UN calls Gaza aid station mob rush 'heartbreaking' as org. says 10,000 trucks wait at border
This comes as the IDF claimed that 400 approved aid trucks were waiting for UN distribution in the Gaza Strip.
United Nations Spokesperson Stefan Dujarric called the images of Gazans overruning aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip "heartbreaking," in a statement on Tuesday night.
'The images of a Palestinian crowd rushing the food distribution in the Gaza Strip are heartbreaking,' Dujarric said.
'The UN and its partners have a detailed, principled, and effective plan supported by member states to provide assistance to the desperate population."
This comes after two large aid distribution centers opened in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Gazan civilians overran the facilities at one point, leading the IDF and US security contractors to fire warning shots in the air to disperse the mob.
The incident comes amid significant international controversy over the aid centers.
On Tuesday, UN officials claimed that 10,000 trucks were sitting at the Gaza border waiting to be let in.
'We've got 10,000 trucks on the border right now, cleared [and] ready to go, and we'll do everything to get them in and save lives,' Tom Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told CNN.
Israeli COGAT officials later accused him of libel and claimed that he misrepresented the situation.
'There are no 10,000 trucks waiting to go into Gaza. What there are, are hundreds of trucks' worth of aid the UN hasn't picked up from the Gazan side over the last few days after we gave you plenty of routes you can use to safely distribute the aid throughout Gaza," COGAT's official X account posted.
Additionally, the IDF posted that 400 aid trucks were on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing waiting for UN distribution.
"Don't fall for misinformation, the IDF and @cogatonline have adjusted the logistical and security protocols. The @UN still refuses to do its job," the X/Twitter post read.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘activated' some Palestinian clans in the fight against Hamas
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has 'activated' some clans of Palestinians in Gaza in the fight against Hamas. His comments on social media were the first public acknowledgment of Israel's backing of armed Palestinian groups within Gaza, based around powerful families. Family militias often wield some control in corners of Gaza, and some of them have had clashes or tensions with Hamas in the past. Palestinians and aid workers have accused clans of carrying out criminal attacks and stealing aid from trucks. Several have come forward in recent weeks to publicly reject any ties to Israel or involvement in looting. The announcement by Netanyahu came hours after a political opponent criticized him for arming unofficial groups of Palestinians in Gaza. In a video posted to his X account, Netanyahu said the government made the move on the advice of 'security officials,' in order to save lives of Israeli soldiers. An Israeli official said that one group that Netanyahu was referring to was the so-called Popular Forces, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a local clan leader in Rafah. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. In recent weeks, the Abu Shabab group announced online that its fighters were helping protect supply shipments to the new, Israeli-backed distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Rafah area. The Abu Shabab family renounced Yasser over his connections with the Israeli military in a recent statement, saying he and anyone who joined his group 'are no longer linked' to the family. The war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-linked militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Israel responded with an offensive that has caused widespread damage, displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million people and caused a humanitarian crisis that has left the territory on the brink of famine. Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than half of them women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. Hamas is still holding 56 hostages. Around a third are believed to be alive, though many fear they are in grave danger the longer the war goes on. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed its airstrikes and ground operations after ending a ceasefire in March. Frankel, Magdy and Mednick write for the Associated Press. Magdy reported from Cairo.
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
U.S. hits International Criminal Court judges with sanctions over investigation into Israel
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is slapping sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court over the tribunal's investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza and in the West Bank. The State Department said Thursday that it would freeze any assets that the ICC judges, who come from Benin, Peru, Slovenia and Uganda, have in U.S. jurisdictions. The move is just the latest step that the administration has taken to punish the ICC and its officials for investigations undertaken against Israel and the United States. 'As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. 'The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies,' Rubio said. 'This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.' In February, The Hague-based court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was placed on Washington's list of 'Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons,' barring him from doing business with Americans and placing restrictions on his entry into the U.S. Khan stepped aside last month pending an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. Within minutes of the administration's announcement, the court condemned its actions. 'These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution,' ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said in a statement. The new sanctions target ICC Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou, who is from the West African country of Benin and was part of the pretrial chamber of judges who issued the arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. She also served on the bench that originally greenlighted the investigation into alleged Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories in 2021. The 69-year-old was also part of the panel of judges who issued the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023. Last year, a court in Moscow issued a warrant for her arrest. From Slovenia, Beti Hohler was elected as a judge in 2023. She previously worked in the prosecutor's office at the court, leading Israel to object to her participation in the proceedings involving Israeli officials. Hohler said in a statement last year that she had never worked on the Palestinian territories investigation during her eight years as a prosecutor. Bouth Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, from Peru, and Solomy Balungi Bossa, from Uganda, are appeals judges at the ICC. Each woman has worked on cases involving Israel. Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of and neither recognizes the legitimacy of the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes over his military response in Gaza after the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023. Israel strongly denies the allegations. Lee and Quell write for the Associated Press. Quell reported from The Hague.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US sanctions International Criminal Court judges linked to Israel, Afghanistan probes
The U.S. sanctioned four International Criminal Court judges on Thursday, ratcheting up Trump administration efforts to punish the body for investigations it considers hostile. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures in a statement that cited both the court's probe of alleged war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and its issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. 'These four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel,' Rubio said. 'The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies,' he said. 'This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.' The U.S. move creates friction between the U.S. and the Netherlands ahead of the NATO summit later this month in the Hague, where the international court is based. It will be up to the European Union to decide whether to use its blocking statute to protect European businesses and individuals from American sanctions that it deems abusive or unreasonable. The new sanctions are the latest Trump administration effort to retaliate against the court, which last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel's Gaza offensive against Hamas. The Trump administration issued an executive order authorizing sanctions on the court and blacklisted ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan in February, blocking him from doing business with the U.S. and barring him from entering the country. Khan took a leave of absence last month pending an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. Thursday's sanctions were authorized under the same directive. Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of the ICC and they do not recognize its jurisdiction. Trump also targeted the ICC with sanctions during his first term to protest the court's probes into Israel and alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. Former President Joe Biden rescinded those sanctions in 2021 and his government shared evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the tribunal. Nicholas Vincour contributed to this report.
