Thousands storm World Food Programme warehouse in Deir Al Balah
A displaced Palestinian youth carries a bag of food aid on his shoulders after people stormed a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir Al Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday. AFP
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The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Shooting the messenger: Trump administration increases attacks on media
The Trump administration is increasing its war on the media, with a new line of attack seeming to be that outlets reporting on Gaza are fuelling a rise in anti-Semitism in the US. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, has accused AP, The New York Times and CNN of spreading 'lies' and Hamas propaganda in their coverage of the long-overdue distribution of aid in Gaza, where Israel only recently began to allow food in after a nearly three-month blockade. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt levied similar charges against the BBC. Dozens of people were shot or wounded in an incident at a food distribution centre on Sunday. It remains unclear what exactly happened, largely because Israel has banned international journalists from entering the Palestinian territory. Israel denied shooting at people but witnesses and residents told The National that the Israeli army fired at civilians. The Red Cross reported a "mass casualty influx" of 179 people at a field hospital in Rafah, of whom 21 were declared dead on arrival. Yet somehow, and with total and unequivocal certainty, Mr Huckabee knows that any reports of the Israeli military shooting at people as they tried to collect food are false. 'There were no injuries, no fatalities, no shooting, no chaos,' he said in a statement published by the US embassy. 'The only source for these misleading, exaggerated and utterly fabricated stories came from Hamas sources, which are designed to fan the flames of anti-Semitic hate that is arguably contributing to violence against Jews in the United States." He said the news outlets are 'contributing to the anti-Semitic climate' that led to the murder of Israeli embassy staff members in Washington and the terror attack on a group of pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado at the weekend. The former Arkansas governor further demanded 'an immediate retraction of the lies' and called on the media to act with 'objective professionalism'. Could Hamas have been involved in the shootings or exaggerated casualty numbers? It's possible. Could the Israeli military have opened fire on groups of civilians? It's also possible, and they acknowledged firing warning shots at crowds in an incident on Tuesday. In time, more details will emerge of what has been happening at these aid distribution sites. If the media have got it wrong, we will correct the record. One wonders if Mr Huckabee would do the same. The ambassador's statement came days after Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth expanded his own war on the press. He issued a memo banning Pentagon reporters from roaming around America's military headquarters, a privilege they have enjoyed for decades under Republican and Democratic administrations. America used to pride itself on granting media access to the heart of its defence ministry, but now Mr Hegseth says reporters need a minder even if they are to walk from the 'bullpen' where they work to any of the Navy, Army or Marine Corps press offices dotted around the enormous building. "There is no way to sugarcoat it. [The] memo by Secretary Hegseth appears to be a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America's right to know what its military is doing," the Pentagon Press Association wrote. Mr Hegseth, who has yet to hold a proper media conference in the Pentagon since taking office, gives the risk of leaks of sensitive information as justification for his clampdown. Strange, considering one of the biggest scandals of Mr Trump's second term came when the Pentagon chief accidentally shared plans to attack the Houthis on Signal with a journalist. I should note here that the US State Department is doing much better than the Pentagon, as it continues to provide regular briefings. Mr Trump has never shown much love for journalists. During his first term, he called us the 'enemy of the people' and described as ' fake news ' many stories that were critical of his administration. Now in his second term, he is taking his views much further by curtailing traditional media access to White House events while making space for newer, and frequently right-wing, outlets. He is also threatening to sue the media industry and has punished AP for having the temerity to call the " Gulf of America" the Gulf of Mexico in its style guide. The Trump administration says it is offsetting a liberal bias in the media and boosting transparency for the American public, contrasting his free-wheeling question-and-answer sessions in the Oval Office to his predecessor Joe Biden's carefully stage-managed, yet often bumbling press engagements. It's a worrying trend with serious ramifications for a country that has long prided itself on its right to free speech, enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution.
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
US vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding full humanitarian access to Gaza
The US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Wednesday demanding an 'immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire' in Gaza and full humanitarian access, as aid groups warn of famine-like conditions in the enclave after months of war. The resolution received 14 votes in favour, with only the US opposing it. The draft resolution, proposed by the 10 non-permanent council members, also urged the 'immediate lifting of all restrictions' on humanitarian aid into Gaza, ensuring safe and large-scale distribution throughout the besieged enclave. Washington's veto blocked the measure, which required at least nine "yes" votes and no vetoes from the five permanent members – the US, Russia, China, Britain or France – to pass. The veto is the first by Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January. And it's the fifth draft resolution on the Gaza war vetoed by the US since the conflict started in October 2023. The Security Council has struggled to act on the conflict, with previous ceasefire attempts also failing. 'US opposition to this resolution should come as no surprise,' acting US Charge D'Affaires Dorothy Shea told Council members. 'It is unacceptable for what it does say. it is unacceptable for what it does not say, and it is unacceptable for the manner in which it has been advanced." She stressed that the United States has been clear that it would not support 'any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza." "We cannot allow the Security Council to reward Hamas is intransigence,' she added. The text, drafted by Slovenia alongside Algeria and Guyana, repeated the council's demand for the 'immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups". 'It was never our intention to provoke a veto,' Slovenia's ambassador to the UN, Samuel Zbogar, told council members. 'We were aware of different positions inside the council. This is why the draft resolution had only one focus, a humanitarian one." Mr Zbogar called on the council to 'unite around this urgent demand for unimpeded humanitarian access and for food to be delivered to starving civilians'. Starving civilians and inflicting immense suffering is inhumane, he argued, and against international law. 'No war objective can justify such action,' he said. '14 votes in favour however carries a strong message. Enough of suffering of civilians. Enough of food being used as a weapon. Enough is enough is enough.' Israel has come under mounting international pressure to halt its war in Gaza, a conflict sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israeli soil. Criticism has intensified over the chaotic aid distribution in Gaza, where Israel imposed a complete blockade for over two months before permitting a limited number of UN aid vehicles to enter in mid-May. The amount of aid Israel has authorised to enter Gaza amounts to 'a teaspoon', when a flood of humanitarian assistance is needed, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said last month. Meanwhile, the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) has faced backlash for allegedly violating established aid principles by coordinating relief efforts with a military party to the conflict. The war, now in its 20th month, has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza authorities. The Palestinian militant group Hamas is still holding 58 hostages taken during the October 7 attacks. About a third are believed to still be alive.
Zawya
6 hours ago
- Zawya
President El-Sisi and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Meet in Abu Dhabi
Today, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, received President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Following the reception ceremony, the two Presidents headed to Qasr Al Shatie, where they held a meeting. The two leaders focused on bilateral relations and explored avenues to strengthen ties in a manner that serves the interests and aspirations of the two countries and their brotherly peoples, particularly in the economic, trade, and investment spheres. Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said the meeting discussed regional developments and means of restoring security and stability in the Middle East. The two sides underscored the critical importance of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and an exchange of hostages and detainees. For his part, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed lauded Egypt's unyielding efforts since the outbreak of the crisis, in mediating a ceasefire agreement in the Strip, protecting the people of Gaza and striving to alleviate their dire humanitarian suffering. The two leaders affirmed the imperative of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza in adequate quantities and without impediments, to save the people of the Strip from the dire humanitarian catastrophe. They reiterated the urgency to continue efforts to realize the two-state solution as the only path towards enduring peace and comprehensive stability in the Middle East. The meeting also addressed the situations in Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia as well as other regional developments. President El-Sisi and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed confirmed the paramount need to protect the security and sovereignty of these countries, thereby achieving their peoples' aspirations for stability and prosperity. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
