Charity slams Gaza aid distribution 'horror show' as children killed or injured
Gaza's nightmare aid distribution has turned into 'dystopian horror show' by shooting incidents which are killing or injuring children at the rate of more than half of the deadly incidents
Children have been killed or injured in over half of the 'dystopian horror show' fatal attacks at food distribution sites since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation took over. Horrifying statistics emerged after UK-based Save the Children analysed reports from the Gaza Media Office and the UN on casualties at GHF aid points since May 27.
They found that in 19 deadly incidents children were among the casualties in ten of them, representing more than half of all of the shootings at GHF centres. Another 33 Palestinians died yesterday (June 25) whilst waiting at food sites near Netzarim Junction, in Central Gaza, although it is not known if they were GHF sites. Palestinians are dying in Gaza at the rate of between 50 and 100 a-day
It comes as it has emerged more than 56,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the war triggered by Hamas' attack on southern Israel, on October 7 2023. Now, Save the Children says. Families are so desperate or lacking a healthy adult that they send children to collect food at aid points, exposing them to being shot by troops.
Since May 27 over 500 Palestinians have been killed and at least 3,000 injured by Israeli forces either at or en route to GHF distribution points - , or while approaching the few other aid convoys delivered by the UN or Charities.
The October 7 attacks killed 1,195 people, including 736 Israeli civilians, 36 of which were children. This week seven soldiers in the Israeli Defence Force were killed by Hamas. Save the Children staff member Mohamed, who has changed his name for his own security, said his neighbour, a father of four, had no choice but to go to a distribution as his family had run out of food and money.
In Rafah and was shot and killed. Mohamad is now trying to help his neighbour's widow; he says she is now destitute and traumatised – her children crying all the time.
Another staffer, Abdallah, also not his real name, said that a member of his extended family went to a distribution site this month and witnessed a man shot and left bleeding on the ground. He said people were running over the injured man, trying to get to the food, with no one able to stop and help.
Save the Children's Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, Ahmad Alhendawi, said: 'No-one wants to get aid from these distribution points and who can blame them – it's a death sentence. People are terrified of being killed.
'One colleague told us today that even though his family is down to eating one meal a day, he won't go to a GHF distribution, because he believes his life is worth more than a bag of flour.
'And to add to the dystopian horror show, children are also being killed and injured trying to reach aid – aid they have a right to.
'Other families tell us they are now too weak to compete to pick up food. What is happening here is nothing short of abhorrent. No child should be killed searching for food. This is not a humanitarian operation – it's a death trap.
'Forcing civilians into fenced-in zones only for them to be gunned down is the opposite of humanitarian – it's inhumane. And it is not the only option. There is an established humanitarian aid system which must be allowed to function.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
12 minutes ago
- Times
Test could identify women at increased risk of miscarriage
British scientists have developed a test that detects abnormalities in the womb lining, which could help identify women with an increased risk of suffering a miscarriage. It is hoped it will pave the way for more treatments to prevent repeated pregnancy losses. About one in six pregnancies are lost and the majority of these happen before 12 weeks. Each miscarriage increases the risk of another occurring. Charities said that the findings could help to provide an explanation for repeated miscarriages. According to the team from Warwick University, in some women the womb lining does not react as it should during pregnancy. The test they developed can measure signs of a healthy or defective reaction in the womb lining. It is now being piloted to help more than a thousand patients at Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research at University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW).Dr Jo Muter, the lead author of the study and a researcher at Warwick Medical School, told the BBC: 'Many women are told they've just had 'bad luck', but our findings show that the womb itself may be setting the stage for pregnancy loss, even before conception takes place.'Much of the research in this area has focused on the embryo, rather than the womb hosting it. The womb lining during pregnancy undergoes a reaction, which converts the cells to a more supportive state. In cases where this does not happen or this reaction is faulty, the risk of bleeding and pregnancy loss increases. When a faulty reaction occurs, it is more likely to occur again, according to the research team. Dr Jyotsna Vohra, director of research at Tommy's, said that care and treatment for those who experienced pregnancy or baby loss varied unacceptably across the UK. 'There should be no barriers to accessing any test or treatment that has been proven to make a difference. 'We hope NHS decision-makers will look carefully at the results of the Coventry pilot project and consider rolling this test out nationwide, so that everyone who might benefit has that opportunity.' Vohra said that women suffering trauma after recurrent miscarriages were often 'left without answers', and that the test could offer some consolation by explaining the cause. The Warwick team analysed around 1,500 biopsies from more than 1,300 women for the study. Abnormal responses in the menstrual lining recurred across menstrual cycles for some women, suggesting a consistent cause of miscarriage risk which could be prevented. One of the women offered the new test, Holly Milkouris, said that it was 'life-changing' after she suffered five miscarriages. After the problems affecting her womb lining were detected and treated, Milkouris and her husband had two healthy children, now aged three and 17 months. Milkouris told The Guardian: 'We felt lost and were beginning to accept that I might never successfully carry a pregnancy. 'The treatments that typically can help women who have experienced miscarriages hadn't worked for us and each time we tried again we felt like we were rolling a dice with the baby's life. 'For the first time the results of my biopsy were normal, and we went on to have not one, but two successful pregnancies.'Muter said that the next step would be to use the test to assess potential drug treatments. Sitagliptin, a drug usually used to treat diabetes, is currently the go-to option for problems with the womb lining but Muter said that other existing drugs could be repurposed. Only 20 per cent of potential drugs are currently tested on pregnant women.
Telegraph
15 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Weight-loss jabs linked to pancreas problems after 10 deaths
Weight-loss jabs have been linked to pancreas problems after 10 patients died. Hundreds of people have reported problems with their pancreas linked to taking weight-loss and diabetes jabs including Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic, prompting health officials to launch a new study into side effects. Ten cases of pancreatitis reported to be linked to GLP-1 medicines (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) have been fatal. Since the GLP-1 medicines were licensed, there have been hundreds of cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis, according to data from the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). These cases are not confirmed as having been caused by the medicines, but the person who reported them suspected they might be. They include 181 reported cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis linked to tirzepatide - the active ingredient for Mounjaro - and five of those people died. Some 116 reported reactions of this kind were linked to liraglutide, one of which was fatal, while there were 113 cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis linked to semaglutide - the active ingredient for Ozempic and Wegovy - where one person died, and 101 reported reactions of this kind were linked to exenatide, from which three people died. Then there were 52 reported reactions linked to dulaglutide and 11 reported reactions linked to lixisenatide, but no fatalities were linked to either drug. Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, a gland located behind the stomach that aids in digestion and blood sugar regulation. In severe cases it can lead to organ failure. Nonetheless, the Yellow Card Biobank project, launched by the MHRA and Genomics England, will see researchers examine whether cases of pancreatitis linked to GLP-1 drugs may be influenced by genetic makeup. The MHRA is calling for those who are taking GLP-1 medicine, who have been admitted to hospital due to acute pancreatitis, to submit a report to its Yellow Card scheme. When a Yellow Card report is received, the MHRA will contact patients to ask if they would be willing to take part in the study. Patients will be asked to submit more information and a saliva sample, which will be assessed to explore whether some people are at a higher risk of acute pancreatitis when taking these medicines due to their genes. GLP-1 agonists can lower blood sugar levels in people living with type 2 diabetes and can also be prescribed to support some people with weight loss. Recent estimates suggest that about 1.5 million people in the UK are taking weight-loss jabs. Health officials have suggested they can help turn the tide on obesity, but have stressed they are not a silver bullet and do come with side effects. Most side effects linked to the jabs are gastrointestinal including nausea, constipation and diarrhoea. And the medical regulator recently warned that Mounjaro may make the oral contraceptive pill less effective in some patients. Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA's chief safety officer, said: 'Evidence shows that almost a third of side effects to medicines could be prevented with the introduction of genetic testing, it is predicted that adverse drug reactions could cost the NHS more than £2.2 billion a year in hospital stays alone.' She added: 'Information from the Yellow Card Biobank will help us to better predict those most at risk of adverse reactions - enabling patients across the UK to receive the safest medicine for them, based on their genetic makeup. 'To help us help you, we're asking anyone who has been hospitalised with acute pancreatitis while taking a GLP-1 medicine to report this to us via our Yellow Card scheme. 'Even if you don't meet the criteria for this phase of the Biobank study, information about your reaction to a medication is always extremely valuable in helping to improve patient safety.' Professor Matt Brown, chief scientific officer of Genomics England, said: ' GLP-1 medicines like Ozempic and Wegovy have been making headlines, but like all medicines there can be a risk of serious side effects. 'We believe there is real potential to minimise these with many adverse reactions having a genetic cause. 'This next step in our partnership with the MHRA will generate data and evidence for safer and more effective treatment through more personalised approaches to prescription, supporting a shift towards an increasingly prevention-focused healthcare system.'
Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Risky money-saving shortcuts could be behind food poisoning increase
Risky money-saving measures such as eating out-of-date food, turning off fridges and failing to heat up meals may be behind a sharp rise in food poisoning cases. More than 10,000 people tested positive for salmonella in 2024, up 17 per cent from 2023 and the highest annual total since 2007, official figures have revealed. Around one in four cases were in children under 10, with London being the most affected area, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. There were also more than 70,000 cases of campylobacter, a similar bacterial illness, amounting to a 17.1 per cent rise on the year before. The gastrointestinal illnesses cause similar symptoms, including diarrhoea, stomach pains and cramps, vomiting and mild fever. Infections can be caused by eating contaminated food such as chicken, meat, eggs, unpasteurised milk products, and raw fruit or vegetables, as well as close contact with infected people and kitchen cross-contamination. Health officials said the reason for the rise in cases was 'likely multifactorial' and that improvements in testing could have led to more cases being identified. Hygiene concerns However, another possible cause is people storing and cooking their food in unsafe ways to save money, according to a UKHSA report. A survey by the Food Standard Agency (FSA), which is working with the UKHSA, found that one in eight adults demonstrated risky behaviours while storing and preparing food in response to cost-of-living pressures. This includes cooking food on a lower heat or not for long enough, turning fridges and freezers to less frigid settings, eating food cold instead of hot, and eating out-of-date food. Around 5 per cent of people also admitted to turning their fridge off to save money, while one in eight did not cook their food properly. Potential contamination from environmental sources such as raw dog food in kitchens could also be partly responsible for the increase in salmonella infections, the report added. The UKHSA said children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems were particularly vulnerable and should take extra care.
