Iran warns of 'irreparable damage' if US joins Israel fight – DW – 06/18/2025
06/18/2025
June 18, 2025 Iran's UN ambassador warns of response 'without restraint' to Israeli strikes
Iran's UN ambassador Ali Bahreini issued a warning to Israel and the United States Image: Martial Trezzini/KEYSTONE/picture alliance
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Ali Bahreini, said the country would "respond strongly" to Israel's "aggression" as well as to the United States, should it join the hostilities.
"We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land," he told reporters in Geneva. "We will respond seriously and strongly, without restraint."
Bahreini accused the United States of being "complicit in what Israel is doing."
"We have given a message to the United States that we will respond very firmly and will stop the aggression by anybody — including the United States," he said
Bahreini also said Israeli strikes on nuclear sites were an act of "war against humanity."
"The deliberate targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities not only constitutes a grave violation of international law and UN Charter but also risks exposition of all people in our neighborhood to possible hazardous leak," he said.
"This is not an act of war against our country," he said. "It is war against humanity."
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. Israel and the United States accuse Iran of working toward a nuclear weapon.
The comments come as thousands flee Tehran and other major cities as Israel and Iran continuing launching strikes on one another.
US President Donald Trump has called for Tehran's unconditional surrender.
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DW
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DW
10 hours ago
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Fact check: Aid groups contradict Israeli Gaza claims – DW – 07/31/2025
Netanyahu denies starvation in Gaza — but aid groups, doctors, and UN data point to a deepening hunger crisis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies that Gazan are starving. "There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza," Netanyahu saidon Sunday, during an event with Daystar, an evangelical TV network, held in Jerusalem. His remarks stand in stark contrast to mounting evidence from aid agencies, humanitarian organizations, and eyewitnesses who describe an escalating food crisis, particularly in the north of the enclave. A DW Fact check takes a closer look. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitoring body, has warnedthat famine thresholds have been surpassed in parts of Gaza — particularly in Gaza City — calling the crisis a "worst-case scenario" now unfolding. According to the World Health Organization, 63 of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded in Gaza this year occurred in July alone — including 24 children under the age of five and 38 adults. Meanwhile, aid workers on the ground reportthat they themselves are going hungry and Gaza's Health Ministry says dozens of people have died from starvation-related causes over the past three weeks. With international pressure rising, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he would officially recognize a State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel takes "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Israeli officials, however, including Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein, have rejectedthe malnutrition and starvation figures released by Gaza's health authorities and UN bodies, calling them exaggerated and unreliable. They argue that the numbers, some provided by Hamas,a group designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the EU, and others, lack credibility. However, a new independent study says they are actually too low. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not alone in denying that Gaza is facing starvation. His comments have been echoed across social media by numerous online personalities and accounts that either downplay the severity of the crisis or claim reports of widespread hunger are fabricated. Israel imposed a complete blockade of food, fuel and other supplies in March and numerous politicians — including Netanyahu — have repeatedly said that no food would enter Gaza. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in August 2024 that "it might be justified and moral" to let Israel "cause 2 million civilians to die of hunger" until the "hostages are returned." "This is the official line repeated by the Prime Minister, his cabinet, and the far-right media," Oren Persico of the Israeli independent outlet told DW. "They either deny that starvation is happening, blame Hamas for not surrendering, or even claim it's a good thing—because it supposedly helps pave the way for building Jewish settlements in Gaza." Several accounts challenge widely shared photos of severely emaciated children in Gaza, claiming they're misleading or lack context. One image — of Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq — featured in reports by several international news outletshas also circulated widely on social media alongside posts condemning the humanitarian crisis. Pro-Israel commentators, along with Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, later claimed the boy had a rare genetic muscular disorder and alleged that omitting this detail was an attempt to defame Israel. While some posts and reports did lack that context, outlets like CNNacknowledged his condition and noted that he had been living a healthier life before the war, thanks to therapy and adequate nutrition, writing: "He has a muscle disorder that requires physical therapy and specialized nutrition, and he faces life-threatening malnutrition as the humanitarian situation worsens due to ongoing Israeli attacks and the blockade." also confirmedhe suffered from malnutrition in addition to a pre-existing illness. Still, a large number of accounts continued to circulate the claim that such photos were being misused to falsely suggest starvation—something they insist does not exist. One widely shared post (see screenshot below) reads: "A boy from Gaza with a rare muscular disease is being exploited to promote the fake campaign of starvation in Gaza." DW Fact check identified dozens of nearly identical posts circulating the same image and text. Our team showed the picture shared by these posts to several pediatricians in Germany to verify the claims about the child's muscular disorder. They noted that the exact condition cannot be diagnosed from photos and videos alone. However, they emphasized that a pre-existing medical condition does not rule out malnutrition, and attributing all signs of emaciation solely to genetic disorders overlooks the broader impact of prolonged nutritional deficiency. For Oren Persico from the accusations from the Israeli government are part of a political strategy. "One tactic being used is to highlight non-representative examples and present them as proof that human suffering in Gaza isn't happening," he explained. "It's like conspiracy theories who fix on irrelevant details to distort the overall picture. In that sense, I would call it a disinformation campaign — one that cherry-picks fringe facts to deny the overwhelming body of evidence, including eyewitness accounts, data, and reports." A similar narrative surfaced around a piece of video published by outlets including the Jerusalem Post which shows a close-up of a vegetable stall in a Gaza market. The footage quickly spread across social media, where it was used by accounts seeking to challenge reports of famine in the territory. "…This is footage from today at Al-Sahaba market in Gaza City, completely packed with food. So much for starvation. The average Gazan eats better than you!", writes one account. DW Fact check spoke with Majdi Fathi, the journalist accredited for the video. He confirmed that the footage is authentic and shows a market inside Gaza, but added that it does not mean food is available for all. "These vegetables and fruits are very expensive," Fathi said. "The majority of people in Gaza cannot afford them. What Gaza lacks are other food items such as meat, milk, rice and eggs. I did not find anything else to film in the market."Other media reports support his view. A BBC investigation found that food packages delivered by local aid groups in Gaza often lack the nutritional variety needed for a healthy diet, leading to deficiencies and long-term health issues even when quantities are adequate. "Until now, meat, eggs, milk, and other essentials have not entered," Fathi said. "The problem is also the high prices. Since the beginning of the war, many families haven't been able to work and have no income to buy food." On his Instagram account, he shared another video showing Gazansat the market complaining about the soaring cost of basic goods. Israel's recent move to allow more aid deliveries has slightly eased prices in some areas, but the impact remains limited. While the aid is meant for free distribution, some supplies are being stored, diverted, or resold. With no clear oversight by aid groups, local authorities, or Israeli forces, the extent of diversion is unclear. Israeli officials have repeatedly claimed that Hamas is responsible for stealing this aid. However, The New York Times reports that Israeli military officials have confirmed there is no evidence that Hamas systematically looted UN humanitarian aid, including from UN convoys—it instead alleges sporadic theft from smaller actors, not organized diversion by Hamas. Between 120 and 200 aid trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, according to UN estimates, with an additional 260 trucks reportedly awaiting clearance as of Monday. But aid officials have described those efforts as inadequate and, in some cases, dangerous for civilians on the ground to collect them. 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Local Germany
11 hours ago
- Local Germany
Germany says Israel 'increasingly in the minority' on Palestine issue
Johann Wadephul said in a statement before heading to Israel that the recent UN conference on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- boycotted by the US and Israel -- showed that "Israel is finding itself increasingly in the minority". Germany is one of Israel's staunchest diplomatic allies but Wadephul noted that "in view of the open threats of annexation by some in the Israeli government, a growing number of European countries are ready to recognise a state of Palestine without previous negotiations". Last week more than 70 Israeli lawmakers, including some in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, passed a motion urging the government to impose sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. Wadephul repeated Berlin's position that "the recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end of the process" of negotiations. He did however sharpen his tone slightly by insisting that "this process must begin now" and that "Germany will also be forced to react to unilateral moves". Advertisement On Gaza, whose two-million-plus inhabitants now face an unfolding famine, Wadephul demanded that Israel enable more aid into the territory "immediately, comprehensively and in a lasting way" to alleviate the "dramatic" situation there. He said that airlifts -- which Germany will take part in in coming days -- were one way of delivering aid but that they "cannot replace" deliveries by land. "Only overland can aid reach the population in the necessary quantities," he said, adding that Germany was working to re-establish the land route "urgently". Wadephul is expected to meet his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and President Isaac Herzog on the trip to Israel, as well as Netanyahu. He will also travel to the West Bank to meet Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas. READ ALSO: Police hurt and dozens arrested at Berlin pro-Palestinian demonstration
