Hamas says examining new US deal for Gaza
GAZA: Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday (May 29) said it was examining a new deal proposed by a US envoy, as rescuers said at least 44 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip.
Negotiations on a ceasefire to end 18 months of devastating war have yet to yield a breakthrough since Israel resumed operations in the war-ravaged territory in March after a brief truce.
But US envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism on Wednesday, saying he expected to propose a plan soon.
Hamas later said it had "received Witkoff's new proposal from the mediators and is currently studying it responsibly".
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire despite aid finally beginning to trickle back into the territory after a more than two-month blockade by Israel.
Food security experts say starvation is looming for one in five people.
The Israeli military has also recently stepped up its offensive in the territory in what it says is a renewed push to destroy Hamas, whose Oct 7, 2023, attack triggered the war.
Gaza civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP "44 people have been killed in Israeli raids", including 23 in a strike on home in Al-Bureij.
"Two people were killed and several injured by Israeli forces' gunfire this morning near the American aid centre in the Morag axis, southern Gaza Strip," he added.
The centre, run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is part of a new system for distributing aid that Israel says is meant to keep supplies out of the hands of Hamas, but which has drawn criticism from the United Nations and the European Union.
"What is happening to us is degrading. The crowding is humiliating us," said Gazan Sobhi Areef, who visited a GHF centre on Thursday.
"HORDES OF HUNGRY PEOPLE"
"We go there and risk our lives just to get a bag of flour to feed our children."
The Israeli military said it was not aware of the shooting incident, and that it was looking into the reported deaths in Al-Bureij.
Separately, it said in a statement that its forces had struck "dozens of terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip" over the past day.
In a telephone call Thursday with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Israel's "systematic starvation tactics have crossed all moral and legal boundaries".
On Wednesday, thousands of desperate Palestinians stormed a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in central Gaza, with Israel and the UN trading blame over the deepening hunger crisis.
AFP footage showed crowds of Palestinians breaking into the WFP facility in Deir al-Balah and taking bags of emergency food supplies as gunshots rang out.
"Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP's Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution," the UN agency said in a statement.
The issue of aid has come sharply into focus amid starvation fears and intense criticism of the GHF, which has bypassed the longstanding UN-led system in the territory.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told the Security Council that aid was entering Gaza by truck -- under limited authorisation by Israel at the Kerem Shalom crossing -- and accused the UN of "trying to block" GHF's work through "threats, intimidation and retaliation against NGOs that choose to participate".
The UN has said it is doing its utmost to facilitate distribution of the limited assistance allowed by Israel's authorities
The world body said 47 people were wounded Tuesday when crowds of Palestinians rushed a GHF site. A Palestinian medical source reported at least one death.
"CHAOTIC"
GHF, however, disputed that anyone had died or been injured, saying in a statement that there had been "several inaccuracies" circulating about its operations, adding "there are many parties who wish to see GHF fail".
But 60-year-old Abu Fawzi Faroukh, who visited a GHF centre on Thursday, said the situation there was "so chaotic".
"The young men are the ones who have received aid first, yesterday and today, because they are young and can carry loads, but the old people and women cannot enter due to the crowding," he told AFP.
On Thursday, the military said an "employee of a contracting company that carries out engineering work" was killed in northern Gaza.
The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Out of 251 hostages seized during the attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34, the Israeli military says, are dead.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday that at least 3,986 people had been killed in the territory since Israel ended the ceasefire on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,249, mostly civilians.
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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘I felt a bullet': Palestinians recount deadly shooting near new Gaza aid site
Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution centre of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah on June 5, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip – Hungry and desperate, they raced to secure just one box of food. After nearly three months without any aid entering the Gaza Strip, Palestinians had learned that an Israeli-backed aid site would open in Rafah. Israel promised an orderly system that would improve on the United Nations' efforts to distribute much-needed food to Palestinians in Gaza. Almost from the beginning, things went horribly wrong. On the night of May 31, Mr Mohammed Abdulal, 30, travelled 18 miles (29km) and joined thousands of people aggressively pushing their way forward, trying to reach the aid site. Israeli forces formed a wide perimeter around the site, which was overseen by US private security contractors. Suddenly, he heard a hail of gunfire, forcing people to flee in every direction, their terrified screams filling the night sky. A bullet ripped through Mr Abdulal's face, leaving him writhing in pain. 'I only took two steps before I felt a bullet tear into my right cheek and neck,' he said. 'I started shouting: 'People, I'm wounded. Help me.'' The rollout of the new aid effort over the past week by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an effort conceived in Israel and endorsed by the United States, was supposed to help Palestinians get aid while keeping it out of the hands of Hamas. Instead, the effort, criticised by multiple aid groups and the United Nations, has devolved into scenes of chaos and death. The New York Times spoke to eight witnesses who described how attempting to reach the sites had become a life-threatening endeavour. The exact details of the deadly incidents remain murky. The Israeli military has acknowledged firing 'warning shots' toward Palestinians but has not taken responsibility for killing them. Multiple witnesses blamed Israeli forces for the deadly fire, which Gaza health officials say killed dozens of Palestinians trying to secure aid. The procedures for getting the new aid have often been unclear for Palestinians facing widespread hunger after Israel blocked food from entering Gaza. Many have sought to beat the huge crowds flooding the distribution sites by arriving as early as possible, often after walking long distances. While the UN relied on hundreds of distribution sites across Gaza, the Israeli-backed effort has only four, creating a bottleneck. Some Palestinians have tried to advance in the line by taking shortcuts to the aid sites outside the officially marked path, but people both on and off that path appeared to have come under fire, according to three of the witnesses. And people arriving early have been told to come back later by Israeli drones, but many have ignored those calls, worried that they will lose their spot in line, the witnesses said. Mr Mohammad Saqar, 43, said he had braved the shooting on June 1 by crouching low to the ground to avoid getting shot at, even as people were struck nearby. When he finally reached the site, he described a mad scramble as crowds rushed to grab the cardboard boxes of aid strewed in piles on the ground. 'It's like a race for food,' Mr Saqar said. 'Those who win the race get the aid.' Two days later, on June 3, a similar scene unfolded. Amid the crowd, Mr Walid Abdeen, 16, was shot in his upper body when gunfire erupted as he and thousands of other people approached the aid site. He suffered damage to his spleen and kidneys. 'We want food,' he said, struggling to speak after undergoing emergency surgery. 'I had to try to help my family.' Despite the violence, Israeli officials have argued that the new system enables food to reach Palestinians without benefiting Hamas. In contrast, many Palestinians say the United Nations – which governed the aid distribution process for most of the war – was far more humane with its approach, despite its imperfections. The UN and other prominent aid groups have boycotted the new distribution system, accusing Israel of using aid as a part of its military strategy. 'The people are desperate and hungry,' Mr Abdulal said. 'That's why they came.' The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is spearheading the latest aid effort, has sought to downplay the significance of the shootings, saying it has provided more than 100,000 cardboard boxes of food 'without a single incident.' But the group temporarily shut down all its sites on June 4, in an apparent acknowledgment that it had faced challenges in distributing aid, before reopening them the following day. 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Accompanied by his brother, he walked for two hours through darkness to Rafah, where he joined throngs of people trying to secure food. Israeli military vehicles, he said, could be seen in the distance, and drones could be heard hovering in the sky. It was Mr al-Homs' fourth attempt this week to get a box, he said. On previous trips, he said, all the aid had been taken by the time he made it into the distribution site. Mr Al-Homs said people were trying to push their way to the front of the crowd before the shooting began around 4.30am. 'It felt like it came from all over,' he said. His brother was shot in the leg, he said, and taken to a hospital, where he underwent surgery. Despite the danger, Mr al-Homs said, he had few options other than returning to the distribution site so that he could feed his two sons and two daughters. 'This system isn't just at all – it requires me risking my life for food,' he said. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Grandmother files legal complaint over French grandchildren's deaths in Gaza ‘genocide'
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CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Commentary: Why Singapore PM Wong's recent comments on Israel actions in Gaza are significant
SINGAPORE: Last week, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that Israel's restriction of aid into Gaza may be a ' likely breach of international humanitarian law ' that 'cannot be justified'. The comments were the strongest so far by Singapore's leadership since the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct 7, 2023, and Israel's response. Beyond the language, the fact that Mr Wong made those comments at a joint press conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron was significant: Of late, Mr Macron had himself emphasised that Europe should 'harden its collective position' on Israel, including affording official recognition for a Palestinian state. This has come on the back of steps taken by the United Kingdom and Canada to denounce Israel's latest military offensive in Gaza, including the threat of 'concrete actions'. Perhaps what has raised eyebrows the most was German Chancellor Friedrich Merz 's recent comment that he could 'no longer understand' what goal Israel was aiming to achieve with its latest Gaza offensive. It was a clear break from Germany's longstanding 'reason of state' – a special responsibility for Israel on account of the horrors perpetrated against European Jews by the Nazis. These actions point to a growing consensus internationally – even in the West – that Israel should not be given carte blanche in Gaza. But where do statements end, and actions begin? HAS SINGAPORE'S POSITION SHIFTED? Following Mr Wong's remarks, Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim said he agreed with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who wrote in the newspaper Haaretz that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. Prof Faishal took pains to note Israel's contributions to 'Singapore in our early years', but said he thought it was time 'to be frank'. But while the Singapore leaders' remarks received much attention, they should not be seen as a shift in our position. Just four months after Israel began retaliating for Hamas' attacks, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament during the Committee of Supply debates on Feb 29, 2024 that its ' military response has gone too far '. This followed his speech in November 2023, which outlined the three principles of Singapore's position: zero tolerance towards terrorism; the right of self-defence dictated by international law; and that necessity and proportionality should be accounted for if military action is required for self-defence. Put simply, Singapore's position that Israel was using disproportionate force was arrived at quickly. What is less talked about is Singapore's longstanding support for Palestinian aspirations, including its voting record in the United Nations on the issue, and its constant backing for a two-state solution. After the Gaza war began, the government and people have backed their support with actions: The Republic of Singapore Air Force has delivered seven tranches of humanitarian aid to Gaza, totalling over S$19 million, including via air drop operations. The Singapore Armed Forces, together with the Ministry of Health, deployed a medical contingent in April to treat Palestinians in Egypt. When compared to the likes of China, whose aid delivery so far amounted to US$2.75 million – broken down into six shipments of food parcels – Singapore has again punched above its weight in the international arena. AN INCREASINGLY ISOLATED ISRAEL INTERNATIONALLY What is also significant about Mr Wong's remark is that it mirrors the increasing daylight between support for Israel and for the Netanyahu government, around the world, particularly in the West. What began with robust Spanish support for the Palestinians grew into recognition (alongside Ireland and Norway) of a Palestinian state in May 2024, and has now broadened into criticism of Israeli conduct among Israel's closest European friends. The European Union has even moved to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement – the basis for trade relations. Trouble for Israel is brewing across the Atlantic, too. United States President Donald Trump's has reportedly expressed frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, owing to a divide between the former's desire to see an end to the war and the latter's defiance. Mr Trump has blindsided Mr Netanyahu on several other occasions thus far, including negotiating a new nuclear deal with Iran, and brokering direct agreements with Hamas and the Houthis that left Israel sidelined and vulnerable. The US president's high-profile trip to the Middle East just two weeks ago omitted Israel, which spoke volumes – and that is before one accounts for his decision to lift sanctions on Syria. To rub salt in the wound, Vice President JD Vance scrapped a planned visit to Israel, too, reportedly over concerns that such a trip would validate its renewed offensive into Gaza. It must be said, however, that the current wave of criticism remains just that. Whether the US, Europe, or others will apply more than vocal and symbolic pressure on Israel in order to change the situation on the ground remains to be seen. INTRANSIGENCE LEADS TO IMMOBILITY Nevertheless, prospects for ending the war remain bleak for one reason: Neither side in Gaza has come down from their hardline positions. For every move made by Israel that prolongs the conflict, Hamas has one of its own. It recently torpedoed a US-backed ceasefire proposal with additional demands. As US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said, the Hamas response 'only takes us backward', when the original intention was build momentum with 'substantive negotiations in good faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire'. If external pressure is not working, perhaps domestic concerns will force a rethink, as discontent continues to percolate. In Israel, public letters by reservists denouncing the continuation of war and poll findings that indicate a lack of trust (at 70 per cent) in the government, point to Mr Netanyahu's precarious position. The latest survey conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals that 53 per cent of Israelis view the prime minister unfavourably. Likewise, in Gaza, support for Hamas has dwindled. Findings released by the Palestinian Center for Policy Survey Research show a significant drop in Gazan support for Hamas, from 64 per cent in June 2024 to 39 per cent in September 2024. In March this year, Palestinians also took to the streets in the Strip to demonstrate against Hamas, with chants of 'we want an end to the war'. This should make both sides realise that an off-ramp is needed quickly. If this is to happen sooner rather than later, consistent messages from Israel's friends – like the ones from Singapore – rather than hopping between unconditional support and shrill warnings, will be key.
