Palestinians died of malnutrition-related causes over the past day, including two children, adding to a toll of more than 50 deaths in the past month, according to the Gaza health ministry. Doctors, nurses and medics tasked with caring for Gazans are themselves increasingly struggling to eat, and baby formula is in short supply. Israel has blamed the United Nations and its partners, accusing them of failing to bring hundreds of truckloads of aid through Gaza's border crossings. The United Nations says that while some aid is allowed in, Israel has throw up a maze of bureaucratic obstacles and frequently rejects requests to coordinate deliveries, in addition to other challenges. Israeli officials had also argued for months that Hamas was diverting humanitarian aid. But Israeli military officials later said that they had no proof that Hamas was systematically stealing U.N. relief supplies. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia calls for restraint, de-escalation and diplomacy amid Thailand-Cambodia clashes
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it was following the border escalation between Thailand and Cambodia, while calling on both parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate, and resolve differences through diplomatic means, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The two countries traded accusations of fresh attacks Saturday as deadly border clashes entered a third day and international pressure mounted for a ceasefire. The fighting has killed at least 33 people and displaced more than 168,000, according to the latest figures.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Thailand and Cambodia trade accusations as deadly border clashes enter third day
Thailand and Cambodia traded accusations Saturday of fresh attacks as deadly border clashes entered a third day, leaving at least 33 people dead and more than 168,000 displaced, as international pressure mounted on both sides to reach a ceasefire. Artillery fire and gunshots were reported near several border villages, expanding the area of the fighting that flared again Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Cambodian and Thai officials claimed to have acted in retaliation. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its northeastern border crossings with Cambodia. Cambodian authorities reported on Saturday 12 new deaths, bringing its toll to 13, while Thai officials said a soldier was killed, raising the deaths to 20, mostly civilians. The regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, is under growing pressure to defuse the situation between its two members. During an emergency meeting on Friday, members of the U.N. Security Council called for de-escalation and urged ASEAN to mediate a peaceful solution. The 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Fresh attacks and rising tension Cambodia's Defense Ministry condemned what it said was an expanded Thai offensive early Saturday after five heavy artillery shells were fired into multiple locations in the province of Pursat, calling the attack an "unprovoked and premeditated act of aggression.' Ministry spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, said tensions flared in the province of Koh Kong, where four Thai naval vessels were reportedly stationed offshore and four others en route. She said the naval deployment was an 'act of aggression' that risked further escalation. Maly Socheata said seven civilians and five soldiers were killed in two days of fighting. Earlier, one man was reported dead after a pagoda he was hiding under was hit by Thai rockets. The Thai army had denied targeting Cambodian civilian sites and accused Phnom Penh of using 'human shields' by positioning their weapons near residential areas. Meanwhile, Thailand's navy, in a statement Saturday, accused Cambodian forces of initiating a new attack in the province of Trat, saying Thai forces responded swiftly and 'successfully pushed back the Cambodian incursion at three key points', warning that 'aggression will not be tolerated.' Thai authorities also alleged several Cambodian artillery shells had landed across the border in Laos, damaging homes and property. Lao officials have not publicly responded to the claim. The conflict has so far left thousands displaced. Cambodia's Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said Saturday the clashes had forced 10,865 Cambodian families, or 37,635 people, in three border provinces to evacuate to safe locations, while Thai officials said more than 131,000 people had fled their border villages. Call to protect civilians amid claim of cluster bomb use Human Rights Watch urged the U.N. Security Council and concerned governments to press the Thai and Cambodian governments to abide by international humanitarian law and take all steps to protect civilians. Children have been harmed and Thai authorities have closed at least 852 schools and seven hospitals for safety reasons, the rights group said in a statement Saturday. Both sides have employed rocket and artillery attacks, and after initially denying Cambodian claims that internationally prohibited cluster munitions were being used, a Thai military spokesperson in a statement Friday said that such weapons could be utilized 'when necessary' to target military objectives. HRW condemned the use of cluster munitions in populated areas. Neither Thailand nor Cambodia is party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of the weapon and Thai authorities had previously used them during a border dispute with Cambodia in February 2011 that left 20 people dead. 'Neither Thailand nor Cambodia appears to be paying attention to international humanitarian law at great expense to civilians,' John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. 'Diplomatic efforts underway need to prioritize protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure.' Thai officials also acknowledged the use of F-16 jets and drones to launch airstrikes. UN urges ASEAN bloc to mediate The U.N. Security Council didn't issue a resolution on the crisis during its Friday emergency session, but Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday all 15 member countries called on both sides to exercise restraint, halt attacks, and resolve the dispute peacefully. They also supported ASEAN's role in mediating between its two member states, he said. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country is the current ASEAN chair, had earlier said Thailand and Cambodia were open in principle to his ceasefire proposal. Malaysian media said Anwar has tasked the country's foreign minister to mediate peace talks to halt the fighting. Maris said Saturday his country agreed in principle to the proposal, but insisted that Cambodia must first show sincerity and cease hostilities, adding that Thailand would continue to engage constructively with Malaysia. 'Thailand reaffirms its commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully and in accordance with international law,' he said, urging Cambodia to 'return to the negotiating table with sincerity and in good faith.' ___ Associated Press writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. Sopheng Cheang reported from Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia.
