UN says no aid distributed yet in Gaza
WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) - No humanitarian aid has been distributed yet in the Gaza Strip, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday, despite more supplies being dropped off on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
"Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kerem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to to bring those supplies into our warehouse," Dujarric said.
Israel allowed limited aid deliveries to Gaza to resume on Monday after an 11 week blockade.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
More Gaza aid boat activists ‘deported' days after Greta Thunberg
Israel is deporting six more activists who were detained after the seizure of an aid boat bound for Gaza, according to the rights group representing them. Among those reportedly being deported is Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament previously barred from Israel for supporting boycotts. The activists were part of a group of 12 aboard the Madleen, aiming to break Israel's blockade and deliver aid to Gaza. Greta Thunberg, who was also on the boat, was deported earlier. She accused Israel of kidnapping her and preventing aid from getting to starving Palestinians. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition organised the journey to protest Israel's blockade and military actions in Gaza, which experts say have led to near-famine conditions.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Baghdad US embassy evacuated amid fears of Israeli strike on Iran
The United States has told embassy staff in Iraq to evacuate amid fears Israel could be poised to strike Iran within days, regardless of American support. Non-essential US embassy staff in Baghdad are set to leave due to heightened security risks, US government sources have warned without elaborating. President Donald Trump told media on Wednesday that 'they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place and we'll see what happens'. Asked why family members of military personnel were allowed to voluntarily leave the region, he ominously replied: 'You'll have to see.' White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said that the decision was taken 'as a result of a recent review' by the State Department, without mentioning a possible attack. But fears of an Israeli attack on Iran have escalated dramatically in recent days, with delicate nuclear talks between Iran and the United States appearing to stall. Multiple sources told CBS that US officials have been warned that Israel is fully ready to launch an operation into Iran, having long opposed any deal. Trump acknowledged the perceived threat in comments on Wednesday, saying 'we are not going to allow' Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Iranian defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned, meanwhile, that if talks do fail and 'a conflict is imposed on us', Iran 'will target all US bases in the host countries'. A strike on Iran would disrupt the ongoing talks with the United States, now approaching their sixth round. Oman confirmed this morning that it would host the expected US-Iran talks in Muscat on Sunday. Israel is said to have become more serious about a strike on Iran as the talks approach a preliminary or framework agreement that includes provisions about uranium enrichment that Israel views as unacceptable, NBC reports, citing five people with knowledge of the situation. A lingering concern is that Iran could retaliate against US personnel or assets in the region for any action by Israel, the report notes. Sources told the outlet that they were not aware of any planned US involvement in the possible action. The US could - in theory - support Israel with aerial refuelling or intelligence sharing, rather than direct action against Iran, but the sources were not aware of plans for that, either. Israel has long been wary of any nuclear deal with Iran, and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says that Israel has conducted multiple operations to restrain Iran's nuclear programme. Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons already. Trump, who has already told Israel it would be 'inappropriate' to strike Iran as 'we're very close to a solution', is now waiting on Iran's response to its latest proposals. Tehran said on Monday it would present a counter-proposal on a nuclear deal, suggesting Washington's offer still contained 'ambiguities'. It is also seeking relief from sanctions. Iran and the US have been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran's uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a 'non-negotiable' right and Washington describing it as a 'red line'. Iran assures that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful. But the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has not been able to verify this and in May published a damning report that claimed Iran had carried out secret nuclear activities with undeclared material. Today, the IAEA found that Iran has failed to meet its nuclear non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years, likely to set back any talks. U.S defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that there were 'plenty of indications' that Iran is moving towards developing a nuclear weapon, and political opponents of the regime claimed this week to have uncovered evidence that Tehran was intensifying efforts to acquire long-distance nuclear weapons. 'There are plenty of indications that they have been moving their way towards something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon,' Hegseth said at a hearing on Wednesday. A US defence official said Hegseth authorised the voluntary departure of military dependants from locations across the Middle East. Non-essential personnel and their family members have been allowed to leave in Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait - all sitting between Israel and Iran. In Israel, Netanyahu's hard-right government survived an opposition bid to dissolve parliament on Thursday, as lawmakers rejected a bill that could have paved the way for snap elections. Out of the Knesset's 120 members, 61 voted against the proposal, with 53 in favour. The opposition had introduced the bill hoping to force elections with the help of ultra-Orthodox parties in the governing coalition angry at Netanyahu over the contentious issue of exemptions from military service for their community.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Israel ‘deporting six more activists' detained on Gaza aid boat with Greta Thunberg
Israel is deporting six more activists who were detained when it seized an aid boat bound for the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, according to the rights group representing them. The six include Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament who Israel had previously barred from entering Israel and the Palestinian territories, citing her support for boycotts of the country. They were among 12 passengers, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aboard the Madleen, a boat that sought to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid. Israel seized the vessel early Monday and deported Thunberg and three others the following day. Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, with Israel's Foreign Ministry sharing a photo of the activist on a plane, saying that she was headed for France. 'We did nothing wrong,' the 22-year-old told reporters after landing in Paris, accusing Israel of kidnapping her. 'We were 12 peaceful volunteers sailing on a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid on international waters,' she said. She spoke of war crimes 'that Israel is systematically committing against Palestinians by not letting aid come to starving people'. The last two activists are expected to be deported on Friday, according to Adalah, a local human rights group representing them. It said the activists were subjected to 'mistreatment, punitive measures, and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some period of time in solitary confinement.' Israeli authorities declined to comment on their treatment. Israel says it treats detainees in a lawful manner and investigates any allegations of abuse. Israel portrayed the voyage as a media spectacle, dubbing it the 'selfie yacht." It says the blockade, which it has imposed in various forms along with Egypt since Hamas seized power in 2007, is needed to prevent the militant group from importing arms. Critics view it as collective punishment of Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said those activists who signed deportation documents would be deported immediately while those who refused would be brought before a judicial authority to authorize their deportation in keeping with Israeli law. The activists have protested that they had no intention of entering Israel and were brought there against their will. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the journey, said it was aimed at protesting Israel's blockade of Gaza and ongoing military campaign there, which experts say has pushed the territory to the brink of famine more than 20 months into the Israel-Hamas war.
