‘Stop the excuses' and recognise state of Palestine, SNP tells UK government
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Netanyahu suggests ‘allowing' Palestinians to leave Gaza with South Sudan touted as destination
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly in talks with South Sudan about resettling Palestinians from Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli offensive on the embattled Strip. Mr Netanyahu has previously said he wants to realise US president Donald Trump's vision of relocating much of Gaza's population through what the Israeli leader refers to as "voluntary migration". At least six people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that Israel was in discussion with the authorities of the war-torn North African country. It was not clear how far the talks had progressed, but the plan, if successful, would amount to transferring people from one war-ravaged region to another. Palestinians and human rights groups have largely rejected the proposal of Israel to remove Gazans from their homeland in violation of international law. Israel has reportedly floated similar resettlement proposals with other African nations, including Somalia, Egypt, and even Indonesia in Southeast Asia. "I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there," Mr Netanyahu told Israeli broadcaster i24, without naming South Sudan. For South Sudan, such a deal could help it build closer ties to Israel, now the almost unchallenged military power in the Middle East. It is also a potential inroad to Trump, who broached the idea of resettling Gaza's population in February but appears to have backed away in recent months. Israel's foreign ministry declined to comment and South Sudan's foreign minister did not respond to questions about the talks to AP. A US State Department spokesperson said it doesn't comment on private diplomatic conversations. Israel's 22-month-long air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. It has killed more than 61,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Joe Szlavik, the founder of a US lobbying firm working with South Sudan, said he was briefed by South Sudanese officials on the talks. He told the news agency that an Israeli delegation plans to visit the country to look into the possibility of setting up camps for Palestinians there. Edmund Yakani, who heads a South Sudanese civil society group, said he had also spoken to South Sudanese officials about the talks. Efforts to relocate the Palestinians to North Africa have been reportedly ongoing for months, according to Egyptian officials. NBC News reported in March that the Trump administration was working on a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya. A spokesperson for the Trump administration later denied the reports as "untrue". The bid to relocate Palestinians escalated after Mr Trump on 4 February said the US should "take over" the war-battered enclave and rebuild it as "the Riviera of the Middle East" after resettling the Palestinians elsewhere. Mr Trump has since appeared to have backed away from his statement. Israeli officials, along with a controversial US-backed aid group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), were working to build large-scale camps called 'Humanitarian Transit Areas' inside – and possibly outside – Gaza to house the Palestinian population, according to reports. The $2bn plan, created sometime after February, was submitted to the Trump administration, Reuters reported, citing two sources. The plan, which was widely discussed at the White House, describes the camps as "large-scale" and "voluntary" places where the Gazan population could 'temporarily reside, deradicalise, re-integrate and prepare to relocate if they wish to do so". The GHF started distributing aid on 26 May, following a nearly three-month Israeli blockade that pushed Gaza's population of more than 2 million people to the brink of famine. In a statement, the organisation said it had delivered more than 52 million meals over five weeks. 'Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza,' the statement said. 'We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need.' The UN has called GHF's operation "inherently unsafe" and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. The UN human rights office says it has recorded at least 1,373 killings at GHF aid points and near humanitarian convoys run by other relief groups. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday warned that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. At least 121 adults and 101 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war. "Against this backdrop, humanitarian supplies entering Gaza remain far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs," Mr Dujarric said.
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Starving boy, 14, crushed to death by Gaza aid drop as he ran toward food
Muhannad Zakaria Eid, 14, was running towards the heavy aid packages as they dropped near in central Gaza on Saturday - when one landed on him and crushed him to death A starving Palestinian child was crushed to death by a parachuted aid pallet in Gaza amid what officials have described as an "unimaginable" famine that has claimed hundreds of lives. Muhannad Zakaria Eid, 14, was running towards the heavy packages as they dropped near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza on Saturday when one landed on him, his brother Muhammad Eid said. At least 23 Palestinians have died in airdrops so far, with another 124 injured. Harrowing footage shared on social media shows large pallets thudding to the ground, before Muhannad's body is dragged from beneath a crate and carried away from the crowd. His death comes after repeated warnings that parachuted aid deliveries are dangerous, ineffective and far from meeting Gaza's desperate need for food, baby formula and medical supplies. Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Basal said "daily injuries and fatalities" occur when heavy parcels fall on people in densely populated areas, adding that stampedes and overcrowding at drop sites also claim lives. It comes after furious Bob Geldof issued a desperate plea on Sky News to save babies in Gaza. Gaza's Government Media Office condemned the airdrops, saying: "We have repeatedly warned of the danger of these inhumane methods and have repeatedly called for the entry of aid through land crossings in a safe and sufficient manner, especially food, infant milk, medicines, and medical supplies." On Tuesday, a coalition of 24 countries, including the UK, Australia and several European states, warned that famine is "unfolding before our eyes" and demanded Israel allow unrestricted aid into Gaza. "The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised," their joint statement said. The grim warning came as Israeli strikes continued across the Strip, killing at least 46 Palestinians since dawn on Tuesday. Five more people - including two children - died from starvation, bringing the total famine death toll to 227 since the war began, among them 103 children. Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza. Speaking to the ABC's 7:30 on Monday night, Israel's ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said: "The government of Israel is not - is not - there is no starvation policy. That's not to say that we believe the condition on the ground are ideal." He declined to say how many children have died from hunger. On Sunday, five Al Jazeera employees, described as among the "last remaining voices within Gaza", were killed in an Israeli attack that has sparked global outrage. Correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa, and their assistant Mohammed Noufal, died on Sunday following a strike on a tent near al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
UK demands Israel stop 'unimaginable' Gaza famine as children starve to death
The UK, Australia and other European states demanded Israel allow unrestricted aid into Gaza, describing the humanitarian suffering as "unimaginable" as another five Palestinians die of starvation Horror-stricken Gaza is suffering a 'famine unfolding before our eyes,' a coalition of western countries declared on Tuesday. The UK, Australia and other European states demanded Israel allow unrestricted aid into Gaza, describing the humanitarian suffering as "unimaginable". In a joint statement signed by the foreign ministers of 24 countries, they said famine is "unfolding before our eyes". It said: "The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised.' The grim warning happened as Israel continued to batter the Strip with missiles and ground attacks, killing at least 46 Palestinians since dawn on Tuesday. Another five Palestinians, including two children, died from starvation, taking the toll of those dying from lack of food to 227 since the war in the Strip began. Among those who have starved to death, according to health officials, were 103 children, and Israel has continued pounding the enclave daily. It comes after Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu recently 'completely lost it' with angry response to Keir Starmer. The military has been roundly condemned for its killing of Al Jazeera journalists based on the claim that one of them was a Hamas 'terrorist.' Both the UN and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer 's office have called for an independent investigation to probe the attack. The 24 foreign minister statement continued: "Due to restrictive new registration requirements, essential international NGOs (non-governmental organisations) may be forced to leave the Occupied Palestinian Territories imminently, which would worsen the humanitarian situation still further. "We call on the government of Israel to provide authorisation for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating. Lethal force must not be used at distribution sites, and civilians, humanitarians and medical workers must be protected." The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The military has been roundly condemned for its killing of Al Jazeera journalists based on the claim that one of them was a Hamas 'terrorist.' Both the UN and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office have called for an independent investigation to probe the attack. The Government Media Office in Gaza reported that only 1,334 aid trucks out of the supposed 9,000 were allowed into Gaza over 15 days. Wadie Said, professor of law at the University of Colorado, says journalists cannot be targeted in conflicts as they are considered 'protected persons' under international law. The latest Israeli targeting and killing of Al Jazeera's journalists is 'remarkable', he said, in that the Israeli military 'engaged in a campaign of terrorisation of Anas al-Sharif directly. It's no longer being hidden, it's no longer being kept under wraps,' Said told Al Jazeera. The war began on October 7 2023 when Hamas broke out of Gaza and killed around 1,200 in southern Israel, kidnapping 250 and taking them back to the Strip. At least 50 remain in captivity , although only 20 are believed to be alive.
