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U.K., France and 23 other countries say the war in Gaza ‘must end now'

U.K., France and 23 other countries say the war in Gaza ‘must end now'

LONDON — Twenty-five countries including Britain, France and a host of European nations issued a joint statement on Monday saying the war in Gaza 'must end now' and Israel must comply with international law.
The foreign ministers of countries including Australia, Canada and Japan said 'the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths' and condemned 'the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.'
'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,' the statement said.
'The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law,' it added.
The signatories included the foreign ministers of about 20 European countries as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the European Union commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management.
The U.S. and Germany did not sign the statement.
The signatories called for an immediate ceasefire, adding they are prepared to take action to support a political pathway to peace in the region.
Gaza's population of more than 2 million Palestinians is in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, now relying largely on the limited aid allowed into the territory. Many people have been displaced multiple times.
Hamas triggered the war when militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty remain in Gaza, but fewer than half are thought to be alive.
Israel's military offensive has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted that expanding Israel's military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas in negotiations.
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Palestinians are ‘walking corpses' says UN as Starmer calls starvation ‘unspeakable and indefensible'
Palestinians are ‘walking corpses' says UN as Starmer calls starvation ‘unspeakable and indefensible'

Yahoo

time19 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Palestinians are ‘walking corpses' says UN as Starmer calls starvation ‘unspeakable and indefensible'

Palestinians are beginning to resemble 'walking corpses', a United Nations official said on Thursday as Sir Keir Starmer called the starvation unfolding there 'unspeakable and indefensible. ' Humanitarian workers in the enclave are seeing children who are 'emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying' without urgent treatment, said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UNRWA relief agency. The prime minister is to hold an emergency called with France and Germany on Friday to push for aid – and a ceasefire. 'We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,' he said. 'The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. ' Starvation in Gaza is reported to have dramatically increased in recent days; most of the 113 hunger-related deaths recorded there have come in recent weeks, and 82 were children, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has imposed heavy restrictions on the amount of food and aid allowed to enter Gaza, limiting aid to a handful of trucks each day following a total 11-week blockade earlier this year. UN officials say the aid delivered into the strip is a drop in the ocean of what is needed. 'We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay,' Sir Keir said. Mr Lazzarini said a UNRWA worker had described people in Gaza as 'neither dead or alive, they are walking corpses'. He said the agency has the equivalent of 6,000 loaded trucks of food and medical supplies in Jordan and Egypt, which have not yet been allowed into the enclave. 'Families are no longer coping, they are breaking down, unable to survive. Their existence is threatened,' he said. Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians attempting to secure food from a limited number of aid trucks, drawing widespread condemnation, including from many of Israel's own allies. As more than 100 human rights groups and charities demanded more aid in a letter on Wednesday, Palestinians living in the enclave said they had been forced to trade personal items such as gold jewellery to pay flour. 'We are living in hunger and daily suffering, as prices have risen in an insane way that no Gazan citizen, whether employed or unemployed, can bear, in a way that is beyond comprehension,' said Wajih Al-Najjar, 70, from Gaza City, the breadwinner for a family of 13. 'People are forced to go to death in search of some aid,' he told The Independent, lamenting the 'insane' price spiral of flour, which he says has shot up from 35 shekels (£7.74) to up to 180 shekels (£39.80) per kilo. Mr Najjar, who has lost one quarter of his bodyweight - dropping from 85kg to 62kg - says he can not get a full meal for himself. 'So what about children who need food more than three times a day?' he said. Meanwhile, major broadcasters and news agencies, including the BBC and Reuters, issued a joint statement to say their journalists on the ground in Gaza also faced the 'threat of starvation'. 'We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,' it read. 'For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering. "Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them.' Prices continue to rise beyond control and food scarcity has soared to an unprecedented level in the Gaza Strip, in the 21st month of a destructive Israeli invasion and bombardment which Palestinian health officials say has killed more than 60,000 people. The war and invasion began on October 7, 2023 in response to attacks on Israel by the Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people and captured at least 250 hostages. Ihab Abdullah, a 43-year-old university lecturer who is the breadwinner for nine family members, said every night before he goes to sleep, he asks: 'How will I provide for my children today? I can bear the hunger, but what about my children?' 'We have become unable to buy or find food in the markets. We live in daily hunger because the most needed commodity, flour, is not available in sufficient quantities. We are in a situation where we can not buy food even if we have money. Those who have money and those who do not have money are the same. Purchasing value has disappeared.' Younis Abu Odeh, a 32-year-old who is displaced in Gaza, says he feels as if Gazans have been 'put on a chicken farm and starved'. 'We are living through a war of extermination, famine, and psychological warfare," Mr Odeh told The Independent. 'A war of displacement, a war of tents, a war of heat and sun.' The Israeli government insists it is not causing a famine, and that the 'man-made shortage' of food has been 'engineered by Hamas', according to spokesman David Mencer. Mr Mencer said on Wednesday that more than 4,400 aid trucks entered Gaza from 19 July until Tuesday, containing food, flour and baby food. The deepening crisis came as Israel brought its delegation home from Gaza ceasefire talks for consultations on Thursday, after Hamas delivered a new response to a proposal for a truce and hostages deal. The Israeli Prime Minister's office thanked mediators for their efforts and said the negotiators were returning home for "further consultations". Earlier it said Israel was reviewing the response from Hamas. In his statement, Sir Keir said: 'It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages. We strongly support the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure this. 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' Solve the daily Crossword

Trump envoy Witkoff says US cuts short Gaza ceasefire talks as Hamas lacks 'good faith'
Trump envoy Witkoff says US cuts short Gaza ceasefire talks as Hamas lacks 'good faith'

San Francisco Chronicle​

time20 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Trump envoy Witkoff says US cuts short Gaza ceasefire talks as Hamas lacks 'good faith'

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday the United States is cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing its negotiating team home from Qatar for consultations after the latest response from Hamas 'shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.' 'While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith," Witkoff said in a statement. 'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.' It was unclear what 'alternative options" the U.S. was considering. The White House had no immediate comment, and the State Department did not immediately respond to messages. A breakthrough in talks on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded Trump's administration for months as conditions worsen in Gaza. The territory recently had its deadliest day yet for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war, with at least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to reach food Sunday. The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs. Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place. Witkoff said the U.S. is 'resolute' in seeking an end to the conflict in Gaza and it was 'a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way.' Earlier Thursday, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu's office recalled his country's negotiating team back to Israel in light of Hamas' response. In a brief statement, the prime minister's office expressed its appreciation for the efforts of Witkoff and mediators Qatar and Egypt, but it gave no further details. The deal under discussion is expected to include an initial 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting ceasefire. The talks have been bogged down over competing demands for ending the war. Hamas says it will only release all hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and end to the war. Israel says it will not agree to end the war until Hamas gives up power and disarms, a condition the militant group rejects. Hamas is believed to be holding the hostages in different locations, including tunnels, and says it has ordered its guards to kill them if Israeli forces approach. The breakdown in talks is the latest setback for Trump as he's tried to position himself as peacemaker and made little secret of the fact he wants to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. The Republican president also had promised to quickly negotiate an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, but little progress has been made there, either. With the war in Gaza, Trump earlier this month met with Netanyahu at the White House, putting his weight behind a push to reach a breakthrough and a ceasefire agreement. But despite his newly strengthened partnership with Netanyahu following their countries' joint strikes on Iran, the Israeli leader left Washington without any announced breakthrough. The State Department said earlier in the week that Witkoff would be traveling to the Middle East for talks, but U.S. officials later said that Witkoff would instead travel to Europe. It was unclear if he was holding meetings there Thursday. The apparent derailing of the talks comes as Israel's blockade and military offensive have driven Gaza to the brink of famine, according to aid groups. The U.N. food agency says nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe, acute malnutrition, and the Gaza Health Ministry has reported a rise in hunger-related deaths. Israel has come under mounting pressure, with 28 Western-aligned countries calling for an end to the war and harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. More than 100 charity and human rights groups released a similar letter, saying that even their own staff are struggling to get enough food. Israel says it is allowing in enough aid and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. But those agencies say it is nearly impossible to safely deliver it because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, with crowds of thousands unloading food trucks as soon as they move into Gaza. ___

More Than 100 Dead From Hunger in Gaza, Including Dozens of Children
More Than 100 Dead From Hunger in Gaza, Including Dozens of Children

Time​ Magazine

time22 minutes ago

  • Time​ Magazine

More Than 100 Dead From Hunger in Gaza, Including Dozens of Children

At least 113 people in Gaza have died from famine and malnutrition since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday, as international organizations warn that the humanitarian catastrophe is deepening. The latest figure includes two deaths in the past 24 hours, officials said. Among the dead are 81 children. The Health Ministry also reported more than 28,000 cases of malnutrition in Gaza, with over 5,000 cases recorded in July alone. The figures come as the World Health Organization (WHO) this week described Gaza's famine as 'man-made.' 'I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it is man-made and that is very clear… This is because of the blockade,' said WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a news briefing Wednesday. He added that since July 17, all treatment centers for severe acute malnutrition in Gaza have been full and are running out of essential supplies. Meanwhile, more than 100 aid organizations have issued a joint statement urging governments to act, saying they 'must stop waiting for permission.' 'Humanitarian organizations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes,' the statement read. Warehouses both within and just outside Gaza are filled with 'food, clean water, [and] medical supplies,' it said, but aid groups are blocked from accessing them. 'The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,' the statement added. Israel, in response, has rejected blame. 'In Gaza today, there's no famine caused by Israel, there is a man-made shortage, it's been engineered by Hamas,' said Israeli spokesperson David Mencer in an interview with Sky News. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added in a statement to TIME: 'Despite the false claims that are being spread, the State of Israel does not limit the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip.' Health organizations warn of a sharp rise in malnutrition Health workers on the ground described an 'alarming' increase in severe malnutrition. 'Families stated that their diet is almost nonexistent,' said Mohammed Almadhoun, a community health worker in Gaza working for Medical Aid for Palestinians. 'On their luckiest day, they just have dry bread and tea.' Sarah Davies, a spokesperson for the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), said that for most, the best case scenario is finding bread. 'If you don't have that, you're planning the entire day on what you could possibly find [to eat],' she told TIME. Prior to the war in Gaza, an average of 500 aid trucks entered the enclave daily. Gaza has since been under blockade, after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel killing around 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages on Oct. 7 2023. Israel has since imposed a siege on Gaza and has halted the entry of goods into the strip. While the severity of the blockade has fluctuated throughout the war, Israel most recently imposed a near-total blockade on Gaza, that has since been partially lifted in May. Gaza's new aid distribution plan, controlled by the U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) means that nearly all aid entering the enclave can only be collected at certain times from four centers run by GHF, three of which are in the south of Gaza. GHF has faced severe criticism from international organizations, including the United Nations which has called the foundation's aid scheme 'a sadistic death-trap.' Almost 250 organizations signed a joint statement in June calling for change to Gaza's aid distribution, saying that 'starved and weakened civilians are being forced to trek for hours through dangerous terrain and active conflict zones,' under the GHF system. In response, the GHF has said its 'process of securely moving aid into a network of Secure Distribution Sites (SDSs) is allowing for the distribution of millions of lifesaving meals directly to the people of Gaza without interference or diversion.' Hundreds of Palestinians killed while seeking aid The United Nations said Tuesday that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid since the new aid distribution program was established on May 27. 'As of 21 July, we have recorded 1,054 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food… 766 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites and 288 near U.N. and other humanitarian organizations' aid convoys,' said spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan. The Israel Defense Forces said they conducted thorough investigations following reports of civilian casualties at aid distribution points. 'Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned,' the IDF said in a statement to TIME. 'The aforementioned incidents are under review by the competent authorities in the IDF.' At the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, Davies noted that more than 3,400 patients have been treated for weapon wounds since May 27. 'A very high majority of those do tell us that they were attempting to access these [GHF] food distribution sites when they were injured, and there is a very high percentage of gunshot wounds to those patients.' The ICRC was not able to confirm where gunfire that has injured patients has come from. She added that the issue of hunger is being compounded by a number of other 'catastrophic' challenges. 'People have been wounded, people are grieving, they've lost family members who've been killed, children who have been killed,' she said. 'They've lost their homes.' Since the start of the war, Gaza's Health Ministry has reported that over 59,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Journalists in Gaza face starvation On Thursday, major news agencies including the BBC, Reuters, AFP, and The Associated Press issued a rare joint statement warning that Gaza-based journalists—often the only reporters able to document conditions on the ground—are now facing the same desperate hunger as those they cover. 'For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza,' the statement read. 'They are now unable to feed themselves and their families.'

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