Deadly break in at UN warehouse, aid trickles into Gaza
Thousands of desperate Palestinians have stormed a UN World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza, taking bags of flour after nearly three months of an Israeli blockade.
The WFP said initial reports indicated that two people had died and several more were injured in the incident.
The UN agency appealed for an immediate scale-up of food aid "to reassure people that they will not starve."
Eyewitness video independently verified by Reuters shows large crowds of people pushing into the warehouse and removing bags and boxes as gunfire can be heard. It was not immediately clear how the people may have been killed or injured in the incident.
Under growing international pressure, Israel ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza 10 days ago. It has allowed a limited amount of relief to be delivered via two avenues - the United Nations or the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
UN Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag told the Security Council that the amount of aid Israel had so far allowed the UN to deliver was "comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk" when everyone in Gaza was facing the risk of famine.
The United States has been trying to broker a ceasefire. Israel - which resumed its military operation in Gaza in March after a brief truce - continued strikes on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people, Palestinian health officials said.
"We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today," US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said. "The president is going to review it."
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.
Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead.
The Israeli leader announced Sinwar had been "eliminated" in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar's brother Yahya.
"In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas," he said, adding that Israel was also "taking control of food distribution", a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a US-backed group.
Netanyahu's announcement came as the Israeli military has intensified its war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas' governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza, rampaging through southern Israeli communities and killing around 1200 people, mostly civilians.
More than 250 were captured and taken as hostages into Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over two million Palestinians.
Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians but have not said how many militants have died. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of militants but has not provided any evidence to support those claims.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre.
Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat.
Yahya Sinwar masterminded the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, now in its 20th month, and was later named the overall leader of the group after Israel killed his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Thousands of desperate Palestinians have stormed a UN World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza, taking bags of flour after nearly three months of an Israeli blockade.
The WFP said initial reports indicated that two people had died and several more were injured in the incident.
The UN agency appealed for an immediate scale-up of food aid "to reassure people that they will not starve."
Eyewitness video independently verified by Reuters shows large crowds of people pushing into the warehouse and removing bags and boxes as gunfire can be heard. It was not immediately clear how the people may have been killed or injured in the incident.
Under growing international pressure, Israel ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza 10 days ago. It has allowed a limited amount of relief to be delivered via two avenues - the United Nations or the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
UN Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag told the Security Council that the amount of aid Israel had so far allowed the UN to deliver was "comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk" when everyone in Gaza was facing the risk of famine.
The United States has been trying to broker a ceasefire. Israel - which resumed its military operation in Gaza in March after a brief truce - continued strikes on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people, Palestinian health officials said.
"We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today," US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said. "The president is going to review it."
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.
Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead.
The Israeli leader announced Sinwar had been "eliminated" in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar's brother Yahya.
"In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas," he said, adding that Israel was also "taking control of food distribution", a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a US-backed group.
Netanyahu's announcement came as the Israeli military has intensified its war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas' governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza, rampaging through southern Israeli communities and killing around 1200 people, mostly civilians.
More than 250 were captured and taken as hostages into Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over two million Palestinians.
Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians but have not said how many militants have died. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of militants but has not provided any evidence to support those claims.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre.
Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat.
Yahya Sinwar masterminded the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, now in its 20th month, and was later named the overall leader of the group after Israel killed his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Thousands of desperate Palestinians have stormed a UN World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza, taking bags of flour after nearly three months of an Israeli blockade.
The WFP said initial reports indicated that two people had died and several more were injured in the incident.
The UN agency appealed for an immediate scale-up of food aid "to reassure people that they will not starve."
Eyewitness video independently verified by Reuters shows large crowds of people pushing into the warehouse and removing bags and boxes as gunfire can be heard. It was not immediately clear how the people may have been killed or injured in the incident.
Under growing international pressure, Israel ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza 10 days ago. It has allowed a limited amount of relief to be delivered via two avenues - the United Nations or the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
UN Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag told the Security Council that the amount of aid Israel had so far allowed the UN to deliver was "comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk" when everyone in Gaza was facing the risk of famine.
The United States has been trying to broker a ceasefire. Israel - which resumed its military operation in Gaza in March after a brief truce - continued strikes on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people, Palestinian health officials said.
"We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today," US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said. "The president is going to review it."
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.
Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead.
The Israeli leader announced Sinwar had been "eliminated" in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar's brother Yahya.
"In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas," he said, adding that Israel was also "taking control of food distribution", a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a US-backed group.
Netanyahu's announcement came as the Israeli military has intensified its war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas' governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza, rampaging through southern Israeli communities and killing around 1200 people, mostly civilians.
More than 250 were captured and taken as hostages into Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over two million Palestinians.
Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians but have not said how many militants have died. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of militants but has not provided any evidence to support those claims.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre.
Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat.
Yahya Sinwar masterminded the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, now in its 20th month, and was later named the overall leader of the group after Israel killed his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Thousands of desperate Palestinians have stormed a UN World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza, taking bags of flour after nearly three months of an Israeli blockade.
The WFP said initial reports indicated that two people had died and several more were injured in the incident.
The UN agency appealed for an immediate scale-up of food aid "to reassure people that they will not starve."
Eyewitness video independently verified by Reuters shows large crowds of people pushing into the warehouse and removing bags and boxes as gunfire can be heard. It was not immediately clear how the people may have been killed or injured in the incident.
Under growing international pressure, Israel ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza 10 days ago. It has allowed a limited amount of relief to be delivered via two avenues - the United Nations or the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
UN Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag told the Security Council that the amount of aid Israel had so far allowed the UN to deliver was "comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk" when everyone in Gaza was facing the risk of famine.
The United States has been trying to broker a ceasefire. Israel - which resumed its military operation in Gaza in March after a brief truce - continued strikes on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people, Palestinian health officials said.
"We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today," US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said. "The president is going to review it."
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.
Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead.
The Israeli leader announced Sinwar had been "eliminated" in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar's brother Yahya.
"In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas," he said, adding that Israel was also "taking control of food distribution", a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a US-backed group.
Netanyahu's announcement came as the Israeli military has intensified its war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas' governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza, rampaging through southern Israeli communities and killing around 1200 people, mostly civilians.
More than 250 were captured and taken as hostages into Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over two million Palestinians.
Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians but have not said how many militants have died. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of militants but has not provided any evidence to support those claims.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre.
Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat.
Yahya Sinwar masterminded the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, now in its 20th month, and was later named the overall leader of the group after Israel killed his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
29 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
'Fight and win': weapons factories in UK defence boost
Britain must be ready to fight and win a war against states with advanced military forces, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says as his government announced a 1.5 billion-pound ($A3.1 billion) plan to build at least six new weapons and explosives factories. Starmer's warning comes a day before he publishes a major review of Britain's military capabilities. The UK and countries across Europe are rapidly trying to boost their defence industries after US President Donald Trump said the continent had to take more responsibility for its own security. "We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, so we must be ready to fight and win," Starmer wrote in an article for The Sun on Sunday newspaper, citing as examples Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its co-operation with Iran and North Korea. Defence Minister John Healey announced the munitions investment program in a BBC interview on Sunday, describing it as "a message to Moscow" as well as a way to stimulate the country's sluggish economy. The Ministry of Defence said it would procure up to 7000 long-range weapons, built in Britain. The extra investment means Britain will spend around six billion pounds ($A12.5 billion) on munitions in the current parliament, the Ministry of Defence said. The Sunday Times reported the government wanted to purchase US-made fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons. The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. The Strategic Defence Review, commissioned by Starmer's Labour government shortly after it won power in July 2024, will set out the threats Britain faces and the military equipment and services needed to meet them. Starmer has already committed to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term. The government has already announced a billion-pound plan to invest in artificial intelligence that can be used to enhance battlefield decision-making, and has separately committed to spend an extra 1.5 billion pounds ($A3.1 billion) to tackle the poor state of housing for the country's armed forces. Britain must be ready to fight and win a war against states with advanced military forces, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says as his government announced a 1.5 billion-pound ($A3.1 billion) plan to build at least six new weapons and explosives factories. Starmer's warning comes a day before he publishes a major review of Britain's military capabilities. The UK and countries across Europe are rapidly trying to boost their defence industries after US President Donald Trump said the continent had to take more responsibility for its own security. "We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, so we must be ready to fight and win," Starmer wrote in an article for The Sun on Sunday newspaper, citing as examples Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its co-operation with Iran and North Korea. Defence Minister John Healey announced the munitions investment program in a BBC interview on Sunday, describing it as "a message to Moscow" as well as a way to stimulate the country's sluggish economy. The Ministry of Defence said it would procure up to 7000 long-range weapons, built in Britain. The extra investment means Britain will spend around six billion pounds ($A12.5 billion) on munitions in the current parliament, the Ministry of Defence said. The Sunday Times reported the government wanted to purchase US-made fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons. The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. The Strategic Defence Review, commissioned by Starmer's Labour government shortly after it won power in July 2024, will set out the threats Britain faces and the military equipment and services needed to meet them. Starmer has already committed to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term. The government has already announced a billion-pound plan to invest in artificial intelligence that can be used to enhance battlefield decision-making, and has separately committed to spend an extra 1.5 billion pounds ($A3.1 billion) to tackle the poor state of housing for the country's armed forces. Britain must be ready to fight and win a war against states with advanced military forces, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says as his government announced a 1.5 billion-pound ($A3.1 billion) plan to build at least six new weapons and explosives factories. Starmer's warning comes a day before he publishes a major review of Britain's military capabilities. The UK and countries across Europe are rapidly trying to boost their defence industries after US President Donald Trump said the continent had to take more responsibility for its own security. "We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, so we must be ready to fight and win," Starmer wrote in an article for The Sun on Sunday newspaper, citing as examples Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its co-operation with Iran and North Korea. Defence Minister John Healey announced the munitions investment program in a BBC interview on Sunday, describing it as "a message to Moscow" as well as a way to stimulate the country's sluggish economy. The Ministry of Defence said it would procure up to 7000 long-range weapons, built in Britain. The extra investment means Britain will spend around six billion pounds ($A12.5 billion) on munitions in the current parliament, the Ministry of Defence said. The Sunday Times reported the government wanted to purchase US-made fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons. The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. The Strategic Defence Review, commissioned by Starmer's Labour government shortly after it won power in July 2024, will set out the threats Britain faces and the military equipment and services needed to meet them. Starmer has already committed to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term. The government has already announced a billion-pound plan to invest in artificial intelligence that can be used to enhance battlefield decision-making, and has separately committed to spend an extra 1.5 billion pounds ($A3.1 billion) to tackle the poor state of housing for the country's armed forces. Britain must be ready to fight and win a war against states with advanced military forces, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says as his government announced a 1.5 billion-pound ($A3.1 billion) plan to build at least six new weapons and explosives factories. Starmer's warning comes a day before he publishes a major review of Britain's military capabilities. The UK and countries across Europe are rapidly trying to boost their defence industries after US President Donald Trump said the continent had to take more responsibility for its own security. "We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, so we must be ready to fight and win," Starmer wrote in an article for The Sun on Sunday newspaper, citing as examples Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its co-operation with Iran and North Korea. Defence Minister John Healey announced the munitions investment program in a BBC interview on Sunday, describing it as "a message to Moscow" as well as a way to stimulate the country's sluggish economy. The Ministry of Defence said it would procure up to 7000 long-range weapons, built in Britain. The extra investment means Britain will spend around six billion pounds ($A12.5 billion) on munitions in the current parliament, the Ministry of Defence said. The Sunday Times reported the government wanted to purchase US-made fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons. The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. The Strategic Defence Review, commissioned by Starmer's Labour government shortly after it won power in July 2024, will set out the threats Britain faces and the military equipment and services needed to meet them. Starmer has already committed to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term. The government has already announced a billion-pound plan to invest in artificial intelligence that can be used to enhance battlefield decision-making, and has separately committed to spend an extra 1.5 billion pounds ($A3.1 billion) to tackle the poor state of housing for the country's armed forces.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Hamas agrees to hostage releases, pushes for 'amendments' to US ceasefire proposal
Hamas responds to US-brokered ceasefire proposal with a push for amendments but the US slams their demands as "unacceptable".
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Gaza rescuers say Israeli fire kills 10 near aid site as ceasefire push stalls
Gaza rescuers said Israeli gunfire killed at least 10 Palestinians near a US-backed aid distribution site on Sunday, shortly after Washington rejected a Hamas ceasefire proposal as "totally unacceptable". "At least 10 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others... were wounded due to gunfire from Israeli vehicles towards thousands of citizens" approaching the US aid site west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. The casualties were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, he said. Israel has faced mounting international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in war-ravaged Gaza, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces famine. Nearly 20 months into the war, negotiations remain deadlocked. A brief truce collapsed in March, and Israel has since intensified operations to destroy Hamas. In the Gaza Strip, aid is only trickling in after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, and the United Nations reported looting of its trucks and warehouses last month. - 'Death traps, not aid points' - The UN's World Food Programme has called on Israel "to get far greater volumes of food assistance into Gaza faster", saying desperation was "contributing to rising insecurity". The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is administered by contracted US security with support from Israeli troops, began distributing food in the Gaza Strip on May 26. The United Nations and other major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the organisation, saying it violated basic humanitarian principles, and appeared crafted to cater to Israeli military objectives. Officially a private effort, GHF said it had distributed 2.1 million meals as of Friday. In a statement on Sunday, Hamas accused Israeli forces operating in Rafah of committing "a new massacre against hungry civilians who had gathered at the so-called 'humanitarian aid' distribution sites", calling them "mass death traps, not humanitarian relief points". - Truce talks - The Palestinian militant group said Saturday that it had responded positively to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, but Washington's main negotiator criticised Hamas's reply as "totally unacceptable". Hamas said it had emphasised the need for a permanent ceasefire -- long a sticking point for Israel. And a source within the Palestinian group's political bureau added that it had also pushed for a "full Israeli withdrawal" from the Gaza Strip. On Friday, Israel had warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages held in Gaza "or be annihilated". US envoy Steve Witkoff called Hamas's response to its truce offer on Saturday "totally unacceptable", and urged it to "accept the framework proposal we put forward". "That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have... substantive negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire," he added in a post on X. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians. Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
