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Save the Children in Gaza: 'The situation here is absolutely dire'

Save the Children in Gaza: 'The situation here is absolutely dire'

SBS Australia7 days ago
"You know, this is another mass casualty incident that is being reported in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for Food Distribution. The situation here is absolutely dire. And my team said to me today, the situation in Gaza has never been this bad. They are desperately hungry." That was Rachael Cummings, Save The Children's Humanitarian Director in Gaza. "Children are crying all the time for food. And my teams who are employed, they have money in their bank accounts, they're unable to find food in Gaza to buy. So the situation is absolutely terrible and people are making impossible choices to risk their lives to try and find food." On Sunday, Gaza's civil defence organisation says the Israeli army killed 93 people and wounded dozens more as they were lining up for humanitarian aid. According to witnesses and officials, 80 people were killed as truckloads of aid arrived in the north. Ehab Al-Zein was a witness to the attack and says those killed were starving and trying to feed their families. "We were waiting for flour because of hunger. We wanted to eat and drink. Suddenly the tanks came out, surrounding us. They started shooting at us and we were unable to move. We could not get the flour and we remained surrounded for about an hour and a half to two hours. Some escaped, some were killed and others were injured. As you can see, this is our situation." The Civil Defence Agency says Israeli troops shot and killed nine others near an aid point close to Rafah, where dozens of people were killed just 24 hours earlier. The Israeli military says it contests the death toll and claims IDF soldiers do not target civilians. Health authorities in Gaza say on Sunday, 18 people died of starvation. In a post on social media, the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees condemned ongoing aid restrictions and said: 'This is a manmade and politically motivated starvation of a people'. Um Mahmoud Abu Tarboosh says all she wants is to feed her son. "Certainly, it feels like weakness and sadness because I can't even provide my son with just bread. We don't want meat, chicken, or poultry, just flour and bread to eat and hopefully stave off hunger. Of course, I will remain very upset. I tell you, I prioritise my son over myself, giving him my portion and saying that I will endure." As the Gaza Health Ministry's recorded death toll nears 60,000, Israeli forces are launching a new ground offensive in the central Gaza area of Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military issued displacement orders for the area, which Save The Children estimates is sheltering between 50,000 and 80,000 displaced Palestinians. Most Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced multiple times since 2023, and the United Nations says over 86 per cent of Gaza is now controlled by the IDF. Rachael Cummings says the people in Gaza have nowhere to "We're in Deir al-Balah, and today there was evacuation notices across Deir al-Balah affecting between 50 and 80,000 people who are now being forcibly displaced from Deir al-Balah into Al-Muwasi in Khan Younis, and some of my team are living in these areas, and they literally have nowhere to go. There is nowhere for people to go, there is nowhere safe in Gaza for people to move to. So the situation for my team and other humanitarian workers here is absolutely desperate." The expanding ground invasion of Deir al-Balah has prompted outcry from hostage families in Israel. While the Israeli military statement says the IDF has not operated in Deir al-Balah before, Israel has conducted air strikes there, and ground forces have previously operated on the outskirts of the city. However, with 20 of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages believed to be alive in Gaza, some Israelis fear they are being held in Deir al-Balah and are at imminent risk if IDF forces invade. Ruhama Bohbot is the mother of Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot. She says she is very worried about the new orders. "I am indeed worried because I didn't understand why they arrived there today just as the negotiations are starting to progress and the deal is likely to go through. I am very optimistic, which is why I speak cautiously. It didn't sit well with me because people forget that what's happening is that the hostages are forty metres underground, which endangers them and also endangers our IDF soldiers, as well as our security forces." Israel's army chief, Eyal Zamir, says he believes a ceasefire and hostage release deal is increasingly possible. During indirect negotiations in Qatar, Israel and Hamas have been struggling for months to reach a deal enabling a 60-day ceasefire and the release of hostages. If a temporary ceasefire deal is reached, the parties will then negotiate an end to Israel's war on Gaza and the release of the last Israeli hostages. Ruby Chen, the father of US-Israeli IDF soldier Itay Chen, says a deal must be done. "We know the outlines of the deal exists. What's missing is the final push. The kind of resolve that only President Trump can bring. The voice that says, enough waiting, enough bullshitting - now is the time to end the suffering and bring a deal that all the hostages, all the 50 hostages are able to come back. And there will be consequences for those responsible for the collapse of the deal." Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says he has ordered the withdrawal of a senior UN humanitarian official's residency permit, accusing him of spreading lies about Israel. Jonathan Whittall, who lives in Jerusalem and frequently visits the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly condemned the conditions imposed by Israel on the more than two million people living in Gaza. Since October 2023, Israel has made it harder to get visas for those working for OCHA, the UN human rights office, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Save The Children's Rachael Cummings says aid workers in Gaza must be allowed to do their job. "There's two million people in Gaza on the brink of famine. We need safe and dignified distributions. We need the humanitarian community to be allowed to do our jobs. We know how to deliver food and services to children and their families across Gaza. We just need to be able to do that."
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Penny Wong says there are 'challenges' to overcome before Palestinian recognition can happen
Penny Wong says there are 'challenges' to overcome before Palestinian recognition can happen

ABC News

time29 minutes ago

  • ABC News

Penny Wong says there are 'challenges' to overcome before Palestinian recognition can happen

Hamas and hostages are two of the key barriers to Australia recognising a Palestinian state, according to Foreign Minister Penny Wong. The Albanese government is now publicly weighing up the best time to take a long-discussed step in recognising a Palestinian state, which it says could help further a peace process. French President Emmanuel Macron's move to announce France's intention to recognise Palestine in September, and his hope that other countries would follow suit, has sparked renewed conversations about the issue in a number of like-minded countries. Anthony Albanese confirmed yesterday that Australia would not follow the French lead and take similar steps imminently. Last year Penny Wong made a public shift in thinking on recognition, arguing it could come as "part of a peace process", not only at the "end of a peace process". But speaking with the ABC, Ms Wong said there were still hurdles that needed to be overcome. "[The prime minister] made the point — there are challenges associated with this," she said. "We have to see Hamas demilitarised. We have to see the hostages released. "We need to see progress in terms of the Palestinian Authority and its moves to a more democratic and accountable governance, and it's pleasing to see some of that happening." She said the ultimate purpose of recognition had not changed. "Ultimately what we want to see is two states," she said. "Because that is the only way in which we will see peace, stability and security for both Israelis and Palestinians." Yesterday the prime minister said it was his view that Israel was "quite clearly" breaching international law in Gaza, particularly through blocking aid deliveries. But the foreign minister stopped short of indicating Australia was willing to take further steps to ensure those laws were adhered to. In recent days, Israel has commenced some aid drops into Gaza, said it would open "humanitarian corridors" to allow UN aid to enter the strip, and scheduled pauses in fighting in some heavily populated areas. The moves were seen by some as due to growing international pressure over starvation across the territory. Last week, the foreign minister signed a joint letter, alongside 27 other countries, criticising the "inhumane killing" of Palestinians and condemning the "drip feeding of aid". Asked what more Australia might do, Ms Wong pointed to the steps already being taken. "We are not the central player in the Middle East, but we can continue to do what we have done, which is to work with others to collectively assert to Israel the importance of international law," she said. Asked if the government was coordinating with other like-minded countries on recognition, so as to move as one, Ms Wong said there was regular dialogue. "Obviously there's been a lot of engagement between the UK and US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand," she said. "These countries have worked together very closely, if you look at the statements that our leaders and foreign ministers have made over the months of this conflict, and we will continue to do that." Labor's rank and file, and some high-profile former MP's, are building pressure on the party to move faster on recognition. Labor's official party platform, which is non-binding on the parliamentary party, calls for recognition to be "an important priority". Former foreign minister Bob Carr said Australia should not be waiting for others to move before taking its own steps. "Australia's a middle power and our influence is indirect. We build our influence on this issue by working with like-minded [countries]," he said. "We shouldn't be giving the impression that we're waiting till Downing St decides to move before we will. "The opinion of Indonesia is more important to us than the opinion of the United Kingdom." The party is also facing pressure from its base, with Labor branches passing coordinated motions for stronger action on the conflict. Peter Moss from the group Labor Friends of Palestine said 81 Labor branches across the country had in recent weeks passed a motion calling for sanctions against Israel, including branches he believed represented "middle Australia". "Seven branches on the New South Wales Central Coast, another handful in Toowoomba," he said. "People we've never heard of contacting us from all over Australia saying, 'Can we get your motion? We want to pass this.' "And they do." But some in the Australian Jewish community are backing a cautious approach from the government. Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said "symbolic" recognition would not be worthwhile. "Those who are truly concerned about human rights, about Palestinian statehood and sovereignty should be calling for the establishment of democratic institutions," he said. "For the hard work of actually building the state from the ground rather than symbolic declarations which achieve nothing."

New police chief reveals firm stance on protest permits, issues warning to organised crime
New police chief reveals firm stance on protest permits, issues warning to organised crime

The Age

time5 hours ago

  • The Age

New police chief reveals firm stance on protest permits, issues warning to organised crime

On Sunday, pro-Palestine protesters marched through the city to the National Gallery of Victoria. Security closed the entry while police monitored the rally outside. There has been fierce debate about what constitutes hate speech by attendees, who have repeatedly been heard chanting 'Death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]' and 'Death to the IOF [Israeli Occupying Force]'. Former Victorian governor Linda Dessau said last week the slogans were hate speech and that those who use them should be prosecuted. In his first interview with The Age since arriving from New Zealand, Bush also insisted he had the 'utmost confidence' in the protracted police investigation into the firebombing of a Ripponlea synagogue last December, an attack which drew international condemnation. Speaking on a wide range of issues, Bush warned that serious youth offenders would face prison if they continued to endanger community safety, that organised criminals and outlaw motorcycle gangs would 'feel the heat' under his watch and that a taskforce established to investigate underworld infiltration of the CFMEU was making progress. The 65-year-old has spent most of his first month in the top job consulting community groups and government departments, while also visiting more than a dozen stations from Warrnambool to St Kilda. Lured out of retirement by the Allan government, Bush is keenly aware of the challenges ahead but hopes to replicate his success while serving as New Zealand's police commissioner from 2014 until 2020. Restoring public trust in the force will be one of Bush's most pressing concerns, following an unprecedented slump over the past three years. Just 55 per cent of Victorians were likely to have confidence in Victoria Police, according to an annual survey released in May, which was 20 per cent lower than the previous financial year. Bush insists that figure needs to be above 80 per cent. 'We are taking that survey on the chin, we are not hiding from it, we know what we need to do,' he said. 'We have to be operationally excellent, we have to be out there preventing crime, we've got to respond properly, and our investigations have to be first-class,' he said. Bush says there needed to be a 'hard edge and a soft edge' in the response to youth crime, which has soared to the highest rates since records began, and sparked widespread community anger. 'At the hard end, there has to be a consequence, and they must know there is a consequence. They do things that risk their own lives and risk the lives and safety of others, so at the tough end there has to be a consequence, and sometimes that consequence will be the loss of their liberty,' he said. He declined to discuss whether bail laws in Victoria were too lenient, but confirmed he had spoken with the state government over the past week regarding further reforms. The soft edge, according to Bush, will involve widespread community and government engagement, with a focus on crime prevention. He concedes the approach will take some time. 'We come to work to make a difference, so if you're not stopping stuff before it starts, you're really just turning up after the act. There is a massive obligation on us to prevent crime and harm, and we'll be changing the way we work to make sure we do a lot more of that,' he said. During his tenure as a senior officer in New Zealand, Bush was credited with implementing a crime prevention model that helped reduce offending by 20 per cent between 2010 and 2014. Public satisfaction with policing also rose 5 points to 84 per cent at the same time. However, in Victoria he has inherited a force that is struggling to fill 1100 vacant positions, has morale issues and is expected to lose a further 300 senior officers by the end of the year, when a golden handshake deal from the previous enterprise bargaining agreement expires. Bush recognises the urgent need for more boots on the ground. 'We are going to streamline our recruitment process and make it quicker for people to come into the business. It's quite a protracted process to find resilient people who are committed to the cause, but we have to attract the right people,' he said. Loading His blueprint for retaining existing officers includes the removal of duplication of paperwork and forging a partnership with New Zealand police to bolster the force's technological capabilities. Bush has the demeanour of someone from a military background: a man who might relish cold showers, hard beds and rigorous gym sessions before dawn. He has a stern warning for Victoria's crooks. 'Bikie gangs and other organised crime groups really need to feel the heat from law enforcement. The community should not tolerate the behaviour that they bring to the state ... they need to be clearly in our sights.' He confirmed he was also reviewing the efficacy of Victoria's asset-confiscation laws. Such laws were beefed up in New Zealand when he was commissioner. Bush would not discuss Iraq-based underworld figure Kazem 'Kaz' Hamad, widely considered to be responsible for more than 100 arson attacks on tobacco outlets and several murders, other than to say that Victoria Police was working closely with global law enforcement agencies. 'Bikie gangs and other organised crime groups really need to feel the heat from law enforcement.' Mike Bush, police chief commissioner Operation Hawk – the police taskforce established after The Age 's Building Bad series exposed allegations that gangland-linked figures were receiving large payments from companies on publicly funded projects looking to gain favour with figures within the CFMEU – was also adequately resourced and making headway, according to Bush. He has been a regular visitor to Melbourne over the years and has settled in quickly. He has found an apartment in the city's inner-east, discovered new restaurants and cafes, and thrown his support behind the Richmond Football Club.

New police chief reveals firm stance on protest permits, issues warning to organised crime
New police chief reveals firm stance on protest permits, issues warning to organised crime

Sydney Morning Herald

time5 hours ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

New police chief reveals firm stance on protest permits, issues warning to organised crime

On Sunday, pro-Palestine protesters marched through the city to the National Gallery of Victoria. Security closed the entry while police monitored the rally outside. There has been fierce debate about what constitutes hate speech by attendees, who have repeatedly been heard chanting 'Death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]' and 'Death to the IOF [Israeli Occupying Force]'. Former Victorian governor Linda Dessau said last week the slogans were hate speech and that those who use them should be prosecuted. In his first interview with The Age since arriving from New Zealand, Bush also insisted he had the 'utmost confidence' in the protracted police investigation into the firebombing of a Ripponlea synagogue last December, an attack which drew international condemnation. Speaking on a wide range of issues, Bush warned that serious youth offenders would face prison if they continued to endanger community safety, that organised criminals and outlaw motorcycle gangs would 'feel the heat' under his watch and that a taskforce established to investigate underworld infiltration of the CFMEU was making progress. The 65-year-old has spent most of his first month in the top job consulting community groups and government departments, while also visiting more than a dozen stations from Warrnambool to St Kilda. Lured out of retirement by the Allan government, Bush is keenly aware of the challenges ahead but hopes to replicate his success while serving as New Zealand's police commissioner from 2014 until 2020. Restoring public trust in the force will be one of Bush's most pressing concerns, following an unprecedented slump over the past three years. Just 55 per cent of Victorians were likely to have confidence in Victoria Police, according to an annual survey released in May, which was 20 per cent lower than the previous financial year. Bush insists that figure needs to be above 80 per cent. 'We are taking that survey on the chin, we are not hiding from it, we know what we need to do,' he said. 'We have to be operationally excellent, we have to be out there preventing crime, we've got to respond properly, and our investigations have to be first-class,' he said. Bush says there needed to be a 'hard edge and a soft edge' in the response to youth crime, which has soared to the highest rates since records began, and sparked widespread community anger. 'At the hard end, there has to be a consequence, and they must know there is a consequence. They do things that risk their own lives and risk the lives and safety of others, so at the tough end there has to be a consequence, and sometimes that consequence will be the loss of their liberty,' he said. He declined to discuss whether bail laws in Victoria were too lenient, but confirmed he had spoken with the state government over the past week regarding further reforms. The soft edge, according to Bush, will involve widespread community and government engagement, with a focus on crime prevention. He concedes the approach will take some time. 'We come to work to make a difference, so if you're not stopping stuff before it starts, you're really just turning up after the act. There is a massive obligation on us to prevent crime and harm, and we'll be changing the way we work to make sure we do a lot more of that,' he said. During his tenure as a senior officer in New Zealand, Bush was credited with implementing a crime prevention model that helped reduce offending by 20 per cent between 2010 and 2014. Public satisfaction with policing also rose 5 points to 84 per cent at the same time. However, in Victoria he has inherited a force that is struggling to fill 1100 vacant positions, has morale issues and is expected to lose a further 300 senior officers by the end of the year, when a golden handshake deal from the previous enterprise bargaining agreement expires. Bush recognises the urgent need for more boots on the ground. 'We are going to streamline our recruitment process and make it quicker for people to come into the business. It's quite a protracted process to find resilient people who are committed to the cause, but we have to attract the right people,' he said. Loading His blueprint for retaining existing officers includes the removal of duplication of paperwork and forging a partnership with New Zealand police to bolster the force's technological capabilities. Bush has the demeanour of someone from a military background: a man who might relish cold showers, hard beds and rigorous gym sessions before dawn. He has a stern warning for Victoria's crooks. 'Bikie gangs and other organised crime groups really need to feel the heat from law enforcement. The community should not tolerate the behaviour that they bring to the state ... they need to be clearly in our sights.' He confirmed he was also reviewing the efficacy of Victoria's asset-confiscation laws. Such laws were beefed up in New Zealand when he was commissioner. Bush would not discuss Iraq-based underworld figure Kazem 'Kaz' Hamad, widely considered to be responsible for more than 100 arson attacks on tobacco outlets and several murders, other than to say that Victoria Police was working closely with global law enforcement agencies. 'Bikie gangs and other organised crime groups really need to feel the heat from law enforcement.' Mike Bush, police chief commissioner Operation Hawk – the police taskforce established after The Age 's Building Bad series exposed allegations that gangland-linked figures were receiving large payments from companies on publicly funded projects looking to gain favour with figures within the CFMEU – was also adequately resourced and making headway, according to Bush. He has been a regular visitor to Melbourne over the years and has settled in quickly. He has found an apartment in the city's inner-east, discovered new restaurants and cafes, and thrown his support behind the Richmond Football Club.

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