Rap group Kneecap banned from Hungary before festival
Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere, including in June at Glastonbury Festival in southwest England where their frontman - known by the stage name Mo Chara - accused Israel of committing war crimes.
Israel has denied such accusations.
"Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget (Festival) ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X.
Kovacs later posted official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years and saying their entry would "seriously threaten national security".
In May, Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
He denies the offence.
In a post on X critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and what it called his "authoritarian government", Kneecap said the decision to ban them was outrageous and a political distraction.
"There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country," they said.
The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always".
Hungary's government had previously asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year.
More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, had signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's planned performance on August 11.
The festival organisers issued a statement calling the government's ban "an unprecedented move which we believe is both unnecessary and regrettable".
"Sziget Festival's values mean we condemn hate speech, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression for every performer. Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution," they said.
Performers at this year's festival include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
Hungary has banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at a music festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech and praising Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere, including in June at Glastonbury Festival in southwest England where their frontman - known by the stage name Mo Chara - accused Israel of committing war crimes.
Israel has denied such accusations.
"Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget (Festival) ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X.
Kovacs later posted official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years and saying their entry would "seriously threaten national security".
In May, Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
He denies the offence.
In a post on X critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and what it called his "authoritarian government", Kneecap said the decision to ban them was outrageous and a political distraction.
"There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country," they said.
The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always".
Hungary's government had previously asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year.
More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, had signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's planned performance on August 11.
The festival organisers issued a statement calling the government's ban "an unprecedented move which we believe is both unnecessary and regrettable".
"Sziget Festival's values mean we condemn hate speech, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression for every performer. Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution," they said.
Performers at this year's festival include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
Hungary has banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at a music festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech and praising Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere, including in June at Glastonbury Festival in southwest England where their frontman - known by the stage name Mo Chara - accused Israel of committing war crimes.
Israel has denied such accusations.
"Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget (Festival) ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X.
Kovacs later posted official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years and saying their entry would "seriously threaten national security".
In May, Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
He denies the offence.
In a post on X critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and what it called his "authoritarian government", Kneecap said the decision to ban them was outrageous and a political distraction.
"There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country," they said.
The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always".
Hungary's government had previously asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year.
More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, had signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's planned performance on August 11.
The festival organisers issued a statement calling the government's ban "an unprecedented move which we believe is both unnecessary and regrettable".
"Sziget Festival's values mean we condemn hate speech, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression for every performer. Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution," they said.
Performers at this year's festival include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
Hungary has banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at a music festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech and praising Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere, including in June at Glastonbury Festival in southwest England where their frontman - known by the stage name Mo Chara - accused Israel of committing war crimes.
Israel has denied such accusations.
"Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget (Festival) ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X.
Kovacs later posted official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years and saying their entry would "seriously threaten national security".
In May, Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
He denies the offence.
In a post on X critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and what it called his "authoritarian government", Kneecap said the decision to ban them was outrageous and a political distraction.
"There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country," they said.
The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always".
Hungary's government had previously asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year.
More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, had signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's planned performance on August 11.
The festival organisers issued a statement calling the government's ban "an unprecedented move which we believe is both unnecessary and regrettable".
"Sziget Festival's values mean we condemn hate speech, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression for every performer. Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution," they said.
Performers at this year's festival include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
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SBS Australia
23 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
Would you give up your privacy to travel to the US? This Australian writer was forced to
Earlier this year, Australian writer Alistair Kitchen made international headlines after he was detained for 12 hours at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and denied entry to the United States. His phone was confiscated, raided and not returned until he arrived back in Australia. Kitchen says his treatment inside the customs and border protection interrogation room at LAX was worse than that of a criminal. "In the United States, the Americans talk proudly about their constitution. Those constitutional laws do not apply to people who are yet to cross the passport processing line," he tells SBS News. In February, the 33-year-old Melbourne-based writer had embarked on a trip to the US to visit friends in New York. Alistair Kitchen has travelled to the US multiple times and even lived there for six years while studying at Columbia University. Credit: Supplied But while waiting in the customs queue during his brief layover at LAX, Kitchen heard his name called over the loudspeaker. He alleges a border agent quickly explained why he had been pulled out of line, saying: "'Look, we both know why you are here.'" "'It's because of what you wrote online about the protests at Columbia University,'" he says he was told. For the next 12 hours, Kitchen says he was detained and interrogated twice about his views on the conflict in the Middle East. This allegedly included questions about his opinions on Israel and Hamas, whether he supports a one or two-state solution and whether he has any Jewish friends. "I'm laughing because just three days ago I was the celebrant at a Jewish wedding," he says. In a statement to the ABC following the incident, the US homeland security department denied that Kitchen was arrested on the basis of his political views, although it did not deny he was questioned about them. Alistair Kitchen said he documented the 2024 pro-Palestinian campus protests at Columbia University. Kitchen alleges he scrubbed these photographs from his phone before embarking for the US. Credit: Alistair Kitchen Kitchen was also instructed to hand over his phone and passcode to the authorities. Later, he says he was asked to use his phone's Face ID feature to unlock a hidden folder in his photo album. After some resistance, he eventually complied. I sat there with this Department of Homeland Security agent who scrolled through my nudes in front of me and then disappeared into the secondary room to scroll even further through the contents of my phone. "It was the most traumatic thing I've experienced," Kitchen says. 'A US visa is a privilege, not a right' Last month, the US announced expanded visa screening and vetting processes that will now consider some applicants' "online presence". The directive applies to all F, M and J non-immigrant visa categories, which will impact Australians seeking to study or participate in an exchange program in the US. It also instructs applicants to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to public. As the US state department maintains, "a US visa is a privilege, not a right". But according to Daniel Angus, the director of Queensland University of Technology's Digital Media Research Centre, it's not clear what kinds of digital activity will be scrutinised. Online likes, comments, posts and follower activity may be considered. "Social media, in its broadest terms, is used by people for a variety of reasons. When people use these services, they may be pseudonymous for very good reasons," Angus says. "It's often viewed through a lens and particularly by some politicians as 'anonymity is bad' … but they tend to overlook the ways in which anonymity is used very productively and is a form of safety for many." According to the US state department, 41 per cent of F-1 international student visa applications were rejected last year, marking a 10-year high for rejections. According to the US International Trade Administration, the number of Australians travelling to the US in June fell by 10 per cent, compared to 2024. Source: PA / Yui Mok Donald Rothwell, a professor of international law at The Australian National University, believes heightened digital surveillance in immigration is part of a global trend. "Generally, countries have increasingly adopted tougher policies and approaches to border controls … ever since the 9/11 [September 11] terrorist attacks on the US in 2001," he says. In 2012, British holidaymaker Leigh Van Bryan was denied entry to the US after he tweeted via X — formerly known as Twitter — that he was going to "destroy America". In another post, he wrote he was going to dig up Marilyn Monroe, which Van Bryan later claimed was a reference to the television show Family Guy. More recently, a 21-year-old Norwegian traveller claimed he was denied entry to the US because immigration agents found an unflattering meme of US vice president JD Vance on his phone. In a post on X, the US Customs and Border Protection agency denied that claim, saying the traveller's deportation was due to "his admitted drug use". Although US visa applicants have been asked to disclose their social media handles to the state department since 2019, Rothwell says travellers' privacy is increasingly being encroached upon. "What is extraordinary here is that we're hearing increasingly US border officials are asking for passwords and are actually seeking to gain access to the actual phone," he says. If you do not immediately cooperate, that will very much throw into doubt your ability to cross the border and enter into the US. If you do cooperate, you're then forgoing your privacy. What does this mean for Australians? Ahead of his most recent trip to the US, Kitchen took extra precautions. "I had plenty of concern about going through immigration in the US because I'd heard stories already about travellers getting held up," he says. "I went through and deleted tweets about Donald Trump, for example, Instagram posts, and some of my text message apps like Signal. I had chosen not to go with a burner phone … out of fear that would cause even more scrutiny." The official reason Kitchen was deported was due to a failure to acknowledge a history of drug use on his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) — which customs officers claim to have found evidence of on his device. Kitchen has admitted to using drugs in the past, but says he remains unsure of what evidence was found on his phone. For some Australians, including Angus, this news has impacted the way they engage online. "I know many academics who have been travelling to the States, myself included, we've perhaps self-censored a bit around the things we say … possibly all of us are reconsidering how much of ourselves we continue to put out online," he says. For others, like Rothwell, the increasing surveillance has not been a deterrent to online participation, but may be to travel. Donald Rothwell, a professor of international law at The Australian National University, believes social media can be used to determine whether travellers meet the country's "character test" before entering the US. Credit: Australian National University Working in international law, Rothwell regularly comments on global news events and conflicts, including the war in Gaza, and has since stopped accepting speaking opportunities in the US. "I'm a paid academic at an Australian institution. I receive government funding to do my work … so I'm not going to be silenced as a result of these issues, he says. But with tighter digital surveillance now a part of visa screenings, some Australians may find themselves, like Kitchen, forced to hand over their devices and access codes if they want to enter the US. When asked whether he hopes to return one day, Kitchen says: "I love the country. I have a whole community of people there, and I'm desperately sad that I'm now likely banned from seeing them again. "But every day, journalists, protesters, activists do make it inside the country … [so] this is not to say you'll never get in."
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Israeli military expert predicts Gaza war to continue for 10 years
Warning: This story contains language that could be distressing. Across Gaza, rows of blue tarpaulin sheets are home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. As summer temperatures soar, these tents are stifling. For people who have had to move countless times during 21 months of war, the shelter they provide is still welcome. There is a sense of frustration and desperation among the Palestinians living in this community in central Gaza. As the war in Gaza rages on, Israeli forces' displacement orders threaten to send them elsewhere in the strip. And amid all this is uncertainty about the future and what it could bring. "My biggest fear is to lose my parents, my children, my wife — the people I love," Mohammed Skiek, 40, told the ABC. If his family are killed, they will join more than 59,000 other Palestinians who have lost their lives during Israel's war in Gaza, according to Gaza health authorities. With Israel showing little sign of easing its bombardment of Gaza, his concerns are well-founded. Images of devastation across the territory and of starving children lying helpless in hospital beds have again fuelled debate about Israel's ultimate goal in Gaza. The criticism levelled at the Netanyahu government is that it has moved well beyond trying to retrieve Israeli hostages and destroy Hamas and that its rhetoric and actions are indicative of more sinister plans for Gaza. As the war in Gaza approaches its second anniversary, there is a sobering prediction from former members of Israel's military. Gabi Siboni is a colonel in the Israel Defense Forces reserves and an expert in military strategy at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. He told the ABC he believed fighting would continue for another decade. "What's the alternative? We need to clean Gaza. This is a task for years," he said. His views stand in stark contrast to the overwhelming majority of international opinion, which has been critical of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza and, in particular, the lack of aid entering the strip. "Israel is conducting this war in the most humanitarian way ever, both in the humanitarian supply that the population is receiving and in the non-involved deaths that we have," he said. "We try to reduce that as much as possible." Last week, Australia joined more than two dozen other countries in condemning restrictions on aid deliveries and demanding an end to the war. More than 100 humanitarian agencies have warned: "The Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza." Colonel Siboni does not see it that way. "The Gazan population is a parasite population," Colonel Siboni said. "They have lived on humanitarian aid for the last 20 years. "And so the current situation is that the aid funnelled into Gaza is much, much more than sufficient to the needs of Gaza." Palestinian health officials say at least 101 people, including 80 children, have died of hunger — most of them in recent weeks. Recent events have shown the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are prepared for the total occupation of Gaza. Since the last ceasefire was shattered in mid March, and Israel launched Operation Gideon's Chariots, the IDF's control of Gaza has grown exponentially. Data collected by the United Nations suggests evacuation and displacement orders issued by the military have left 93 per cent of the strip either under Israeli military control or declared combat zones. Palestinians have already been squeezed into a tiny part of Gaza. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has floated the idea of moving at least 600,000 Palestinians into what he has called a "humanitarian camp" built on the ruins of Rafah in Gaza's south. Humanitarian advocates have likened the proposal to something more like a concentration camp, designed to depopulate the north of Gaza. Citing a "need to eliminate Hamas", Colonel Siboni outlined the plans. "Palestinians who enter would not be allowed to leave," Colonel Siboni said. "We invite the population of Gaza to go to areas with full control of the IDF, what is called a humanitarian town, city or compound, and they will be there until we finish Hamas. "I don't see the problem." Even before the kite-flying exercise of the Rafah "humanitarian city" idea began, Mr Katz described the goal of taking control of large swathes of the strip. "The population of Gaza is evacuating from the fighting zones, and large areas are being seized and added to Israel's security zones, leaving Gaza smaller and more isolated," he said in April. Israeli media have reported deep concerns about the idea within the government and the IDF. There has been discussion about the viability and merits of the camp: Could it be built quickly enough? Would it be too expensive? How would it be run? The IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has reportedly said the proposal has "more holes than cheese". The debate has reached Gaza's desperate residents. "Katz's proposal is hopefully a failed one. They want to forcibly deport people to Rafah, and I hope it will fail," Saja Al-Bahisi, 21, told the ABC. "It is an uncomfortable feeling for sure." Umm Fadi said if people wanted to move from their homes to Rafah, they would have done it on the first day of the war. "Why would we have paid this high price — blood, genocide, people who died — to end up in a small lot in Gaza to be concentrated there?" she asked. Rami Jaber Nawfal said Israel wanted to displace the Palestinians and take control of Gaza. "We refuse this," he said. "We are ready to die altogether if that's the case." Maya Rosenfeld, an expert in Israeli Palestinian policy at the Hebrew University, was not convinced the Israeli government would ever pursue the Rafah city proposal. "The whole thing is that you do not leave [the Palestinians] any means of re-establishing themselves," Dr Rosenfeld said. Dr Rosenfeld said Israel's real intention could be seen through its widespread destruction of Gaza as, according to the Israeli government, it targeted Hamas fighters and facilities. She described it as destroying the "infrastructure of existence" — not only things like housing, water and sewerage pipelines and roads, but also schools and workplaces where Gazans have the opportunity to learn and provide for their families. "Gaza has been under extreme conditions for many years now," Dr Rosenfeld said. She argued the high death toll across the strip, now reaching towards 60,000 people, according to local health authorities, was evidence of a dramatic shift in policy. "What do you think, you can bombard a place day after day … and you say, 'OK, to reach one Hamas militant, we kill 40, 50 people?'" she said. "It's clear that the target here is to kill the people and to destroy their existence. "I think Israel has actually entered a war of annihilation — annihilation doesn't necessarily mean, you know, the killing of 2 million Palestinians … but it is to make life in the Gaza Strip impossible." The current war began after Hamas launched deadly attacks in Israel in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. About 50 hostages are still in Gaza, 20 of whom are still believed to be alive. "I don't want to belittle Hamas's responsibility here, I don't want to overlook it," Dr Rosenfeld said. "Without the attack on the seventh of October, all this would not have taken place. Perhaps Israel would have looked for another opportunity." With the war dragging on, thousands of Israeli reservists are now refusing to serve. Among them is Yotam Vilk, who spent more than 230 days on the front line in Gaza. "I proved myself. Like, I was willing, I put myself in danger, I was willing to take the actions in need," he told the ABC. "I know I'm not a pacifist. Again, we understand that war has consequences. We understand that the situation is complicated. We don't advocate for Hamas. "I was fighting Hamas for a year. I lost friends in this war." But for Mr Vilk, a 30-year-old master of law student, the shifting goalposts became too much. "At some point, I think everyone in Israel will have to face the facts of the situation; that we're all in in Gaza currently," he said. "At no point did anyone in the IDF get a command to do actions to ethnic cleanse Gaza as a means of killing civilians. "But the IDF is oblivious towards what we'll call collateral damage, so it doesn't really matter, so you could kill a lot of people under that justification." Three reservists took their concerns about Israel's actions to Israel's Supreme Court. They challenged the legality of displacement orders across the Gaza Strip and the so-called humanitarian city under Operation Gideon's Chariots. The court has dismissed their petition. Mr Vilk argued loud voices within the Netanyahu government were demanding that the war continue and that Hamas and the Palestinian population be destroyed. Two far-right ministers have been sanctioned for inciting extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will not allow "even a grain of wheat" to enter Gaza, which he says will be "entirely destroyed". National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the Palestinian population to be pushed out of Gaza, saying "we must encourage emigration". "We have to end this war at any means necessary. We have to stop digging the hole that we're currently still digging," Mr Vilk said. That would be achieved, he said, through a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas. But Colonel Siboni argued there was very little room for negotiation, insisting a deal with the militant group was a fruitless pursuit. "We took the issue of hostages to the extreme," he said. "I've made my choice between the national security and the security of the hostages. I choose our national security, which is a very hard thing to say, but such is life."
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Israeli forces kill at least 25 seeking aid in Gaza
Israeli air strikes and gunshots have killed at least 25 people, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Gaza faces famine. Gunfire killed the majority of people as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were taken. Israel's army didn't respond to a request for comments about the shootings. Those killed in strikes included four people in an apartment building in Gaza City, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas were at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering "alternative options" to ceasefire talks. A Hamas official, however, said negotiations were expected to resume next week and described the recall of the Israeli and US delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which mediate the talks alongside the United States, called the pause only temporary and said talks would resume. They did not say when. The United Nations and experts say Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. And now children with no pre-existing conditions have begun to starve to death. Israel on Saturday said over 250 trucks carrying aid from the UN and other organisations entered Gaza this week. About 600 trucks were entering per day during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. The latest Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 80 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the crossing. Israel's military at the time said its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat. During the shootings late Friday, Sherif Abu Aisha said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from the aid trucks, but as they got close, they realised it was from Israel's tanks. He said his uncle, a father of eight, was among those killed. "We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed," he said. Men carried the latest bodies through the rubble on Saturday. A small boy wailed over a corpse. Israel faces growing international pressure to alleviate Gaza's catastrophic humanitarian crisis. More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticising Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. For the first time in months, Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by neighbouring Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. Britain plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said Saturday. The office did not give details. But the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned on social media that airdrops are "expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians". He said they won't reverse the increasing starvation or prevent aid diversion. Israeli air strikes and gunshots have killed at least 25 people, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Gaza faces famine. Gunfire killed the majority of people as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were taken. Israel's army didn't respond to a request for comments about the shootings. Those killed in strikes included four people in an apartment building in Gaza City, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas were at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering "alternative options" to ceasefire talks. A Hamas official, however, said negotiations were expected to resume next week and described the recall of the Israeli and US delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which mediate the talks alongside the United States, called the pause only temporary and said talks would resume. They did not say when. The United Nations and experts say Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. And now children with no pre-existing conditions have begun to starve to death. Israel on Saturday said over 250 trucks carrying aid from the UN and other organisations entered Gaza this week. About 600 trucks were entering per day during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. The latest Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 80 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the crossing. Israel's military at the time said its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat. During the shootings late Friday, Sherif Abu Aisha said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from the aid trucks, but as they got close, they realised it was from Israel's tanks. He said his uncle, a father of eight, was among those killed. "We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed," he said. Men carried the latest bodies through the rubble on Saturday. A small boy wailed over a corpse. Israel faces growing international pressure to alleviate Gaza's catastrophic humanitarian crisis. More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticising Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. For the first time in months, Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by neighbouring Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. Britain plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said Saturday. The office did not give details. But the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned on social media that airdrops are "expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians". He said they won't reverse the increasing starvation or prevent aid diversion. Israeli air strikes and gunshots have killed at least 25 people, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Gaza faces famine. Gunfire killed the majority of people as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were taken. Israel's army didn't respond to a request for comments about the shootings. Those killed in strikes included four people in an apartment building in Gaza City, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas were at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering "alternative options" to ceasefire talks. A Hamas official, however, said negotiations were expected to resume next week and described the recall of the Israeli and US delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which mediate the talks alongside the United States, called the pause only temporary and said talks would resume. They did not say when. The United Nations and experts say Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. And now children with no pre-existing conditions have begun to starve to death. Israel on Saturday said over 250 trucks carrying aid from the UN and other organisations entered Gaza this week. About 600 trucks were entering per day during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. The latest Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 80 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the crossing. Israel's military at the time said its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat. During the shootings late Friday, Sherif Abu Aisha said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from the aid trucks, but as they got close, they realised it was from Israel's tanks. He said his uncle, a father of eight, was among those killed. "We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed," he said. Men carried the latest bodies through the rubble on Saturday. A small boy wailed over a corpse. Israel faces growing international pressure to alleviate Gaza's catastrophic humanitarian crisis. More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticising Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. For the first time in months, Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by neighbouring Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. Britain plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said Saturday. The office did not give details. But the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned on social media that airdrops are "expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians". He said they won't reverse the increasing starvation or prevent aid diversion. Israeli air strikes and gunshots have killed at least 25 people, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Gaza faces famine. Gunfire killed the majority of people as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were taken. Israel's army didn't respond to a request for comments about the shootings. Those killed in strikes included four people in an apartment building in Gaza City, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas were at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering "alternative options" to ceasefire talks. A Hamas official, however, said negotiations were expected to resume next week and described the recall of the Israeli and US delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which mediate the talks alongside the United States, called the pause only temporary and said talks would resume. They did not say when. The United Nations and experts say Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. And now children with no pre-existing conditions have begun to starve to death. Israel on Saturday said over 250 trucks carrying aid from the UN and other organisations entered Gaza this week. About 600 trucks were entering per day during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. The latest Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 80 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the crossing. Israel's military at the time said its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat. During the shootings late Friday, Sherif Abu Aisha said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from the aid trucks, but as they got close, they realised it was from Israel's tanks. He said his uncle, a father of eight, was among those killed. "We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed," he said. Men carried the latest bodies through the rubble on Saturday. A small boy wailed over a corpse. Israel faces growing international pressure to alleviate Gaza's catastrophic humanitarian crisis. More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticising Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. For the first time in months, Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by neighbouring Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. Britain plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said Saturday. The office did not give details. But the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned on social media that airdrops are "expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians". He said they won't reverse the increasing starvation or prevent aid diversion.
