UN blasts new US-backed aid distribution system in Gaza
The UN on Wednesday condemned a US-backed aid system in Gaza after 47 people were injured during a chaotic food distribution that saw shots fired by the Israeli military.
The issue of aid has come sharply into focus amid a hunger crisis coupled with intense criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a shadowy group that has bypassed the longstanding UN-led system in the territory.
With the war sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel entering its 600th day on Wednesday, Palestinians in Gaza felt there was no reason to hope for a better future.
In Israel, the relatives of people held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 attack longed for the return of their loved ones, with hundreds gathering in their name in Tel Aviv.
"Six hundred days have passed and nothing has changed. Death continues, and Israeli bombing does not stop," said Bassam Daloul, 40, adding that "even hoping for a ceasefire feels like a dream and a nightmare."
Daloul, who said his family has been displaced 20 times since the start of the war, pointed to shortages of everything from clean water and food to medicine and electricity.
On Tuesday, scenes of desperation and mayhem erupted at a GHF aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, with shots fired by the Israeli military as thousands of Palestinians rushed into the site.
According to the UN, 47 people were injured in the chaos while a Palestinian medical source said at least one had died.
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots, though Ajith Sunghay, the head of UN Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territories, said most of the wounded had been hurt by gunfire.
The UN has repeatedly hit out against the GHF, and Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, on Wednesday reiterated the criticism.
"I believe it is a waste of resources and a distraction from atrocities. We already have an aid distribution system that is fit for purpose," he said during a visit in Japan.
- 'Bread and water' -
On the ground in Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes killed 16 people since dawn Wednesday.
Heba Jabr, 29, who sleeps in a tent in southern Gaza with her husband and their two children, was struggling to find food.
"Dying by bombing is much better than dying from the humiliation of hunger and being unable to provide bread and water for your children", she told AFP.
Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza for over two months, before allowing supplies in at a trickle last week.
A medical source in southern Gaza told AFP that after Tuesday's stampede "more than 40 injured people arrived at Nasser Hospital, the majority of them wounded by Israeli gunfire", adding that at least one had died since.
The source added that "a number of other civilians also arrived at the hospital with various bruises".
Israel's military said in a statement that it "did not carry out any aerial fire toward the humanitarian aid distribution centre in the Rafah area."
It added that "troops fired warning shots in the area outside the compound".
- Hostage families' anguish -
In a statement on Tuesday, the GHF said around "8,000 food boxes have been distributed so far... totalling 462,000 meals".
UN agencies and aid groups have argued that the GHF's designation of so-called secure distribution sites contravenes the principle of humanity because it would force already displaced people to move again in order to stay alive.
Israel stepped up its military offensive in Gaza earlier this month, while mediators push for a ceasefire that remains elusive.
In Israel, hundreds of people gathered to call for a ceasefire that would allow for the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza since their 2023 attack.
Protesters gathered along the country's roads and on the main highway running through the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv at 6:29 am, the exact time the unprecedented October 7 attack began.
Most Israeli media headlines read "600 days", and focused on the hostage families' struggle to get their relatives home.
Other events were planned across Israel to make the 600th day of captivity for the 57 remaining hostages still in Gaza.
Some 1,218 people were killed in Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Wednesday that at least 3,924 people had been killed in the territory since Israel ended a ceasefire on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,084, mostly civilians.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
McKenzie slams Marles over sanctions on Israeli ministers
Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie criticises Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles for his agreement with the sanctions placed on two Israeli ministers by the Albanese government. 'I don't think having criticism internally to a country, isn't a reason to sanction ministers that are democratically elected, even if you don't agree with what they say,' Ms McKenzie told Sky News Australia. 'If you're actually interested in peace in Gaza … ceasefire has to occur and the precursors are, return the hostages dead or alive, and Hamas surrender, then a genuine ceasefire process can get underway.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Coalition probes Israel sanctions amid AUKUS review
The Coalition is questioning if the Albanese government sanctioning two senior Israeli ministers prompted the Trump administration's AUKUS review. Australia on Wednesday joined Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the UK in slapping travel bans and financial blocks on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich 'for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank'. The move has been criticised by the opposition and condemned by Israel and the US. It is also the latest sign of a White House increasingly at odds with Canberra on major foreign policy positions. Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said on Thursday the AUKUS review 'came out of the blue and there are very serious questions the government and Defence Minister need to answer'. 'Was the government position on sanctioning two Israeli ministers a contributor to triggering the timing or existence of this review in the first place?' Mr Taylor asked while fronting reporters in Canberra. 'The truth is many things could have triggered this review, I have outlined some, and … there are different views within the United States, the administration, and these things can happen through triggers that happen on the day. 'I do not know the answers, but we deserve answers.' He added that the opposition 'would strongly welcome a briefing' on private AUKUS talks so Labor and the Coalition could 'work on a bipartisan basis'. Sussan Ley has also slammed the sanctions as 'counter-productive'. 'It's unprecedented to as a government take actions, sanctions on members of a democratically elected government, and it appears that Penny Wong acted unilaterally on this,' the Opposition Leader told Sky News. 'We want an enduring peace for the people of the region, we all want that more than ever, and the US has explained that these actions are actually counter-productive to securing that ceasefire and that peace, and the government should be paying attention to that.' Indeed, the Trump administration was scathing in its response to Wednesday's sanctions, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying they 'do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war'. 'We reject any notion of equivalence,' Mr Rubio said. 'Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. 'We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. 'The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel.' Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has defended sanctions, saying the Albanese government 'worked very carefully in relation to taking this step over a period of time … in co-ordination with other like minded countries'. 'At the end of the day, we stand for the maintenance of humanitarian law,' Mr Marles said, also speaking to Sky. 'We want to see a ceasefire, we want to see humanitarian assistance flow to Gaza, we obviously want to see a return of the hostages to Israel, and all of us want to work towards a place of peace and that's the focus of the way in which we're exercising our international voice.' He also said he knew about the AUKUS review 'for some time'. The sanctions came after the Israeli government announced last month that it would build nearly two dozen new settlements in the West Bank along a key highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It also said it would legalise some settlements built in the Palestinian territory without the green light from the government. Both Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich are also known for their hard-line stances on Gaza, with Mr Ben-Gvir publicly backing forced migration of Palestinians from the war-torn strip. In a statement, the foreign ministers of the Western sanctioning countries said the penalties 'do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel's security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas'.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Judge orders US to release pro-Palestine protester
The Trump administration cannot use US foreign policy interests to justify its detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a judge has ruled but stopped short of ordering Khalil's immediate release. US District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, said his ruling would not take effect until Friday to give the administration the chance to appeal. Farbiarz wrote that the administration was violating Khalil's right to free speech by detaining and trying to deport him under a little-used provision of US immigration law granting the US secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests. "The Petitioner's career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled," Farbiarz wrote. "This adds up to irreparable harm." The judge also barred the administration from deporting Khalil on the grounds that his presence was allegedly adverse to US foreign policy. "This is the news we've been waiting over three months for," Khalil's wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, said on Wednesday. "Mahmoud must be released immediately and safely returned home to New York to be with me and our newborn baby, Deen." Neither the State Department nor the Justice Department, which represents the administration in court, immediately responded to requests for comment. Khalil was arrested on March 8 after the State Department revoked his green card. He has since been held in immigration detention in Louisiana. Khalil was the first known foreign student to be arrested as part of Republican President Donald Trump's bid to deport foreign students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that swept US college campuses after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military assault. The Hamas attack killed 1195 people, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The Trump administration cannot use US foreign policy interests to justify its detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a judge has ruled but stopped short of ordering Khalil's immediate release. US District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, said his ruling would not take effect until Friday to give the administration the chance to appeal. Farbiarz wrote that the administration was violating Khalil's right to free speech by detaining and trying to deport him under a little-used provision of US immigration law granting the US secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests. "The Petitioner's career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled," Farbiarz wrote. "This adds up to irreparable harm." The judge also barred the administration from deporting Khalil on the grounds that his presence was allegedly adverse to US foreign policy. "This is the news we've been waiting over three months for," Khalil's wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, said on Wednesday. "Mahmoud must be released immediately and safely returned home to New York to be with me and our newborn baby, Deen." Neither the State Department nor the Justice Department, which represents the administration in court, immediately responded to requests for comment. Khalil was arrested on March 8 after the State Department revoked his green card. He has since been held in immigration detention in Louisiana. Khalil was the first known foreign student to be arrested as part of Republican President Donald Trump's bid to deport foreign students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that swept US college campuses after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military assault. The Hamas attack killed 1195 people, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The Trump administration cannot use US foreign policy interests to justify its detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a judge has ruled but stopped short of ordering Khalil's immediate release. US District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, said his ruling would not take effect until Friday to give the administration the chance to appeal. Farbiarz wrote that the administration was violating Khalil's right to free speech by detaining and trying to deport him under a little-used provision of US immigration law granting the US secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests. "The Petitioner's career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled," Farbiarz wrote. "This adds up to irreparable harm." The judge also barred the administration from deporting Khalil on the grounds that his presence was allegedly adverse to US foreign policy. "This is the news we've been waiting over three months for," Khalil's wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, said on Wednesday. "Mahmoud must be released immediately and safely returned home to New York to be with me and our newborn baby, Deen." Neither the State Department nor the Justice Department, which represents the administration in court, immediately responded to requests for comment. Khalil was arrested on March 8 after the State Department revoked his green card. He has since been held in immigration detention in Louisiana. Khalil was the first known foreign student to be arrested as part of Republican President Donald Trump's bid to deport foreign students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that swept US college campuses after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military assault. The Hamas attack killed 1195 people, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The Trump administration cannot use US foreign policy interests to justify its detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a judge has ruled but stopped short of ordering Khalil's immediate release. US District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, said his ruling would not take effect until Friday to give the administration the chance to appeal. Farbiarz wrote that the administration was violating Khalil's right to free speech by detaining and trying to deport him under a little-used provision of US immigration law granting the US secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests. "The Petitioner's career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled," Farbiarz wrote. "This adds up to irreparable harm." The judge also barred the administration from deporting Khalil on the grounds that his presence was allegedly adverse to US foreign policy. "This is the news we've been waiting over three months for," Khalil's wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, said on Wednesday. "Mahmoud must be released immediately and safely returned home to New York to be with me and our newborn baby, Deen." Neither the State Department nor the Justice Department, which represents the administration in court, immediately responded to requests for comment. Khalil was arrested on March 8 after the State Department revoked his green card. He has since been held in immigration detention in Louisiana. Khalil was the first known foreign student to be arrested as part of Republican President Donald Trump's bid to deport foreign students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that swept US college campuses after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military assault. The Hamas attack killed 1195 people, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
