Gaza faces mass starvation with supplies 'totally depleted', aid agencies warn
Large amounts of food, clean water and medical supplies are sitting untouched just outside Gaza, but the groups blamed Israel for its "restrictions" which they say is creating "chaos, starvation, and death".
The situation has become so bad, aid agencies warned they were seeing even their own colleagues "waste away before their eyes".
Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, has denied it is responsible for shortages of food and other supplies.
In a statement signed by 111 organisations, the groups said: "As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families.
"With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.
"The government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death."
The groups called for governments to demand the lifting of all restrictions and for the restoration of a "principled, UN-led humanitarian response".
The Norwegian Refugee Council, which backed the statement and is one of the largest independent aid organisations in Gaza, said it has no more supplies to distribute and some of its staff are starving - and accused Israel of paralysing its work.
"Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left," Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council, told the Reuters news agency.
4:10
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "starvation is knocking on every door" in the Palestinian territory, describing the situation as a "horror show".
Palestinian officials said at least 101 people are known to have died of malnutrition during the conflict in Gaza, including 80 children, most of them in recent weeks.
6:22
Some food stocks in Gaza have run out since Israel cut off all supplies in March and then lifted the blockade in May with new measures it said were needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups.
Israel has blamed the UN for failing to protect aid it says is stolen by Hamas and other groups. The fighters deny stealing it.
The UK and several other countries have condemned the current aid delivery model, which is backed by the Israeli and American governments.
It has reportedly resulted in Israeli troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How the wife of Hamas leader 'The Butcher' fled Gaza on a fake passport after his assassination - and then remarried in Turkey
The wife of the architect of the October 7 terror attacks has been dramatically smuggled out of Gaza and is now living a new life in Turkey with a new husband, according to explosive reports from Israel. Samar Muhammad Abu Zamar, widow of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas military commander who was killed by IDF forces in October 2024, allegedly escaped the war-torn enclave using a fake passport and carrying 'significant sums of cash'. Sources in Gaza told Israeli news site Ynet that Abu Zamar remarried in Turkey just months after Sinwar's death, in a wedding and relocation operation overseen by Hamas political bureau member Fathi Hammad, long linked to smuggling fighters and their families out of the Strip. The claims come as footage from 2024 resurfaced showing Abu Zamar walking through a Hamas tunnel just hours before the October 7 massacre - carrying what appeared to be a designer handbag. Although officially unconfirmed, the story has been widely reported in Israel. An Israeli security official told Ynet that Abu Zamar, along with Najwa Sinwar, the wife of Mohmmed Sinwar - who succeeded his brother as Hamas chief after his death - both crossed into Egypt through the Rafah crossing using forged documents. 'She's no longer here - she crossed through the Rafah border using a fake passport,' a source said of Abu Zamar, saying the escape required 'high-level coordination, logistical support, and large sums of money that regular Gazans don't have'. The revelations have sparked fresh outrage among ordinary Palestinians, many of whom remain trapped in Gaza after 19 months of relentless war, while the families of senior Hamas figures reportedly live in comfort abroad. 'They send their children to study in Turkey and Qatar – and send ours to the grave,' one Gazan civilian said. 'What makes them different from any corrupt ruler in the Arab world? They only look after themselves'. Hamas, which styles itself as the vanguard of Palestinian resistance, has long been accused of exploiting the suffering of its own people while sheltering its leadership and their families overseas. The Islamist group's military network has been shattered since the October 7 attacks, with only one senior commander, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, believed to still be alive. Abu Zamar's former husband, Yahya Sinwar, was assassinated in October last year after being hunted by intelligence services and the Israeli Defence Forces for over a year. Ultimately, his assassination was seemingly by chance, with the group of trainee soldiers responsible for the Hamas chief's death not knowing his true identity at the time, according to reports. Israeli officials have said the 61-year-old - who has long been dubbed the Butcher of Khan Younis - was killed after he emerged from the underground tunnel network where he had been hiding. A unit from the IDF's 828th Bislamach Brigade was patrolling Tal al-Sultan, an area of Rafah, when it came across a group of three Hamas fighters in the street and engaged them in a firefight. The terrorists were 'on the run' moving from house to house, the IDF said, and became split up. One of them, since identified as Sinwar, 'ran alone into one of the buildings'. He went up to the second floor, and troops responded by firing a tank shell in his direction. The unit, made up of trainee infantry commanders and reservists, then began to sweep the area, according to Israeli reports from the time. Two grenades were thrown at them, one of which exploded while the other failed to go off. The troops decided it was too dangerous to proceed and pulled back, sending in a mini drone to trace the fleeing fighter instead. Dramatic footage released by the IDF showed the bloodied Sinwar, his face concealed by a scarf, throwing a stick in a final attempt to defend himself against the drone just seconds before he was assassinated. Two 120mm tank shells slammed into the building, as well as a surface-to-surface Matador missile, with shrapnel scything across the upper floors and killing Sinwar. Unaware they had taken out Israel's prime target, the soldiers did not return to the site until the following morning, when soldiers from the 450th Infantry Battalion were sent in to get a closer look. As they inspected the dead, they realised one bore a striking resemblance to the Hamas leader. Graphic images emerged of his corpse lying on the rubble surrounded by Israeli soldiers, while close ups showed a catastrophic head wound and multiple injuries. He was found with a weapon, a flak jacket and 40,000 shekels (£8,250). 'Yahya Sinouar had a lot of cash and fake passports on him, he was ready to flee,' Israeli army spokesman Colonel Olivier Rafowicz told French outlet CNEWS. He claimed that the items Sinwar had on him, which allegedly also included a card from UNRWA, the UN aid for Palestinian refugees, 'may show that he was ready to flee and leave Gaza and his men behind.' Booby traps around the area meant the corpse had to be left in place, but part of one of his fingers was removed and sent for testing. Confirmation of his death took several hours, with multiple tests carried out, and his identity eventually confirmed with dental records and fingerprints. Four hours after it confirmed it was investigating whether the Hamas leader had been killed, the military issued a simple message on social media: 'Eliminated: Yahya Sinwar.' Pictures show Israeli troops carrying a body, believed to be Sinwar's, out of the destroyed building on a stretcher. Recently, hostage talks have stalled, reportedly due to the difficulty of even reaching Hamas's scattered leadership in Gaza. But despite occasional deadly ambushes on Israeli troops, Hamas is no longer capable of large-scale coordinated operations, analysts have said.
Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
Syria to sign 44 agreements worth nearly $6 billion with Saudi Arabia
July 23 (Reuters) - Syria will sign 44 agreements with Saudi Arabia estimated to be worth at nearly $6 billion, Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Moustafa said on Wednesday. He spoke at a press conference as Damascus hosts a Saudi-Syrian investment conference attended by a top Saudi business delegation.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Elderly Brit couple held by Taliban ‘may die in Afghan prison' as mum is ‘numb' & dad ‘chained up in basement shaking'
The Taliban has rejected concerns about rights violations TALIBAN TERROR Elderly Brit couple held by Taliban 'may die in Afghan prison' as mum is 'numb' & dad 'chained up in basement shaking' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN ELDERLY Brit couple wrongfully jailed by Taliban may die in prison soon, their children fear. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, were snatched by Taliban thugs and tossed into Afghanistan's most notorious prison nearly six months ago. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Peter and Barbie Reynolds were scooped up in February and thrown into a brutal prison Credit: Supplied 5 The couple moved to Afghanistan in 2009, where they run training project The parents-of-four had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years managing training projects - but were kidnapped on February 1 with no explanation. They were locked up separately at the maximum security Pul-e-Charkhi in Kabul, and later moved to an underground cell beneath the Taliban's intelligence HQ. Speaking to the BBC, their son Jonathan Reynolds said their health was rapidly deteriorating. According to UN experts, Peter needs heart medication and, during his detention, has had two eye infections and convulsions in his head and down his left arm. He recently collapsed, the experts added, while Barbie suffers from anaemia and remains weak. Jonathan said: "My dad's health is deteriorating fast. "Now he's maybe got something like early Parkinson's - tremors and shakes down the right side of his body, his arms and face." Peter had a mini stroke in 2023, and is thought to have suffered another one or a silent heart attack while being held prisoner. Barbie, meanwhile, is struggling with dizzy spells and numbness linked to anaemia - which can be caused by a lack of sunlight. "She has blue hands and feet to do with anaemia, malnutrition, just not getting the right healthcare," Jonathan added. I lived with Taliban for year secretly filming bloodthirsty terrorists' horror secrets… then orders were sent to kill me Alice Edwards, the UN's special rapporteur on torture, said: 'We see no reason why this elderly couple should be detained at all, and have requested an immediate review of the grounds of their detention. 'It is inhumane to keep them locked up in such degrading conditions and more worrying when their health is so fragile.' In April, Peter described the excruciating conditions as "the nearest thing to hell". In a phone recording heard by The Sunday Times, he said: 'I've been joined up with rapists and murderers by handcuffs and ankle cuffs, including a man who killed his wife and three children, shouting away, a demon-possessed man.' He continued: "The atmosphere is pretty shocking. I am learning a lot about the underbelly of Afghanistan. "The prison guards shout all the time and beat people with a piece of piping. "It's a horrible atmosphere — the nearest thing to hell I can imagine." The Taliban's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi rejected concerns about rights violations. 5 Faye Hall, the couple's interprator, was arrested with them but later released Credit: AP 5 Hall was received at the Qatari embassy in Kabul and confirmed to be in good health Credit: Reuters He said: They are in constant contact with their families [and] consular services are available. "Efforts are underway to secure their release. These steps have not yet been completed. Their human rights are being respected. "They are being given full access to treatment, contact and accommodation." He did not say what steps were being taken to secure their release. The Reynolds were some of the only foreigners not to leave Afghanistan when the Taliban seized back power four years ago. They had been living peaceful lives in the mountainous region of Bamain - famous for the giant Buddha statues blown up by the previous Taliban regime. Their family said they had never encountered any trouble from the regime since settling there in 2009. Last week was the pair's 55th wedding anniversary. Barbie told a Foreign Office official this week: 'We have been told we are guests of the government but this is no way to treat a guest." Peter and Barbie were arrested on February 1 along with their interpreter, Jaya, and a visiting Chinese-American friend, Faye Hall. The group was detained after flying in a small plane from Kabul to an airstrip near their home in the central province of Bamiyan. They bundled into vans and taken to separate parts of maximum-security Pul-e-Charki. On May 22 the couple were moved to the headquarters of the GDI — the General Directorate of Intelligence — and put in an underground cell. Although the couple are now together, they have had almost no access to phones since being moved. The last time their four children spoke to them was over a month ago. It was initially thought they had been arrested for teaching parenting skills to mothers. The Taliban later bizarrely claimed the arrest was due to a "misunderstanding" - though did not release them. Hall, their interpretor, was released on March 27 following a court order.
