On GPS: Scholar Omer Bartov says genocide doesn't always look like the Holocaust
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Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Security personnel shot at Palestinians at Gaza aid distribution centre, claims ex-guard
A former US soldier who was employed to work within the Gaza aid system approved by Israel has said he saw security personnel shoot at Palestinians at a distribution centre. The unnamed American man, who served for 25 years in the US army, has said how he witnessed force being used against unarmed innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip. "There is no fixing this, this needs to be put an end to," he said in a video aired by Israeli free-to-air TV station Channel 12. It comes as the United Nations criticised an aid distribution scheme run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) that has been supplying aid in the Strip since late May, claiming it is a "sadistic death trap" where "snipers open fire randomly on crowds". More than 1,000 people have been reported killed while trying to receive food aid since the end of May, according to the UN, with the territory facing a starvation crisis. The unnamed American said as Palestinians were finishing getting their aid, security personnel "began shooting in their direction, shooting at them, shooting at their feet… to get them to leave". In another incident, he said a man was on his hands and knees picking up individual needles when security personnel wanted Palestinians to leave the site. He said a contractor "sprayed an entire can of pepper spray into his face - that's lethal". He also recounted a third incident, describing how he was standing next to two women when a contractor threw a stun grenade and it landed between him and the women. "This thing hit her and she just drops, just lifeless, collapsed to the ground. It looked like she had been killed". He said it was at that point that he decided he could no longer be part of the distribution system. Earlier this month, the Associated Press (AP) reported that it spoke anonymously to two US contractors guarding aid distribution sites who said their colleagues regularly threw stun grenades and pepper spray in the direction of the Palestinians. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open licence to do whatever they wished, the AP reported. Videos provided by one of the contractors and taken at the sites showed hundreds of Palestinians crowded between metal gates, jostling for aid amid the sound of bullets and stun grenades and the sting of pepper spray, the agency added. The unnamed American man speaking to Channel 12 said the centres are in remote areas. "The sites were not set up in locations, nor were they set up in a way that was conducive to distributing or delivering humanitarian aid to a needy population," he said. Residents are not allowed there by car and so people are on foot, he added. "Most of them don't have shoes, no water, going through active warzone areas." Read more:Gaza faces 'man-made' mass starvation due to blockade - WHO'More than 100 people die of hunger in Gaza'Israeli soldier describes arbitrary killing of civilians in Gaza He also said that if the United Nations method of aid distribution had the support, security and coordination that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is getting, then the UN process would be very successful. UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Gaza, has criticised the US-backed aid distribution scheme run by GHF that has been supplying aid since late May, when Israel, which controls supplies into the territory, lifted an 11-week blockade. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said: "The so-called 'GHF' distribution scheme is a sadistic death trap. Snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if they are given a licence to kill." The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies and largely bypasses a UN-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the allegation. GHF said in a statement: "This is a disgruntled former contractor who was terminated for misconduct a month ago. GHF launched an immediate investigation as soon as these allegations were brought to our attention. Based on time-stamped video footage and witness statements, we have concluded that the claims made are categorically false. "At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site. The gunfire heard in the video was confirmed to have originated from the IDF, which was outside the immediate vicinity of the GHF site. "The gunfire was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured. We take the safety and security of our operational sites extremely seriously. When behaviour falls short of our standards, we take action. The contractor seen shouting in the video is no longer part of our operations. "We remain focused on our core mission - delivering food to the people of Gaza in a safe, direct, and uninterrupted manner, as we have done since launching operations on 27 May. Since then, we have distributed nearly 85 million meals to residents of the Gaza Strip."
Washington Post
44 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Iran state TV says an Iranian navy helicopter confronted a US destroyer in the Gulf of Oman
TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian navy helicopter confronted a U.S. warship attempting to approach Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, Iranian state TV reported. The incident was the first direct encounter reported between Iranian and U.S. forces since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel , during which U.S. B-52 bombers targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Colombia's Petro threatens to alter Glencore contract over Israel coal exports
BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday threatened to unilaterally alter Glencore's concession contract if the mining giant continues to export coal to Israel, though the company said it has already ceased the shipments in compliance with a presidential decree. "I am willing to unilaterally change the concession contract," Petro said during an energy event for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The president also warned that if Glencore refuses to comply with the decree to suspend the shipments, he would ask the local community near the mine to stage blockades. In response, the company said it was already in compliance with the order. "Cerrejon has acted in accordance with the decree issued by President Petro. In fact, our last shipment of coal was some two weeks before the decree came into effect," the company told Reuters. Petro suspended exports of the fuel source to Israel over its assault on the Gaza Strip. Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Glencore's Cerrejon operation, located in Colombia's northeastern La Guajira province, is one of the world's largest open-pit coal export mines. It includes a 150-kilometer (93-mile) railway line and a port on the Caribbean Sea. Cerrejon's production reached 19 million metric tons in 2024. In March, the company announced it would cut its annual thermal coal production by between 5 million and 10 million tons due to low mineral prices. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
