Dozens of Palestinians killed seeking aid, Gaza civil defence ministry says
Later, the hospital said at least 48 Palestinians were killed, according to the Associated Press.Separately, Gaza hospital sources told the BBC that six Palestinians were killed near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centre in the Rafah area of Gaza on Wednesday morning.The GHF told the BBC no killings took place at or near its sites on Wednesday.The Israel Defense Force (IDF) told the BBC a "gathering of suspects" it said posed a threat to its troops were told to move away, and subsequently the army fired "warning shots" at a distance of "hundreds of metres away" from the distribution centre.The military also said "an initial review suggests that the number of casualties reported does not align with the information held by the IDF".According to the UN human rights office, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while trying to access food aid since late May. More than 150 people have died of malnutrition since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, including 89 children, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says.It comes as a group of UN-backed global food security experts warned that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" in Gaza, despite Israel this week announcing a series of "tactical pauses" in military operations to allow aid into the territory. Israel says it is not imposing restrictions on aid entering Gaza, claims rejected by some European nations and the UN.This week, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the "trickle of aid" into Gaza "must become an ocean". "Food, water, medicine and fuel must flow in waves and without obstruction. This nightmare must end," he added.On Thursday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Israel to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza.Witkoff's visit comes as Canada followed France and the UK in announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September - the third G7 nation to do so. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli's military campaign in Gaza since October 2023, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, including 18,592 children and 9,782 women. Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.
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ITV News
5 hours ago
- ITV News
'They thought I was dead': Boy who lost his jaw in Gaza explosion brought to UK for surgery
Majid al-Shagnobi requires major facial reconstruction following the explosion, as ITV News Correspondent Geraint Vincent reports A 15-year-old Palestinian boy who lost his jaw and all of his teeth in an explosion in Gaza is now being treated in the UK. Majid al-Shagnobi suffered severe facial injuries in February 2024 when Israeli tank shells exploded near him and a group of friends. He was trying to get humanitarian aid. Before Gaza's latest, most brutal war, Majd was simply the eldest of four brothers. Now, he's one of countless children caught in the crossfire of Israel and Hamas' conflict. The doctors in Gaza managed to save his life - but only after they had decided there was nothing they could do. Speaking through a translator, Majd told ITV News that when he first arrived at the hospital, his injuries were so severe that they thought he was dead. 'I remember them putting me in the mortuary," Majd said. "I managed to move my arm, though, and they realised I was still alive.' Even after that, his mother, Islem Felfel, recalls that doctors thought his case was hopeless. They told her Majd might only have days to live. One hospital refused to admit him. But now, Majd has a chance to fully restore his face, thanks to Project Pure Heart, a charity run by a group of healthcare professionals dedicated to bringing critically ill children from Middle East conflict zones to the UK for treatment. They are using charitable donations to pay privately for the reconstructive surgery Majd needs, and to house him, his mum Islem, one of his brothers and his little sister while they're here. Islem speaks of the pride she has in the courage her son has shown. But the trauma for her family goes on. Two of her sons, Mohammad and Yusuf, remain in Gaza with their dad. It's difficult for her to communicate with them; she doesn't know if they have had anything to eat today. "My heart is split between here and there," she said. Majd was flown into London on Wednesday night, but many other children in Gaza with critical conditions won't be so lucky. Omar Din, a co-founder of Project Pure Hope, highlighted that the UK lags behind European countries like Italy in taking children directly from Gaza. Majd's family had to come through Egypt. Mr Din emphasised that the project is apolitical but said that the government could do more "if they have the will and they have the momentum". Majd's family have a yearlong visa, which is meant to cover the time it will take for him to undergo and recover from surgery. Then the charity plans to resettle them in Egypt or Jordan. When ITV News asked Majd about what he hopes for now, he said simply to learn and to work. He regards himself as the man of the house now. While their time in London offers a chance to play and live in peace, he is determined to provide for his family's new future.
Leader Live
8 hours ago
- Leader Live
Trump envoy arrives in Israel amid rising death toll of Palestinians seeking aid
The White House said Steve Witkoff and US ambassador Mike Huckabee will inspect food distribution in Gaza on Friday. At least 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 wounded while attempting to get aid in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. This includes 54 people killed in shootings in a deadly incident in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing on Wednesday, the ministry said. The toll is expected to rise further as many of those killed or wounded were brought to isolated, smaller hospitals in northern Gaza and have not yet been counted. The Israeli military said Palestinians surrounded aid trucks and the Israeli military fired warning shots into the crowd, but that it is not aware of any injuries stemming from Israeli fire. A security official said the gunfire came from within the crowd and altercations between Palestinians attempting to access aid. Mr Trump's special envoy Mr Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday afternoon. He is expected to speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a possible ceasefire, according to an official. This is the first meeting between Mr Witkoff and Mr Netanyahu since both Israel and the US summoned their negotiation teams home from Qatar one week ago. Mr Witkoff said at the time Hamas's latest response 'shows a lack of desire' to reach a truce. Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others. It still holds 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between militants and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. In Jerusalem, about 50 people, including families of some of the approximately 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, demonstrated on Thursday in front of Mr Netanyahu's office calling for an end to the war. Under heavy international pressure, Israel announced a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza, but aid workers say much more is needed. The Israeli defence body in charge of co-ordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza said 270 trucks of aid entered Gaza on Wednesday, and 32 pallets of aid were airdropped into the Strip. That amount is far lower than the 500 to 600 trucks per day that aid organisations say are needed. The international community has heaped criticism on Israel over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. International organisations said Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years, but that recent developments, including a complete blockade on aid for two-and-a-half months, mean that the 'worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza'. German foreign minister Johann Wadephul was due in Israel later on Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Germany, traditionally a particularly staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical recently of Israel's actions in Gaza. It has insisted that Israel must do more to increase aid supplies and pushed for a ceasefire. Berlin has not joined major allies France, Britain and Canada in saying it will recognise a Palestinian state in September. But in a statement ahead of his departure on Thursday, Mr Wadephul underlined Germany's position that a two-state solution is 'the only way' to ensure a future in peace and security for people on both sides. 'For Germany, the recognition of a Palestinian state stands rather at the end of the process. But such a process must begin now. Germany will not move from this aim. Germany also will be forced to react to unilateral steps,' Mr Wadephul said without elaborating.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
First war-injured Gazan child arrives in UK for treatment
Majid Shaghnobi can't eat or speak like he used to. He can't with his injured mouth covered by a surgical mask, his eyes were beaming as he arrived at London's Heathrow airport on a flight from Cairo, with his mother, brother and little sister."I'm happy to be in England and to get treatment," the 15-year-old told was out trying to get humanitarian aid in the Kuwaiti area of northern Gaza in February last year when an Israeli tank shell exploded nearby, shattering his jaw bone and injuring his leg."One of my friends helped me and took me to the hospital," he says. "They thought I was dead. I had to move my hand to show them that I was alive."Doctors in Gaza saved his life and Majid spent months in hospital, breathing through a tracheostomy tube, before he was evacuated to Egypt in February this year - with Israel's permission - for further medical he's in the UK for surgery at Great Ormond Street children's hospital in London to restore the function of his face. He is the first Gazan child to arrive in the UK for treatment for war injuries, almost two years into a conflict in which more than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured, according to the UN children's charity, Unicef. His arrival follows months of work by a group of volunteer medical professionals who came together in November 2023 to set up Project Pure Hope, which helps injured and sick Gazan children get to the UK for treatment. It is funded by private donations."The UK is home to some of the best paediatric facilities in the world, yet while countries like the US, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and many others have stepped up to help, the UK has yet to do the same," Project Pure Hope arrival in the UK comes less than a week after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised to evacuate more badly injured children, although the government has released few details of the medical team – all working for free – will include craniofacial, plastic and orthodontic surgeons, with hospital bills paid for by private donations."If we're able to give him a face and a jaw which he can use then it won't be completely normal, but hopefully he'll be able to feed himself and speak, and his facial expressions will be better," says lead surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani, a professor of Paediatric Neurosurgery at Great Ormond Street."Hopefully that's going to make a big impact on how he lives and on his future."Our hope is that we will be able to help many more children like him in the coming months. It's our collective moral responsibility." Doctors from the hospital have previously treated patients from Ukraine, and last year helped separate co-joined twins in Jeelani is disappointed that it has taken so long for the first child from Gaza to be treated for war injuries in the UK."As a doctor and as a human, I don't quite understand why it's taken us over 20 months to get to this stage," he Pure Hope has identified 30 critically injured children in Gaza who it hopes to help bring to the UK. It says the government's announcement is "vital and long-overdue", but time is of the essence."Every day of delay risks the lives and futures of children who deserve a chance to live, to recover and to rebuild a life," said Omar Din, its co-founder. In April, the group of volunteers secured visas for two girls -13-year-old Rama and five-year-old Ghena - with life-long medical conditions to also have privately funded operations in the were brought to London after being evacuated to Egypt from Gaza, where - with the destruction of the healthcare system there - they weren't receiving the treatment they I met them in early May, Rama has put on weight and Ghena, who was deeply traumatised and withdrawn, is noticeably more has had laser surgery to relieve the pressure in her left eye, which she was at risk of losing. And Rama has had exploratory surgery for a serious bowel girls are doing well, their mothers they are sick with worry - finding it hard to eat and sleep - about family members left behind in Gaza, who are now struggling to feed themselves."It's better than Gaza here," Rama tells me. "There are no bombs and no fear."But friends message her from Gaza, telling her that they haven't found bread for 10 days and she says her older brother is sleeping on the street after first his home, and then his tent, were bombed."They're hungry. So I don't want to eat either. I feel like I'm still there with them," Rama experts said this week there was mounting evidence that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease is driving a rise in hunger-related deaths among the 2.1 million Palestinians in who suffered life-changing injuries while out trying to get food for his family, is also worried about his two brothers still in Gaza."I'm scared that they'll die or something will happen to them," he says. "I just want them to be safe."
