Israel will allow foreign countries to drop aid into Gaza from Friday, army radio says
An Israeli military spokesperson did not immediately reply to a Reuters request seeking confirmation.
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13 minutes ago
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Israel ‘using thirst as a weapon to kill Palestinians' in Gaza, UN experts say
NEW YORK CITY: A group of UN human rights experts on Monday accused Israeli authorities of deliberately depriving Palestinians in Gaza of access to clean drinking water. They described this alleged action as a grave violation of international law and a potential crime against humanity. 'Israel is using thirst as a weapon to kill Palestinians,' the experts said. 'Cutting off water and food is a silent but lethal bomb that kills mostly children and babies.' The independent experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, said that water and sanitation systems in Gaza have been systematically targeted throughout the Israel's ongoing military campaign. Since the conflict began in October 2023, Israeli forces have destroyed or severely damaged wells, pipelines, desalination plants and sewage networks. According to the UN, nearly 90 percent of the territory's water infrastructure is no longer functional, leaving more than 90 percent of the population without reliable access to safe water supplies. As summer temperatures soar and hygiene conditions deteriorate rapidly, fatalities from dehydration are increasing and outbreaks of waterborne disease are spreading. Most of the 2 million residents of Gaza have been displaced, with many of them forced to drink contaminated water and live without even basic sanitation. 'This catastrophe was not only predictable, it was predicted,' the UN experts said. 'The deliberate denial of water and essential supplies is part of a pattern of collective punishment and may amount to extermination under international law.' The experts referred to an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in July 2024, which reaffirmed Israel's obligations as an occupying power to ensure civilians are able to access adequate supplies of food and water. Instead, the experts noted, Israeli authorities have further reduced the already limited flow of emergency water deliveries, and continue to block essential shipments of fuel required to power desalination and sanitation systems. The UN Relief and Works Agency, the main humanitarian agency in Gaza, has warned that it will be forced to close several of its remaining wells entirely unless immediate authorization is granted for fuel deliveries to the territory. These sources currently provide hundreds of thousands of liters of water to people each day for drinking and hygiene purposes. 'With fuel supplies nearly exhausted, humanitarian organizations are scaling back life-saving work, including the distribution of water,' the UN experts said. Describing the situation as 'barbaric,' they added that the actions of the Israeli government meet the legal definition of genocide. They cited the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court and defines genocide as 'deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of a population.' They urged the international community to act decisively, calling for the immediate deployment of naval humanitarian missions from Mediterranean ports to deliver fuel, water and aid workers to Gaza. They also called for urgent action to restore water and sanitation systems in Gaza, and an end to restrictions on humanitarian access. 'The international community must act now to end this inhumane and unlawful deprivation,' the experts said. 'This is a test of global conscience — and failure is not an option.' The statement was issued by seven of UN's special rapporteurs and experts responsible for issues related to human rights, water and sanitation, food, health, displaced persons, and the occupied Palestinian territories. They operate independently, are not members of UN staff, work on a voluntary basis and do not speak on behalf of the organization.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Crete protesters try to block arrival of Israeli tourists
ATHENS: Greek police used tear gas and made arrests as some 300 people tried to block an Israeli cruise ship on the island of Crete, the latest in a series of protests targeting the vessel. The protesters at the port of Agios Nikolaos waved banners saying 'Stop the genocide' as the Crown Iris approached, according to images on the public broadcaster ERT. The images also showed police using tear gas to disperse the crowd, allowing several hundred passengers to board buses on the island. 'I had a sore throat from the tear gas and had to leave the demonstration,' Elena Toutoudaki, a teacher in her fifties, told AFP. Three people were arrested before being released, according to a local police source. Protesters have targeted the Crown Iris, with around 600 mostly Israelis on board, in other Greek islands. On Monday, protesters scuffled with police who made eight arrests as it docked in Rhodes, media reports said, while last week 200 people protested in Syros as the ship approached. Police had insisted passengers could disembark on Syros, but the Times of Israel reported that the ship's owners decided to skip the island. Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Mihalis Chryssohoidis subsequently said anyone who 'prevents a citizen of a third country from visiting our country will be prosecuted under the anti-racism law.' Numerous demonstrations against the Israeli war on Gaza have taken place in Athens and other cities across Greece.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Far-right minister says Israel should reoccupy Gaza
JERUSALEM: Israel should reoccupy Gaza rather than negotiate with Hamas, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Tuesday at an event marking the 20th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal of settlers from the Palestinian territory. 'Gaza is an integral part of Israel. How to move on to a tangible plan (for resettlement)? We need to need think about it, and above all we must succeed,' said Smotrich, who lives in a settlement in the occupied West Bank. Smotrich, who had threatened to leave the government if it allowed aid into Gaza, was on the back foot a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized new humanitarian deliveries. 'If I'm still in the government despite everything, it's probably because I have good reasons to believe positive things are about to happen,' the head of the Religious Zionism Party said. Smotrich evoked the 2005 withdrawal in which Israel evacuated 8,000 settlers and its soldiers from the Gaza Strip. 'Who could have thought 20 years ago that Gaza would be like it is now?' he asked the audience, before suggesting that conditions in the territory now favored a return of Israeli settlers. During a meeting at the Israeli parliament last week, elected officials and ministers were presented with a plan for the construction of new settlements. 'This is doable and realistic. I'm very optimistic. Conquering Gaza and settling it as an integral part of the State of Israel,' Smotrich said at the time. Fellow far-right minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf echoed his comment. 'This is the price that the terrorists must pay, and God willing, as soon as possible,' he said. Several Israeli far-right groups will march Wednesday under the slogan '20 years later, we're coming back to the Gaza Strip.' Gaza's Hamas government reacted angrily to Smotrich's remarks, calling them 'an explicit threat to continue the crimes of genocide and forced displacement against our people.'
