Israel-Gaza war: US-backed aid group starts operations despite UN objections
Update:
Date: 2025-05-27T07:58:26.000Z
Title: US-backed aid group says Gaza operations have begun despite fears scheme breaches international law
Content: We are continuing our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Israel's war on Gaza.
A US-backed foundation tasked with supplying aid to Gaza said it had begun operations on Monday, delivering truckloads of food to designated distribution sites a day after its executive director resigned because the operation could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to 'humanitarian principles'.
The aid plan, which has been endorsed by Israel but rejected by the UN, unfolded amid uncertainty about whether any assistance had actually reached civilians.
Palestinians reported no sign of aid deliveries earlier on Monday, but the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) later said truckloads of food – it did not say how many – had been delivered to its hubs, and distribution had begun. It was not clear where the hubs were located or how those receiving supplies were chosen.
The GHF is taking over the handling of aid despite objections from the UN. The new aid plan has been described as unworkable, dangerous and potentially unlawful by aid agencies because it could lead to the forced mass transfer of populations.
Under the GHF plan, Palestinians, many of whom have been injured by Israeli airstrikes or exhausted from constantly moving in response to evacuation threats, would collect aid boxes weighing up to 20kg (44lbs) from four distribution points in southern Gaza.
The UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said it would force further displacement and make 'starvation a bargaining chip'.
On Sunday the GHF's head, Jake Wood, resigned, saying it had become clear the foundation would not be allowed to operate independently.
The organisation could not adhere 'to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,' Wood said as he called for Israel to allow the entry of more aid. You can read more on this story here.
Israel imposed its total aid blockade in early March, cutting off all supplies including food, medicine, shelter and fuel in what has been widely condemned as the collective punishment of the civilian population in Gaza.
Israel claimed the blockade was to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages, but in effect it left most of the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory on the brink of starvation, with medicine and fuel supplies exhausted.
In some other developments:
At least 81 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since early Monday, including 53 in Gaza City, Al Jazeera is reporting, citing medical sources.
The Israeli military said this morning it had intercepted a missile and a projectile in separate launches from Yemen toward Israel. Yemen's Houthi rebels have regularly launched attacks they say are in response to Israel's assault on Gaza.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said Israel's forced displacement of Palestinian people is treating Gaza's population 'like pinballs'. 'In Gaza, people continue to be treated like pinballs forced to flee in search of safety that doesn't exist,' the agency said in a post on X. 'With nearly 20 months of war, people are exhausted, disoriented, grieving, and constantly in fear.'
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Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Greta Thunberg and 'freedom flotilla' activists are at airport and risk being deported, Israel says - after Greta Thunberg's lawyer demanded answers
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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Greta Thunberg arrives on dry land & ‘will be deported' after Israel seized ‘Freedom Flotilla' stunt ship & twisted crew
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She is waiting in Ashdod with five others, and explained that the process of deportation could be fast. Zoabi said: "Israel has no interest in detaining them and they themselves do not want to stay in the country." Israel accused the group who were aboard the boat of supporting Hamas terrorists who detonated Middle East mayhem by massacring 1,200 and kidnapping 251 hostages. And all of those detained will be made to watch a screening of video footage showing innocents including children being slaughter by Hamas savages during the attacks. The 'selfie yacht' operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition was said to be "safely making its way to the shores of Israel", Israel's Foreign Minsitry said. All passengers were safe and unharmed and activists handed sandwiches and water before the vessel docked at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod. The boat was carrying a "tiny amount of aid" on board - which will be sent to Gaza. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that he has instructed the Israeli Defence Forces to screen footage of the 7 October attacks as soon as they arrive. The disturbing footage - titled "Bearing Witness" - shows innocent people being massacred and mutilated. And all the footage was taken from the Hamas terrorists' bodycams as they filmed their massacre. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said early on Monday that Israeli forces had boarded the charity vessel. Shortly before the FFC statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted a video on X showing the Israeli Navy communicating with the Madleen over a loudspeaker, urging it to change course. "The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to naval traffic as part of a legal naval blockade," a soldier said. 10 10 10 "If you wish to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, you are able to do so through the (Israeli) port of Ashdod." The campaigners had said they are hoping to 'break the siege' and raise 'international awareness' of the humanitarian crisis on the Gaza Strip. But Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant issued a warning as the vessel entered the final stretch of its journey, saying: 'You should turn back – because you will not reach Gaza.' Thunberg, 22, has posted on social media with a Palestine flag and wearing a keffiyeh scarf while on the journey. Travelling alongside her is Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament of Palestinian descent. She has previously been barred from entering Israel due to her outspoken criticism of the country's policies towards Palestinians. Organisers claim the voyage is 'a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel's illegal siege" - and is carrying essential supplies to a population at risk of famine. Israel imposed a near-total blockade on Gaza in late 2023, following Hamas's horror massacre on southern Israel on October 7. Though some limited aid has been allowed in since last month, aid agencies claim it is nowhere near enough. Ahead of the journey, Thunberg said through tears: "We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. "Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity." CONTROVERSIAL CREW The flotilla's latest voyage follows a failed attempt in May, when another of its vessels was struck by two drones in international waters off Malta. The group accused Israel of being behind the attack. Despite the risks, activists aboard the Madleen have said they plan to enter Gaza's territorial waters as early as Sunday. The vessel's controversial crew includes figures who have openly supported terrorist organizations and have made inflammatory public statements. Brazilian activist Thiago Avila attended the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, calling the terrorist a "beloved" leader and a "martyr". 10 10 10 Avila said he was "very honoured" and "very happy" to attend, and described the funeral as something that "amazed him". He wrote that Nasrallah was an "important figure" who "inspired people all over the world". Also on board was Yasemin Acar from Berlin, who reportedly danced as Iranian rockets rained down on Israel and once told a white woman at a protest: 'You're a white person, you shouldn't tell us what to do.' French journalist Omar Faiad, of Al-Jazeera, sparked outrage for comparing the IDF to Nazis. On X, he wrote: 'The Israeli army resembles the Nazi army,' and claimed: 'Israel is committing a new Holocaust in Gaza.' Rima Hassan, meanwhile, previously tweeted: 'Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri Bibas were killed by an Israeli attack,' despite Hamas being responsible for their abduction and deaths. She was also seen at a protest where demonstrators chanted: 'We die for jihad.' And it included included a London-based Palestinian named in Parliament in 2023 as being a London-based Hamas operative. Zaher Birawi was at the launch of the Madleen and live streamed from the dock in Greece and is chair of the International Committee to Break the siege of Gaza. Birawi, 62, has been photographed with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and runs UK-registered charity, Education Aid for Palestinians, which has raised more than £3 million since 2017. Irish Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham was also on the boat.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
UN says most flour delivered in Gaza looted or taken by starving people
UNITED NATIONS, June 9 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday that it has only been able to bring minimal flour into Gaza since Israel lifted an aid blockade three weeks ago and that has mostly been looted by armed gangs or taken by starving Palestinians. The organization has transported 4,600 metric tonnes of wheat flour into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, the only entry point Israel allows it to use, Deputy U.N. spokesperson Fahan Haq told reporters. Haq said aid groups in Gaza estimate that between 8,000 and 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat flour were needed to give each family in Gaza a bag of flour and "ease the pressure on markets and reduce desperation." "Most of it was taken by desperate, starving people before the supplies reached their destinations. In some cases, the supplies were looted by armed gangs," Haq said. According to World Food Programme guidelines, 4,600 metric tonnes of flour would provide roughly eight days' worth of bread for Gaza's 2 million residents, based on a standard daily ration of 300 grams per person. Haq called for Israel to let in far more aid via multiple crossings and routes. The U.N. has mostly delivered flour along with limited medical and nutrition items since Israel lifted the 11-week blockade in mid-May. Experts warn Gaza is at risk of famine, with the rate of young children suffering acute malnutrition nearly tripling. Israel and the United States want the U.N. to work through the controversial new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but the U.N. has refused, questioning its neutrality and accusing the distribution model of militarizing aid and forcing displacement. Israel and the United States have accused Hamas of stealing aid from the U.N.-led operations, which the militants deny. The GHF uses private U.S. security and logistics firms to operate. It began operations in Gaza on May 26 and said on Monday so far it has given out 11.4 million meals. Israel makes the U.N. offload aid on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, where it then has to be picked by the U.N. and aid groups already in Gaza. The U.N. has accused Israel of regularly denying access requests.
