More than 100 aid, rights groups call for action as hunger spreads in Gaza
In a statement signed by 111 organisations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Refugees International, the groups warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave even as tons of food, clean water, medical supplies and other items sit untouched just outside Gaza as humanitarian organisations are blocked from accessing or delivering them.
"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."
The organisations called for governments to demand that all bureaucratic and administrative restrictions be lifted, all land crossings be opened, access to everyone across Gaza to be ensured and for the rejection of military-controlled distribution and a restoration of a "principled, UN-led humanitarian response".
"States must pursue concrete measures to end the siege, such as halting the transfer of weapons and ammunition."
Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, denies it is responsible for shortages of food.
More than 800 people have been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in mass shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centres. The foundation, backed by the United States, has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality.
Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in airstrikes, shelling and shooting since launching their assault on Gaza in response to attacks on Israel by the Hamas group that killed 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages in October 2023.
For the first time since the war began, Palestinian officials say dozens are now also dying of hunger.
Gaza has seen its food stocks run out since Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March and then lifted that blockade in May with new measures it says are needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Spain to evacuate 13 ill children from Gaza for treatment
MADRID: A Spanish military plane will fly 13 ailing children from war-torn Gaza and their families from Jordan to Spain for hospital treatment, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Wednesday (Jul 30). An A400 military transport aircraft is being fitted with medical equipment and is scheduled to depart later Wednesday for Amman to bring them to Spain "so they can be treated", she said. Spain has repeatedly taken in sick children since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, sparked by Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel. The country's leftist government has been among the most vocal critics in the European Union of Israel's ongoing military campaign in the densely populated, narrow coastal strip. "The situation in Gaza is absolutely terrible. The level of cruelty shown by (Benjamin) Netanyahu is absolutely unacceptable, and I believe the international community must respond," Robles said, referring to Israel's prime minister. Earlier this week, the Spanish government said it would airdrop 12 tonnes of food into Gaza as the threat of famine stalks the Palestinian territory after 21 months of war. A similar airdrop of 26 tonnes took place in March 2024. The war was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas into Israel on Oct 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza
JERUSALEM: Israel could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on the militant group Hamas, an Israeli minister said on Wednesday (Jul 30), an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Israel now occupies. The comment by security cabinet member Zeev Elkin came a day after Britain said it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza and agrees to a ceasefire in the war with Hamas. France, which said last week it would recognise a Palestinian state in September, and Saudi Arabia issued a declaration on Tuesday, backed by Egypt, Qatar and the Arab League, outlining steps toward implementing a two-state solution. As part of an end to the Gaza war, they said Hamas "must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority". Israel has denounced moves to recognise a Palestinian state as rewarding Hamas for its October 2023 attack that precipitated the war. POSSIBLE ULTIMATUM TO HAMAS Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions. "The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands," he said. "A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool." Mediation efforts aimed at reaching a deal that would secure a 60-day ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas ground to a halt last week, with the sides trading blame for the impasse. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the situation in Gaza, where a global hunger monitor has warned that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding. The Gaza health ministry reported seven more hunger-related deaths on Wednesday, including a two-year-old girl with an existing health condition. "MONSTROUS" Though recognition of a Palestinian state is largely seen as a symbolic move, Gazan man Saed al-Akhras said he hoped it marked a "real shift in how Western countries view the Palestinian cause". "Enough! Palestinians have lived for more than 70 years under killing, destruction, and occupation, while the world watches in silence," he said. Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza appealed for no recognition of a Palestinian state to come before their loved ones were returned. "Such recognition is not a step toward peace, but rather a clear violation of international law and a dangerous moral and political failure that legitimises horrific war crimes," the Hostages Family Forum said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Britain's decision "rewards Hamas' monstrous terrorism". Israel made similar comments last week after France's announcement. Two Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the demand for the group to hand its weapons to the PA, which now has limited control of parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas has previously rejected calls to disarm, while Israel has ruled out letting the PA run Gaza. Netanyahu said this month he wanted peace with Palestinians but described any future independent state as a potential platform to destroy Israel, so control of security must remain with Israel. His cabinet includes far-right figures who openly demand the annexation of all Palestinian land. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday that reestablishing Jewish settlements in Gaza was "closer than ever", calling Gaza "an inseparable part of the Land of Israel". AID GOING IN, BUT NOT ENOUGH A 2-year-old girl being treated for a build-up of brain fluid died overnight of hunger, her father told Reuters on Wednesday. "Mekkah, my little daughter, died of malnutrition and the lack of medication," Salah al-Gharably said by phone from Deir Al-Balah. "Doctors said the baby has to be fed a certain type of milk ... but there is no milk," he said. "She starved. We stood helpless." The deaths from starvation and malnutrition overnight raised the toll from such causes to 154, including at least 89 children, since the war's start, most in recent weeks. On Sunday the Israeli military announced steps to ease the supply of food into Gaza, including daily pauses in military operations in some areas and corridors for aid. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the United Nations and its partners had been able to bring more food into Gaza in the first two days of pauses, but the volume was "still far from enough". "Most aid is still being offloaded by crowds before reaching where it is supposed to go. But market monitoring shows prices for basic goods are starting to drop - which could point to better operating conditions if aid flows further increase," it said in an update. The war began on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Palestine Action wins bid to challenge UK ban under anti-terrorism laws
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A Palestinian flag is seen, outside London's High Court as judges decide whether the co-founder of Palestine Action can challenge the UK government's ban on the group, in London, Britain, July 30, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville LONDON - The co-founder of a pro-Palestinian campaign group on Wednesday won her bid to bring a legal challenge against the British government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws. Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, asked London's High Court to give the go-ahead for a full challenge to the group's proscription, which was made on the grounds it committed or participated in acts of terrorism. Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. It accuses Britain's government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza. Earlier this month, the High Court refused Ammori's application to pause the ban and, following an unsuccessful last-ditch appeal, Palestine Action's proscription came into effect just after midnight on July 5. Proscription makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Judge Martin Chamberlain granted permission for Ammori to bring a judicial review, saying her case that proscription amounted to a disproportionate interference with her and others' right to freedom of expression was "reasonably arguable". Dozens of people have been arrested for holding placards purportedly supporting the group since the ban, and Ammori's lawyers say people expressing support for the Palestinian cause have also been subject to increased scrutiny from police. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Water supply issues during Toa Payoh blaze affected firefighting operations; SCDF investigating Singapore MHA to support HSA's crackdown on Kpod abusers and help in treatment of offenders: Shanmugam Singapore Tampines, Toa Payoh BTO flats most popular among first-time home buyers in July HDB launch Sport Leon Marchand sets first world record at World Aquatics C'ships in Singapore Singapore Jail, fine for man linked to case involving 3 bank accounts that received over $680m in total Singapore Provision shop owner who raped 11-year-old gets more than 14 years' jail Singapore School, parents on alert after vape peddlers approach primary school pupil Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made However, Britain's interior minister Yvette Cooper has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that Palestine Action's activities – including breaking into a military base and damaging two planes – justify proscription. Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023. REUTERS
