The safe passage of aid must be allowed in Gaza
Those who march through European capitals every week, blaming Israel for wanting peace and security free from neighbours seeking their destruction, do not have to live in the region. Nor do they consider what any country would do if its citizens were taken hostage and kept as bargaining counters by terrorists. Had they been released and Hamas accepted Israel's right to exist this could have ended months ago.
But with a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza we are past the blame game, as the Israeli government is tacitly conceding by offering 10-hour daily pauses and opening aid corridors in densely populated parts of the Strip. This is 'to enable the safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organisation convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine to the population'. There have also been air drops of aid in recent days.
Critics will say this has come a bit late in the day, although the Israelis have challenged Hamas's accounts of what has happened to past aid convoys, many of which they say have been hijacked.
Nonetheless, the new, open-ended, policy is indicative of the massive pressure now being applied to Jerusalem, with countries like France proposing to recognise a Palestinian state. As more pictures emerge from inside Gaza it has become impossible for the Israelis to maintain a narrative that the privation of the people is being exaggerated. Now they have opened up the aid corridors it is imperative that the world sees it is being delivered to women and children and not being intercepted by Hamas. To that end, opening the country to the free and safe movement of foreign media representatives can only be to Israel's advantage.
The fact remains, however, that Hamas is still holding at least 50 hostages, of whom 20 are thought still to be alive. Their release is essential to any chance of an agreement to end the conflict. Furthermore, apart from Jordan and the UAE, what are other Arab countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia doing to help the Palestinians?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Wong criticises Israel's conduct in Gaza in closed-door meeting with Israeli ambassador
In a private meeting with Israel's ambassador to Australia, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, criticised Israel's conduct in Gaza and called for it to urgently comply with international law and increase the supply of food to Palestinians. Wong's Thursday meeting with Amir Maimon was requested by the Israeli embassy, according to federal government sources, and took place inside Wong's office at Parliament House in Canberra. The meeting was held days after Australia joined 27 other countries in condemning Israel for denying humanitarian aid to Palestinians. At the time, Wong said the decision to sign the statement reflected the 'concern' and 'distress' Australians felt from seeing the images of starving Palestinians in Gaza. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The Thursday discussion followed another meeting between Maimon and lower-level foreign affairs officials in Canberra earlier in the week, as reported by the Nine Newspapers. Australian sources said Wong repeated her public criticism of Israel's conduct in Gaza during the meeting with Maimon. This included a request for Israel to comply with international law and ensure enough food was being provided to Palestinians. Wong's office declined to comment on the meeting, and the Israeli embassy has been contacted for comment. Before both meetings took place, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, accused Israel of 'clearly' breaching international law and said Benjamin Netanyahu's government was 'losing support' internationally. After those comments, Wong said: 'It is forbidden to withhold aid from civilians, that is not consistent with international law, but actually, just as importantly, it's morally the wrong thing to do.' Earlier in the week, a select group of journalists attended a briefing at the Israeli embassy where Israel's deputy ambassador, Amir Meron, reportedly said: 'We don't recognise any famine or any starvation in the Gaza Strip.' In response, Albanese said that statement was 'beyond comprehension' and raised concerns about Israel restricting journalists from visiting the war-torn Palestinian territory. Dozens of Palestinians have died of hunger in recent weeks in a crisis attributed by the UN and other humanitarian organisations to Israel's blockade of almost all aid into the territory. Two Israeli-based rights groups this week declared that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, with reports citing evidence including the weaponisation of hunger. B'tselem described an 'official and openly declared policy' of mass starvation. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion On Wednesday, Australia joined 14 other countries in describing the recognition of Palestine as 'an essential step towards the two-state solution', linking progress on statehood to the upcoming United Nations general assembly meeting in September. But Albanese also criticised calls for further actions against Israel as 'slogans' as he faced intensifying pressure from his MPs, Labor members and the Greens to reconsider his position on the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He has so far stopped short of matching his UK counterpart Keir Starmer's promise to recognise the state of Palestine in September unless Israel abides by a ceasefire and commits to a two-state solution. 'What I've said is that it's not the timeline, that's not what we're looking at. What we're looking at is the circumstances where recognition will advance the objective of the creation of two states,' Albanese said on Wednesday, a day before Wong met Maimon.
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
US special envoy Witkoff visits food distribution centre in Gaza
International experts warned this week that a 'worst-case scenario of famine' is playing out in Gaza. Israel's near 22-month military offensive against Hamas has shattered security in the territory of some 2.0 million Palestinians and made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving people. Envoy Steve Witkoff and the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, toured a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution site in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, which has been almost completely destroyed and is now a largely depopulated Israeli military zone. Hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli fire while heading to such aid sites since May, according to witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office. Israel and GHF say they have only fired warning shots and that the toll has been exaggerated. In a report issued on Friday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said GHF was at the heart of a 'flawed, militarised aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths.' Mr Witkoff posted on X that he had spent more than five hours inside Gaza in order to gain 'a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza'. He did not request any meetings with UN officials in Gaza during his visit, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. UN agencies have provided aid throughout Gaza since the start of the war, when conditions allow. Chapin Fay, a spokesperson for GHF, said the visit reflected Mr Trump's understanding of the stakes and that 'feeding civilians, not Hamas, must be the priority'. The group said it has delivered over 100 million meals since it began operations in May. All four of the group's sites established in May are in zones controlled by the Israeli military and have become flashpoints of desperation, with starving people scrambling for scarce aid. More 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli fire since May while seeking aid in the territory, most near the GHF sites but also near United Nations aid convoys, the UN human rights office said last month. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Officials at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza said on Friday they received the bodies of 13 people who were killed while trying to get aid, including near the site that US officials visited. GHF denied anyone was killed at their sites on Friday and said most recent shootings had occurred near UN aid convoys. Mr Witkoff's visit comes a week after US officials walked away from ceasefire talks in Qatar, blaming Hamas and pledging to seek other ways to rescue Israeli hostages and make Gaza safe. Mr Trump wrote on social media that the fastest way to end the crisis would be for Hamas to surrender and release hostages. The war was triggered when Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on October 7 2023 and abducted 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including about 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.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Teenage boy who was maimed in Gaza becomes the first to be treated for war injuries in the UK
A boy of 15 maimed in Gaza became the first to receive treatment for war injuries in London as Donald Trump 's envoy touched down in the devastated territory yesterday. Majd Alshaghnobi suffered severe facial injuries and a shattered leg while searching for food with two friends last year. He was brought to the UK by Project Pure Hope, a charity set up by senior healthcare workers who have also treated children from Ukraine and Israel. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, along with the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, made a rare trip into Gaza to visit an aid station and devise a plan to get aid into the strip. Mr Witkoff tweeted: 'We spent over five hours inside Gaza. The purpose of the visit was to give the President a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.' On Thursday, Mr Trump said he did not believe Israel's denials of famine in Gaza, saying there was 'real starvation' happening. 'We want to get people fed,' he said. 'It is something that should have happened a long time ago.' The UN says that more than 1,300 people queuing for aid at centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is backed by Israel, have been killed since late May. Rights group have condemned the centres as a 'death trap'. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, along with the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (both pictured), made a rare trip into Gaza to visit an aid station and devise a plan to get aid into the strip Yesterday, wounded Madj was applauded by well-wishers when he arrived at Heathrow airport in London. He said Israeli soldiers had opened fire on him and his friends, killing one and seriously injuring the other two, as they waited for aid. His medical team, all working for free, will include craniofacial, plastic and orthodontic surgeons. Hospital bills will be covered by private donations. Lead surgeon Professor Noor ul Owase Jeelani, of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, said Majd's arrival comes after months of wrangling over a temporary visa. 'If we are able to give him a face and a jaw, it won't be completely normal, but hopefully he will be able to feed himself and speak, and his facial expressions will be better,' he said. 'Hopefully that will 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. I don't quite understand why it's taken us over 20 months to get to this stage.' Majd's arrival comes a week after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was planning to evacuate badly injured children from Gaza. Dozens of MPs have called on him to establish a Ukraine-style visa to allow Gazans to enter Britain for medical treatment Majd's arrival comes a week after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was planning to evacuate badly injured children from Gaza. Dozens of MPs have called on him to establish a Ukraine-style visa to allow Gazans to enter Britain for medical treatment. Omar Din, an NHS healthcare executive and co-founder of Project Pure Hope, said: 'Every day of delay risks the lives and futures of children who deserve a chance to live, to recover and to rebuild a life.' Two Gazan girls aged five and 12 with long-term medical problems were brought to London for treatment in April.
