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Videos 'show hundreds of Palestinians descend on aid trucks in Gaza' as Israel begins 'pause' in fighting and Netanyahu denies 'man-made, mass starvation' claims

Videos 'show hundreds of Palestinians descend on aid trucks in Gaza' as Israel begins 'pause' in fighting and Netanyahu denies 'man-made, mass starvation' claims

Daily Mail​a day ago
Heartbreaking scenes purport to show hundreds of Palestinians scrambling for food as trucks entered Gaza from Rafah.
Footage shared by Turkish outlet TRT showed men climbing onto vehicles, reportedly after the Israeli military began pauses in the fighting to allow the delivery of aid.
Israel yesterday announced limited pauses in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, part of measures to open the flow of aid as hunger concerns surge.
On Monday, Israel said that more than 120 truckloads of food aid had been distributed by the UN and other aid agencies on the first day of the partial pause.
Tom Fletcher, the United Nations aid chief, said he expected the pauses to last 'a week or so', which he said was 'clearly insufficient' for the scale of the 'atrocity'.
He told the BBC 's Today Programme that they faced challenges in bringing aid to Gaza, as 'starving' civilians know the routes of delivery.
'Most of the lorries' on Sunday had flour taken off them by desperate civilians, he said.
The people of Gaza got 'quite a bit of food in' yesterday, but 'lots of that got looted', he said.
Similar scenes claimed to show 'thousands of Palestinians seeking food' mounting aid trucks in Rafah's Morag corridor on Saturday, before the pause came into effect.
Separate footage was said to show protesters trying to block aid from entering Gaza in the early hours of July 28.
As aid started to trickle in, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated that Israel is not conducting a deliberate campaign of starvation in Gaza.
'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza,' he told a conference in Jerusalem.
Mr Netanyahu's government faces mounting backlash from aid groups and journalists working in the strip, who warn that Palestinians do face starvation and famine.
Mr Fletcher said the UN welcomed 'Israel's decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, including lifting customs barriers on food, medicine and fuel from Egypt and the reported designation of secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys'.
He said some movement restrictions appeared to have been eased on Sunday, citing initial reports indicating that over 100 truckloads of aid were collected.
'But we need sustained action, and fast, including quicker clearances for convoys going to the crossing and dispatching into Gaza; multiple trips per day to the crossings so we and our partners can pick up the cargo; safe routes that avoid crowded areas; and no more attacks on people gathering for food.'
The UN aid chief said the world was calling out for life-saving humanitarian assistance to get through - but stressed that 'vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis'.
'Ultimately of course we don't just need a pause - we need a permanent ceasefire,' he added.
During the pause on Sunday, at least 63 people were said to have been killed across Gaza.
An Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza said that an air strike hit a designated safe area in Gaza City. Locals said that a bakery was targeted.
The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said the pauses and corridors should allow emergency food to be safely delivered.
'Food aid is the only real way for most people inside Gaza to eat,' it said in a statement.
Israeli settlers 'attack West Bank Christian village' as tensions flare
Israeli settlers attacked the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, torching cars and spray-painting threatening graffiti, the Palestinian Authority said Monday.
'Israeli colonial settlers launched a terror attack tonight on the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh (Ramallah), setting fire to Palestinian vehicles and spray-painting racist threats in Hebrew on homes and property', the Ramallah-based authority wrote on X.
A Taybeh resident, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, told AFP the attack occurred at about 2:00 am (2300 GMT), with at least two vehicles burned.
They said one vehicle belonged to a journalist, while noting the damage appeared to target Palestinian property broadly.
The village - home to about 1,300 mostly Christian Palestinians, many holding US dual citizenship - is known for its brewery, the oldest in the Palestinian territories.
by AFP
It said a third of the population had not been eating for days, and 470,000 people in Gaza 'are enduring famine-like conditions' that were leading to deaths.
It also said it had enough food in, or on its way to, the region to feed the 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip for almost three months.
UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel, as the occupying power in Gaza, was obliged to ensure sufficient food was provided to the population.
'Children are starving and dying in front of our eyes. Gaza is a dystopian landscape of deadly attacks and total destruction,' he said in a statement.
The IDF said that allowing a 'tactical pause in military activity' to allow humanitarian aid in would 'refute the false claim on international starvation'.
These were to take place from 10am until 8pm in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, all with large populations.
Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday.
Dozens of trucks carrying tonnes of humanitarian aid moved towards the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza, the Al Qahera correspondent said.
Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Still, Israel faces a growing chorus of voices urging more be done to ensure swift and full delivery of aid to Gaza's civilian population.
Last Wednesday, more than 100 largely aid and rights groups called for foreign governments to take action, demanding the lifting of all restrictions on the flow of aid.
'As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families.
'With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes,' the organisations said.
'The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death.'
People gather as a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft drops humanitarian aid on the northern Gaza Strip on July 27
Doctors operating in the strip report that scores of Palestinians have died from malnutrition in recent days, amid aid shortages.
And France's Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency warned last week its journalists 'might die of hunger', urging Israel to allow reporters to leave.
Israel has said that Hamas is using a so-called 'famine narrative' to leverage hostage talks.
Last week, Israel and the United States said they were leaving talks in Doha, suggesting a cynical 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire' from Hamas.
Hamas responded with incredulity and insisted it did want to continue negotiations.
Israel has said it will not agree to a ceasefire until Hamas gives up power in Gaza and disarms. Hamas says it is willing to leave power but not give up its weapons.
For the time being, the people of Gaza and Israel are no closer to lasting peace and the return of the hostages still held by Hamas.
Israel has always maintained that it is not responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
But its allies outside of the United States increasingly issue warnings that civilians are starving and Israel must do more to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law.
Israel had hitherto supported a US-backed private aid operation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
But the mission too faced pressure after the UN reported that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians seeking food aid, mostly near the distribution points.
Israel accused Hamas of instigating chaos near the aid sites. It said its troops had only fired warning shots, and that they do not deliberately shoot civilians.
The GHF accused Hamas of massive aid theft in defending its distribution model.
But an internal U.S. government analysis released last week found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the U.S. give for backing the aid operation.
Britain, France and Germany's Statement
The E3 leaders issued a statement on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank on Friday, July 25, urging a ceasefire, the release of the hostages and wider access to aid. It read:
The time has come to end the war in Gaza. We urge all parties to bring an end to the conflict by reaching an immediate ceasefire. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages who have been held captive by Hamas since October 7, 2023. A negotiated ceasefire is the best chance to bring the hostages home, end the anguish of their families and finally bring relief to the civilian population in Gaza. The disarmament of Hamas is imperative, and Hamas must have no role in the future of Gaza. We reaffirm our commitment to supporting the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.
The humanitarian catastrophe that we are witnessing in Gaza must end now. The most basic needs of the civilian population, including access to water and food, must be met without any further delay. Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. We call on the Israeli Government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and urgently allow the UN and humanitarian NGOs to carry out their work in order to take action against starvation. Israel must uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law.
We firmly oppose all efforts to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Threats of annexation, settlements and acts of settler violence against Palestinians undermine the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution.
We are committed to working together with our international partners including at the United Nations to develop a specific and credible plan for the next phase in Gaza that will put in place transitional governance and security arrangements, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid at scale. This must be accompanied by the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the removal of Hamas leadership, as key steps towards a negotiated two-state solution.
We stand ready to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process that leads to lasting security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region.
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I live in Britain; I grew up in Israel. It's painful to say, but we need real UK sanctions to save Gaza
I live in Britain; I grew up in Israel. It's painful to say, but we need real UK sanctions to save Gaza

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

I live in Britain; I grew up in Israel. It's painful to say, but we need real UK sanctions to save Gaza

After months of complete blockade or extremely limited supplies, and with thousands of famished children in Gaza at risk of death, Israel finally relented last week to allow increased levels of aid, as well as electricity and water, into the territory. Yet given Israel's systematic destruction of Gaza's medical infrastructure, the aid will not prevent irreversible damage to many severely malnourished children. And even in the best scenario, this is but a hiatus. For many months now, Israel's far-right government has been unambiguous in its words and actions. It has made Gaza uninhabitable through the destruction of the built environment and infrastructure. The plan, repeatedly stated by Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers, is the ethnic cleansing ('voluntary emigration') of the bulk of Gaza's population. It is now clear that the Israeli government is willing to slow down this campaign temporarily, but it will not stop unless it is forced to, by international pressure. Such pressure has been entirely inadequate. The UK has scaled up its rhetoric, to words such as 'appalled' and 'horrified'. It has also limited arms shipments to Israel, and placed sanctions on ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. Yet surely a G7 member, the world's sixth largest economy and a close ally of Israel can do more. 'Netanyahu only listens to Trump, and even then only sometimes,' says Emily Thornberry, implying there's little to do beyond pleading with the US president. This is a profound misunderstanding of Israel, and an underestimation of the UK's options. Indeed, Netanyahu and his ministers would not listen to the UK. But Netanyahu is not an all-powerful dictator like Vladimir Putin, and Israel is no North Korea. Its economy is highly globalised, and its society cherishes its ties to the world. It has deep material and emotional investments in those connections, including to the UK. From the banking system to defence cooperation, from trade to tourism and academia, the UK is connected to Israel in myriad ways. By continuing business as usual, Israel's international partners are allowing the Israeli government to continue with its genocidal campaign with no consequences beyond symbolic gestures of disapproval and statements. After 7 October 2023, the horror of Hamas's massacre prompted western governments to support Israel as it launched its retaliation against Gaza, effectively giving the far-right government carte blanche. Despite unprecedented international criminal court arrest warrants against Netanyahu for the crime of starvation, international sanctions on Israel remain extremely limited. The Israeli government is banking on this. 'We can kill 100 Palestinians every night in Gaza and no one in the world cares,' said one member of the coalition recently. Sadly, so far he has not been proved wrong. Over the past 21 months, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to demand a ceasefire and hostage release deal. While polls show overwhelming support for ending the war, the fragmented and demoralised opposition has not been able to bring the government down. This is partly because, despite pleas from the hostages' families and activists, Israel's key economic powerbrokers in the finance and IT industries and trade unions have been reluctant to take an active stand against the government, even if many of them are deeply opposed to it. This reluctance stems, at least in part, from the fact that Israel's economy has proved surprisingly resilient. True, Israel's credit rating was downgraded and the government deficit has ballooned. But at the same time, since July 2024, the Tel Aviv stock exchange has risen by close to 30%. Growth in 2026 is expected at 4.6%, and unemployment is extremely low. The war has even benefited key economic sectors: Israel's defence exports are booming, and the UK is one of those export destinations. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, between 2020 and 2024 Israel was the second largest supplier of arms to the UK. In the UK and Europe, there are new mobilisations of Israelis against the genocide, calling for sanctions. In December 2024, more than 500 Israelis in the UK called on the government to sanction Ben Gvir and Smotrich. In the past couple of months, a new group of Israelis in the UK, Mi-Neged – with which I am involved – called on Keir Starmer and David Lammy to impose far-reaching sanctions on Israel, not only on a few 'bad apples' but systemically. Such measures would include suspending the Trade and Partnership Agreement (TPA) and halting military cooperation. For many of us, this is a deeply painful moment. Calling on our government to sanction the state where we grew up, to which we are closely attached and where our families and friends live is not an easy step. But we are horrified not only by what has happened but also by what is likely to happen if we do not take such steps. UK suspension of Israel's preferential trade access could push the EU in the same direction. As a trading bloc, the EU is Israel's largest export destination, accounting for a third of Israeli exports. Proposals to suspend articles in Israel's EU association agreement are on the table. For now, there is an Israeli middle and upper-middle class receptive to external pressure. That constituency has sufficient power and influence to translate this into political action. Israeli civil society is still able to mobilise and challenge the government. Yet Netanyahu's clampdown on protesters and the press is intensifying: the government's power grab is rapid and far-reaching. There are serious fears that the next Knesset elections would not be free or fair. The less democratic and the more messianic Israel becomes, the less effective sanctions would be. The time to act is now. Yair Wallach is a reader in Israeli studies and head of the Centre for Jewish Studies at Soas University of London

‘Worst-case famine scenario' unfolding as Starmer calls emergency cabinet meeting
‘Worst-case famine scenario' unfolding as Starmer calls emergency cabinet meeting

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

‘Worst-case famine scenario' unfolding as Starmer calls emergency cabinet meeting

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Steffie Banatvala29 July 2025 13:16 In pictures: Inside an aid package dropped from the sky over Gaza Steffie Banatvala29 July 2025 13:00 ICYMI: Trump calls out 'real starvation' in Gaza US president Donald Trump said on Monday that he is 'not particularly convinced' by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that there is no starvation in Gaza, adding: 'Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.' Later, Trump asserted there was 'real starvation' in the territory, saying: 'You can't fake that', and pledged to set up 'food centres' in Gaza amid growing global outrage over the humanitarian crisis. Israel has denied widespread famine, calling the images of emaciated children misleading or isolated, but has begun daily 10-hour pauses in fighting to allow more aid to enter by land and air. Steffie Banatvala29 July 2025 12:56 'I haven't eaten since yesterday, I worry about the baby I am carrying': pregnant mother in Nuseirat A mother of five and currently pregnant, Samah, 32, has not eaten since yesterday. 'No flour, no food, no water. I swear to God. The place we're in is destitute. 'I am pregnant, but I have not eaten anything since yesterday. I swear to God. The children and the elderly too. We have a diabetic family member, he had two surgeries, he is in need of food and water, and safety, but there is none. 'I do not worry about myself when it comes to eating and drinking water, I worry about the baby I'm carrying. I worry about securing diapers and formula milk for my baby. This is the biggest source of stress and pressure that I am experiencing as a mother. Now I am preparing diapers for the baby using rags because there are no diapers because a bag of diapers is being sold for 4 or 5 million shekels.' Samah is currently displaced in Nuseirat and travelled on foot to the CARE clinic, which provides children, pregnant and breastfeeding women with malnutrition screening and supplements. 'I used to pray every day that things will get better and that food, water, formula milk and diapers for the children would get in,' she told CARE. 'After an airstrike hit really close to the place we were in, we said we do not want food, we just want an end to the bloodshed and an end to this war, because mentally we are destroyed.' Steffie Banatvala29 July 2025 12:30 Trump says he's 'straightening things out' with Netanyahu US President Donald Trump has said he's 'working to get things straightened out' with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking to reporters in Scotland, Trump's comments follow his meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday. 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I give him an empty feeding bottle just to distract him,' Noura told CARE. 'I am barely able to breastfeed him, my milk has almost dried up because I'm also not eating well.' Steffie Banatvala29 July 2025 11:30 Analysis: Peter Kyle's comments opposing Palestinian state recognition are more about cabinet splits The tech secretary Peter Kyle was very strong this morning in his opposition to recognising Palestinian statehood. He warned against 'rewarding Hamas' for its 7 October attacks and made his opposition very clear over a change of policy. But these comments were less about government policy and more about cabinet splits. Mr Kyle is one of a group of cabinet ministers including chancellor Rachel Reeves and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden who were previously senior officers in Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), a very influential group in the party. They played a major role with LFI in tackling the antisemitism on the party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and restoring trust with Jews. But like LFI now they do not want the Oslo Accords ripped up with premature recognition of a Palestinian state. They want it to be part of a lengthy peace process towards a two state solution. Across the floor on this are cabinet ministers such as deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood who want the UK to recognise a Palestinian state now. David Maddox, political editor29 July 2025 11:29 Tory ex-foreign ministers leave Kemi Badenoch isolated on Palestine Tobias Ellwood, the last Tory foreign minister to lead a debate against early recognition of a Palestinian state, has written for The Independent today explaining why he has changed his mind. It comes as another respected Tory former foreign minister Alistair Burt has also broken ranks with his party this morning saying now is the time to recognise Palestine as a state. The interventions are a major embarrassment for the current Tory leader Kemi Badenoch who over the weekend doubled down on her opposition to the move. In his piece Mr Ellwood argued that recognising Palestine as a state now may be the only way to save the prospects of a two-state solution. He said: 'Waiting endlessly for the 'perfect moment' is not a strategy. The current status quo, or the pursuit of a one-state solution, will only entrench a perpetual insurgency, fuelled externally and leaving Israel in a state of permanent tensions with its neighbours.' The issue is just the latest example of a divide between centrist Tories and the increasingly strident right-wing leadership of Ms Badenoch. Why I've changed my mind about a state of Palestine David Maddox, political editor29 July 2025 11:16

First group of Syrian refugees returns home from Lebanon under new UN plan
First group of Syrian refugees returns home from Lebanon under new UN plan

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

First group of Syrian refugees returns home from Lebanon under new UN plan

The first group of Syrian refugees returned home from Lebanon on Tuesday under a new plan the United Nations developed with the Lebanese government following the downfall of Bashar Assad 's rule in December. Syria's uprising-turned-conflict displaced half of the country's pre-war population of 23 million over the last 14 years. Lebanon hosted an estimated 1.5 million refugees, at one point making up roughly a quarter of its six million people, with many having been smuggled across the border and unregistered with the UN. The new plan has the UN refugee agency offering $100 in cash to each repatriated Syrian refugee and the Lebanese authorities waiving any fees or fines they owe. The UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration will provide them with buses for their return journey. The UNHCR also says it will help returning Syrians with "cash grants, legal assistance for civil documents, psychosocial support, livelihood opportunities, and other protection services.' The strain on Lebanon as poverty spreads Lebanese authorities have repeatedly requested the repatriation of Syrian refugees over the years, a call that grew louder with the widespread poverty in the Mediterranean country and shrinking funding for aid agencies. But Syria under Assad was not yet safe for their return, according to major rights organizations. Many Syrians had also previously said the war, forced conscription under Syria's former government, and unpaid residency fines in Lebanon have held them back from returning. But Syria now has a new government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the surprise offensive that ousted Assad, and the Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government hopes Syrians will sign up for the joint repatriation plan. The UNHCR estimates that over 205,000 Syrians have crossed back into the country from Lebanon since December, of which at least 126,000 were confirmed to be full returns, said Abou Khaled. Thousands of Syrian refugees are ready to return home UNHCR Lebanon spokesperson Lisa Abou Khaled says about 17,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon have already signed up to go back to their home country, though the vast majority have opted not to take the buses. Tuesday's repatriation was a 'test run,' she said, with only 72 people, mostly going to Syria's third-largest city of Homs and rural Damascus. Syrian border authorities greeted the returning refugees with roses and water bottles, as they filled out forms after exiting the bus. Some took pictures in front of Syria's new green flag. Among them was Rasha, who told The Associated Press she was elated to return for the first time in 14 years. 'We're going home with nothing, but it's easier than having to keep paying rent,' she said, using only her first name. She and her husband are heading to Homs. Before, she wouldn't leave because her sons were at the age of conscription, which she described as 'sending your son to his death." They also couldn't afford to pay all the fines for overstaying in Lebanon for 14 years. Raghad fled to Lebanon when she was 10 years old after her father was killed in Homs, and is returning for the first time to her family home with her siblings and their children. 'We're hoping to fix it so we can live there for a bit," she said. 'I can't imagine myself living there without Dad." A humanitarian crisis still exists in Syria Despite Washington lifting decades-long sanctions, Syria is still reeling from an economic crisis that has pulled the vast majority of its population into poverty. It's still also trying to rebuild hundreds of billions of dollars in battered infrastructure after the conflict. Abou Khaled, the UNHCR Lebanon spokesperson, warns that this might hinder long-term returns if not resolved soon. 'We must acknowledge that there is a real humanitarian crisis in Syria that remains very significant,' she explained. 'Millions of people will need urgent help to be able to return in a sustainable way.' — Chehayeb reported from Beirut.

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