Zionist strike targets aid trucks
Aid entering Gaza 'far too little, too late and too slow'
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Zionist airstrikes killed at least six Palestinians guarding aid trucks against looters, Hamas officials said on Friday, as the head of the United Nations warned that only a 'teaspoon' of aid was getting in following the Zionit entity's 11-week-long blockade. The Zionist entity's military said 107 trucks carrying flour and other foodstuffs as well as medical supplies entered the Gaza Strip from the Karam Abu Salem crossing point on Thursday, for a total of 305 since Monday when the blockade was relaxed.
But getting the supplies to people sheltering in tents and other makeshift accommodation has been fitful and UN officials say at least 500 to 600 trucks of aid are needed every day. So far, an umbrella network of Palestinian aid groups said, 119 aid trucks have got past the Karam Abu Salem crossing point and into Gaza since the Zionist entity eased its blockade on Monday in the face of an international outcry.
Despite the relaxation of the blockade, distribution has been hampered by looting by groups of men, some of them armed, near the city of Khan Younis, an umbrella network representing Palestinian aid groups said. 'They stole food meant for children and families suffering from severe hunger,' the network said in a statement, which also condemned the entity's airstrikes on security teams protecting the trucks.
Employees of a bakery in Deir El-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, stack freshly-baked bread after the Zionist entity allowed limited humanitarian aid to enter the Palestinian territory on May 22, 2025. — AFP photos
The UN World Food Program said 15 trucks carrying flour to WFP-supported bakeries had been looted, which it said reflected the dire conditions facing Gazans. 'Hunger, desperation and anxiety over whether more food aid is coming is contributing to rising insecurity,' it said in a statement. A Hamas official said six members of a security team tasked with guarding the shipments were killed.
'Desperation'
With most of Gaza's 2 million population squeezed into an ever narrowing zone on the coast and in the area around the southern city of Khan Younis by the Zionist entity's military operation, international pressure to get aid in quickly has ratcheted up. 'Without rapid, reliable, safe and sustained aid access, more people will die – and the long-term consequences on the entire population will be profound,' said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. A German government spokesperson said the aid was 'far too little, too late and too slow,' adding that delivery of supplies had to be increased significantly.
The Zionist entity has announced that a new system, sponsored by the United States and run by private contractors, will soon begin operations from four distribution centers in the south of Gaza, but many details of how the system will work remain unclear. The UN has already said it will not work with the new system, which it says will leave aid distribution conditional on the Zionist entity's political and military aims.
The entity says its forces will only provide security for the centers and will not distribute aid themselves. As the aid has begun to trickle in, the Zionist entity's military has continued the intensified ground and air operation launched last week, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would end with the Zionist entity taking full control of the Gaza Strip. The military said it had conducted more strikes in Gaza overnight, hitting 75 'targets'. Palestinian medical services said at least 25 people had been killed in the strikes. — Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
2 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Iran says no nuclear deal if deprived of ‘peaceful activities'
CAIRO: Iran said Monday it will not accept a nuclear agreement that deprives it of what it called 'peaceful activities', a reference to uranium enrichment, as it pressed the United States for guarantees it would drop sanctions. Uranium enrichment has remained a key point of contention between the foes in talks to seal a nuclear deal, ongoing since April, with Iran defending what it says is its pursuit of a civil nuclear program but with the US side calling it a 'red line'. Speaking in Cairo, where he met the UN nuclear watchdog's chief Rafael Grossi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: 'If the goal is to deprive Iran of its peaceful activities, then certainly no agreement will be reached.' Araghchi insisted that Iran has 'nothing to hide' on its nuclear program. 'Iran has a peaceful nuclear program... we are prepared to provide this assurance to any party or entity,' he said. The remarks came after Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday called for more transparency from Iran following a leaked report that showed Tehran had stepped up uranium enrichment. The IAEA report showed that Iran has ramped up production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent — close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons. 'There is a need for more transparency — this is very, very clear — in Iran, and nothing will bring us to this confidence (besides) full explanations of a number of activities,' Grossi said ahead of meeting Araghchi. Grossi added that some of the report's findings 'may be uncomfortable for some, and we are... used to being criticized'. Iran has rejected the report, warning it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions 'exploit' it. 'Some countries are trying to abuse this agency to pave the way for escalation with Iran. I hope that this agency does not fall into this trap,' Araghchi said of the IAEA. Iran meanwhile pushed for the United States to drop sanctions that have crippled its economy as a condition for a nuclear agreement with President Donald Trump's administration. Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received 'elements' of a US proposal for a nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman. Both Araghchi and Grossi met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who praised the US-Iran talks and called for 'de-escalation in order to prevent a slide into a full-fledged regional war'. On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference: 'We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted.' 'So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue,' he said. The US envoy in the nuclear talks said last month that Trump's administration would oppose any Iranian enrichment. 'An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That's our red line. No enrichment,' Steve Witkoff told Breitbart News. Following a phone call with Witkoff the day before about the ongoing nuclear talks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged a peaceful solution and a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East, saying in Monday's press conference that 'the region is already experiencing enough problems and crises'. He warned that military confrontation would create 'a state of chaos from which no one will be spared'. Iran has vowed to keep enriching uranium 'with or without a deal' on its nuclear program. The United States has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House called 'acceptable' and in Tehran's 'best interest' to accept, US media reported on Saturday. The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges, said the proposal calls on Iran to stop all enrichment and suggests creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power. — AFP Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with major powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. — AFP
Kuwait Times
9 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Conditions in Gaza ‘catastrophic'
Zionists threaten Hamas with 'annihilation' UNITED NATIONS: The situation in Gaza is the worst since the war between Zionists and Hamas militants began 19-months ago, the United Nations said, despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave where famine looms. Under growing global pressure, Zionists ended an 11-week long blockade on Gaza 12 days ago, allowing limited UN-led operations to resume. Then on Monday, a controversial new avenue for aid distribution was also launched - the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the United States and Zionist entity. 'Any aid that gets into the hands of people who need it is good,' UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. But, he added, the aid deliveries so far overall have had 'very, very little impact.' 'The catastrophic situation in Gaza is the worst since the war began,' he said. The UN and international aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral and has a distribution model that forces the displacement of Palestinians. Zionist entity ultimately wants the UN to work through the GHF, which is using private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution by civilian teams at so-called secure distribution sites. However, Zionist entity will allow aid deliveries 'for the immediate future' via both the UN and the GHF operations, Zionist UN Ambassador Danny Danon said this week. GHF said on Friday that it has so far managed to distribute more than 2.1 million meals. GAZA: Palestinians inspect the rubble following Zionist airstrikes on the Al-Qattaa family home in Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City on May 31, 2025. – AFP The UN says that in the past 12 days it has only managed to transport some 200 truckloads of aid into Gaza, hindered by insecurity and access restrictions. It was not immediately clear how much of that aid reached those in need. It said some trucks and a World Food Program warehouse have also been looted by desperate, hungry people. UN officials have also criticized limitations on what kind of aid they can provide. '(Zionist) authorities have not allowed us to bring in a single ready-to-eat meal. The only food permitted has been flour for bakeries. Even if allowed in unlimited quantities, which it hasn't been, it wouldn't amount to a complete diet for anyone,' said Eri Kaneko, UN humanitarian affairs spokesperson. Some of recipients of GHF aid said the packages include some rice, flour, canned beans, pasta, olive oil, biscuits and sugar. Under a complex process, Zionist entity inspects and clears aid shipments, which are then transported to the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. There the aid is offloaded and then reloaded on to other trucks for transport to warehouses in Gaza. Several hundred more truckloads of aid currently await UN collection from the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom. 'More aid would actually get to the people if you would collect the aid waiting for you by the crossings,' COGAT, the military aid coordination agency, said to the UN in a posting on X on Friday. However, the UN said that on Tuesday the military denied all its requests to access Kerem Shalom to pick up the aid. And on Thursday, when 65 trucks of aid managed to leave the crossing, all but five turned back due to intense fighting. Five trucks of medical aid managed to reach the warehouses of a field hospital, but 'a group of armed individuals stormed the warehouses... looting large quantities of medical equipment, supplies, medicines and nutritional supplements that was intended for malnourished children,' Dujarric said. Ceasefire proposal Zionist entity says it has been facilitating all aid deliveries. COGAT said this week that since the war 1.8 million tons of aid, including 1.3 million tons of food, had reached Gaza. A US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the conflict - accepted by Zionist entity and currently being considered by Hamas - would see humanitarian aid delivered by the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other agreed channels. During a two-month ceasefire, which ended when Zionist entity resumed its military operation in March, the UN said it got 600-700 trucks of aid a day into Gaza. It has stressed then when people know there is a steady flow of aid, the looting subsides. Hamas threatened Meanwhile, Zionists said Hamas must accept a hostage deal in Gaza or 'be annihilated', as US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire agreement was 'very close'. It came amid dire conditions on the ground, with the United Nations warning that Gaza's entire population was at risk of famine. Defense Minister I Katz said Hamas must agree to a ceasefire proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff or be destroyed, after the Palestinian militant group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands. 'The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the 'Witkoff Deal' for the release of the hostages — or be annihilated.' Zionist entity has repeatedly said that the destruction of Hamas was a key aim of the war. Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war in Gaza have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Zionist entity resuming operations in March following a short-lived truce. In the United States, Trump told reporters 'they're very close to an agreement on Gaza', adding: 'We'll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow.' Protest in Afghanistan Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans protested across the country on Friday against the bombardment in Gaza, responding to a nationwide call by the Taleban authorities. Large crowds gathered in several cities after Friday prayers waving Palestinian flags and burning pictures of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'We are out in support with Gaza. And to show the world that Gaza is not alone, we are standing with them. Wherever Muslims are oppressed, we strongly defend them and condemn it,' said 28-year-old Jannat, who goes by one name, in the capital Kabul. Taleban Prime Minister Hassan Akhund condemned Zionist actions in Gaza, labeling them a 'genocide' and expressing growing concern over the escalating violence against Palestinian civilians. — AFP
Arab Times
13 hours ago
- Arab Times
Kuwait concludes preparations for must-win World Cup qualifier against Palestine
KUWAIT CITY, June 3: Kuwait concludes its training this evening at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, ahead of its crucial clash against Palestine tomorrow in the ninth round of Group B of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, set to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Kuwait began a training camp yesterday that will continue before traveling to Seoul this Friday to face South Korea in the tenth and final round of the qualifiers next Tuesday. Led by Argentine coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, the national team is determined to secure victories in both upcoming matches to keep its slim hopes of advancing to the playoffs alive. However, qualification is also dependent on Oman losing its two remaining matches, making Kuwait's path extremely difficult. Currently, Kuwait sits sixth and last in Group B with five points, while South Korea tops the table with 16, followed by Jordan (13), Iraq (12), Oman (10), and Palestine (6). Coach Pizzi has been steadily raising the intensity of training to bring players to peak performance levels. The technical staff has emphasized focus and minimizing errors while implementing some rotations due to recent changes in the squad compared to the lineup from last March's qualifiers. A pre-match press conference will be held today, today at noon at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, featuring the head coaches and a player from each team. The press conference will follow the technical coordination meeting scheduled for 11:00 AM at the same venue. The Kuwait Football Association began selling tickets for the match earlier this week and is urging fans to show up in large numbers. Fan support will be critical, as the team clings to a last chance at qualification, despite the difficulty of the task. Meanwhile, the Palestine national team held its second training session at Thamer Stadium, home of Al-Salmiya Club, and will conduct its final training tonight at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. The Palestinian delegation also honored striker Wissam Abu Ali for winning the Egyptian Premier League title with Al-Ahly, celebrating his achievement ahead of the pivotal qualifier.
