Latest news with #UNRWA
Days of Palestine
7 hours ago
- Health
- Days of Palestine
Infants Dying of Starvation in Gaza Amid Severe Famine, Inte'l Warnings
DaysofPal- In a heartbreaking tragedy reflecting the scale of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, infant Sana'a Al-Lahham has died from severe malnutrition caused by the ongoing Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of food and medical supplies, including baby formula and essential nutritional supplements. Medical sources confirmed that Sana'a's case is not isolated but part of a worsening wave of wasting and dehydration among infants and children in Gaza. Reports indicate that hundreds of critical cases are recorded daily in hospitals struggling to provide even minimal care amid catastrophic shortages of supplies. In a new warning, Gaza's Ministry of Health sounded the alarm, noting a troubling rise in the number of Palestinians arriving at hospitals suffering from severe hunger and extreme exhaustion. This warning came just days after the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) announced that one in every ten children examined in its clinics suffers from malnutrition. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that the continued Israeli blockade preventing aid from entering Gaza has caused a 'severe shortage of nutritional supplies,' describing the situation as a 'man-made disaster.' UNRWA's Communications Director, Juliet Tuma, added: 'Medications, nutritional supplies, hygiene materials, and fuel, all of it—are rapidly running out.' She also quoted a nurse who said, 'Previously, we only saw such malnutrition cases in textbooks and documentaries.' Breastfeeding mothers are also suffering from severe malnutrition, leading to a significant decline in natural milk production. At the same time, the occupation forces continue to block the entry of baby formula and nutritional supplements despite repeated international warnings. Dr. Youssef Mansour, a pediatrician at Al-Nasr Hospital, said: 'We are witnessing children dying, not from incurable diseases, but because they are deprived of food. This is slow, deliberate killing that violates all humanitarian laws.' Under these circumstances, hospitals are experiencing a near-total collapse in operational capacity, with exhausted medical teams struggling helplessly as cases surge and no signs of imminent humanitarian relief. Amid all this, the grave of infant Sana'a Al-Lahham has become a stark symbol of a grim chapter of suffering in Gaza, where a silent war is waged against children and infants, not only with weapons but with starvation and deprivation. Shortlink for this post:
CNN
15 hours ago
- CNN
Child runs away as Israeli munitions strike Gaza refugee camp
Video shows a child running away as Israeli munitions struck near a UNRWA school in Bureij Refugee Camp behind her.
Nahar Net
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Israel refuses to renew visas for heads of at least 3 UN agencies in Gaza
by Naharnet Newsdesk 18 July 2025, 17:05 Israel has refused to renew visas for the heads of at least three United Nations agencies in Gaza, which the U.N. humanitarian chief blames on their work trying to protect Palestinian civilians in the war-torn territory. Visas for the local leaders of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA; the human rights agency OHCHR; and the agency supporting Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA, have not been renewed in recent months, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed. Tom Fletcher, U.N. head of humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council on Wednesday that the U.N.'s humanitarian mandate is not just to provide aid to civilians in need and report what its staff witnesses but to advocate for international humanitarian law. "Each time we report on what we see, we face threats of further reduced access to the civilians we are trying to serve," he said. "Nowhere today is the tension between our advocacy mandate and delivering aid greater than in Gaza." Fletcher said, "Visas are not renewed or reduced in duration by Israel, explicitly in response to our work on protection of civilians." Israel's U.N. Mission said it is looking into the issue. Israel has been sharply critical of UNRWA, even before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack in southern Israel — accusing the agency of colluding with Hamas and teaching anti-Israel hatred, which UNRWA vehemently denies. Since then, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies have claimed that UNRWA is deeply infiltrated by Hamas and that its staffers participated in the Oct. 7 attacks. Israel formally banned UNRWA from operating in its territory, and its commissioner general, Swiss-Italian humanitarian Philippe Lazzarini, already has been barred from entering Gaza. The U.N. identified the other two local leaders affected as Jonathan Whittall, a South African humanitarian expert for OCHA, and Ajith Sunghay, a British-educated international lawyer for OHCHR. At Wednesday's Security Council meeting, Fletcher called conditions in Gaza "beyond vocabulary," with food running out and Palestinians seeking something to eat being shot. He said Israel, the occupying power in Gaza, is failing in its obligation under the Geneva Conventions to provide for civilian needs. In response, Israel accused OCHA of continuing "to abandon all semblance of neutrality and impartiality in its statements and actions, despite claiming otherwise." Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly, political coordinator at Israel's U.N. Mission, told the Security Council that some of its 15 members seem to forget that the Oct. 7 attacks killed about 1,200 people and some 250 were taken hostage, triggering the war in Gaza and the humanitarian situation. "Instead, we're presented with a narrative that forces Israel into a defendant's chair, while Hamas, the very cause of this conflict and the very instigator of suffering of Israelis but also of Palestinians, goes unmentioned, unchallenged and immune to condemnation," she said. More than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half were women and children. Ravina Shamdasani, chief spokesperson for the Geneva-based U.N. human rights body, confirmed Thursday that the head of its office in the occupied Palestinian territories "has been denied entry into Gaza." "The last time he tried to enter was in February 2025 and since then, he has been denied entry," she told The Associated Press. "Unfortunately, this is not unusual. Aid workers, U.N. staff, journalists and others have been denied access to Gaza." Israel has accused a U.N.-backed commission probing abuses in Gaza, whose three members just resigned, and the Human Rights Council's independent investigator Francesca Albanese of antisemitism. Albanese has accused Israel of "genocide" in Gaza, which it and its ally the U.S. vehemently deny. The Trump administration recently issued sanctions against Albanese. Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, told the Security Council that Israel also is not granting "security clearances" for staff to enter Gaza to continue their work and that U.N. humanitarian partners are increasingly being denied entry as well. He noted that "56% of the entries denied into Gaza in 2025 were for emergency medical teams — frontline responders who save lives." "Hundreds of aid workers have been killed; and those who continue to work endure hunger, danger and loss, like everyone else in the Gaza Strip," Fletcher said.
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Israel refuses to renew visas for agency heads in Gaza, UN says
Israel has refused to renew the visas for the heads of at least three United Nations agencies in Gaza, which the UN humanitarian chief said was "explicitly in response to our work on protection of civilians." Visas for the local leaders of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the human rights agency OHCHR and the agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) have not been renewed in recent months, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed. Tom Fletcher, UN head of humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council on Wednesday that the UN's humanitarian mandate is not just to provide aid to civilians in need and report what its staff witnesses, but to advocate for international humanitarian law. "Each time we report on what we see, we face threats of further reduced access to the civilians we are trying to serve," he said. "Nowhere today is the tension between our advocacy mandate and delivering aid greater than in Gaza." Israel's UN Mission said it is looking into the issue. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies have claimed that UNRWA is deeply infiltrated by Hamas and that its staffers participated in the 7 October 2023 incursion into southern Israel. Israel formally stopped UNRWA from operating in its territory and its commissioner general, Swiss-Italian humanitarian Philippe Lazzarini, is subject to a ban on entering Gaza. The UN identified the other two local agency chiefs affected as Jonathan Whittall, a South African humanitarian expert for OCHA, and Ajith Sunghay, a British-educated international lawyer for OHCHR. At Wednesday's Security Council meeting, Fletcher called conditions in Gaza "beyond vocabulary," with food running out and Palestinians seeking something to eat being shot. He said Israel, the occupying power in Gaza, is failing in its obligation under the Geneva Conventions to provide for civilian needs. In response, Israel accused OCHA of continuing "to abandon all semblance of neutrality and impartiality in its statements and actions, despite claiming otherwise." Ravina Shamdasani, chief spokesperson for the Geneva-based UN human rights body, confirmed on Thursday that the head of its office in the occupied Palestinian territories "has been denied entry into Gaza." Fletcher, the UN humanitarian chief, told the Security Council that Israel is also not granting "security clearances" for staff to enter Gaza to continue their work and that UN humanitarian partners are increasingly being denied entry as well. He noted that "56% of the entries denied into Gaza in 2025 were for emergency medical teams — frontline responders who save lives." "Hundreds of aid workers have been killed; and those who continue to work endure hunger, danger and loss, like everyone else in the Gaza Strip," Fletcher said. But in a rare entrance to the territory by a delegation of outsiders, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III entered Gaza on Friday morning to express the "shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land." The delegation said it was also planning on sending hundreds of tons of food aid, medical supplies and equipment to families in Gaza, the patriarchate said, adding they also had "ensured evacuation" of individuals injured in the attack to hospitals outside the Strip. Funerals for Christians killed in church attack Meanwhile, funerals were held at the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza for two of the three Christians killed in an Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church on Thursday. The three people killed in the Israeli attack were Christian Orthodox living at the Holy Family Church together with dozens of others people who had been displaced. The shelling also damaged the church compound, which was being used as a shelter for both Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem, the acting director of Al-Ahli Hospital which received the casualties. US President Donald Trump called Netanyahu to express his frustration with Israel's military striking the church, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Leavitt said Trump did not have a "positive reaction" to the strike and that Netanyahu "agreed" to put out a statement as part of the conversation. Netanyahu later released a statement saying Israel "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church." The Israeli military said an initial assessment indicated that "fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly" and said it was still investigating. The military said it only strikes militant targets and "makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and religious structures, and regrets any unintentional damage caused to them." Israel has repeatedly struck schools, shelters, hospitals and other civilian buildings, accusing Hamas militants of sheltering inside and blaming them for civilian deaths.
See - Sada Elbalad
a day ago
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Ben Gvir Calls for Full Occupation of Gaza Strip
Ahmed Emam As Israeli bombardment intensified across the Gaza Strip, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir issued provocative remarks on Wednesday, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt all negotiations and give orders for the complete military occupation of Gaza Strip. Ben Gvir also urged the Israeli government to promote Jewish settlement and encourage the migration of Palestinians out of the TERRITORY. His remarks drew condemnation from Palestinian officials and rights groups, who denounced them as part of a broader agenda of ethnic cleansing. Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, intense artillery shelling and heavy machine gun fire targeted the Asdaa area in northern Khan Younis, where thousands of displaced Palestinians have taken shelter. According to Alqahera News correspondent Basheer Jabr, the area has been completely encircled by Israeli forces, with dozens of civilians reported injured. Ambulance crews were unable to reach the wounded due to the ferocity of the attack. Jabr also reported that Palestinian resistance fighters ambushed an Israeli vehicle carrying undercover forces (mistaravim) north of Khan Younis, using an anti-tank missile. The strike resulted in casualties among the Israeli unit and was followed by intense retaliatory fire on the northern outskirts of the city. Further Israeli air raids were reported across the strip, including a strike on an UNRWA school in Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The attack caused significant destruction to the school complex and left multiple refugees injured. In addition to the mounting violence, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels. Jabr noted that the territory is experiencing a full-blown famine, exacerbated by a total blockade on food, medical supplies, and fuel. He reported that 68 children have died from hunger and malnutrition, including two infants in Gaza City on the same day. Efforts by civilians to access aid distributed through U.S.-designated points inside Israeli-controlled areas have often turned deadly, as "Israeli forces reportedly fire on Palestinians approaching these sites". read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Arts & Culture Hawass Foundation Launches 1st Course to Teach Ancient Egyptian Language Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
