‘Worst-case scenario of famine' now unfolding in Gaza, UN-backed body says
Date:
Title: Israeli human rights group official says her organization 'owed it to humanity' to call war in Gaza a 'genocide'
Content:
Returning now to yesterday's publication of two reports by two Israeli human rights groups who have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Tirza Leibowitz, Deputy Director and Director of Programs, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), said her organization felt they 'owed it to humanity' to call Israel's war in Gaza a genocide.
Both PHRI and B'Tselem, another leading human rights group, accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, becoming the first such organizations inside Israel to make the claim.
'It is something that we owe to humanity. It is something that we owe in terms of solidarity with the Palestinian people and with our medical colleagues in Gaza as well.'
Tirza Leibowitz told CNN's John Vause.
PHRI published a legal and medical analysis documenting what it called 'deliberate and systematic extermination of the health system in Gaza.'
In a separate major report released Monday, B'Tselem said it came to that 'unequivocal conclusion' that Israel was committing a genocide after an 'examination of Israel's policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack.'
Israel's foreign ministry rejected the reports by PHRI and B'Tselem, dismissing the accusations as 'obscene' and 'baseless.' It asserted that Israel only targets Hamas, not civilians, and takes 'extensive measures' to avoid harming civilians while delivering aid.
Update:
Date:
Title: "Worst-case scenario of famine" unfolding in Gaza, UN-backed food security initiative says
Content:
The 'worst-case scenario of famine' is currently taking place in the Gaza Strip, according to an alert issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a United Nations-backed initiative.
'Conflict and displacement have intensified, and access to food and other essential items and services has plummeted to unprecedented levels,' the IPC said, adding that 'mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths.'
The IPC said that the alert is intended to 'draw urgent attention to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation' but doesn't constitute a formal classification of famine. 'Given the most recent information and data made available, a new IPC analysis is to be conducted without delay,' it said.
More than 20,000 children were admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July, the IPC said, with more than 3,000 severely malnourished.
'Latest data indicates that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City,' the alert said, calling for 'immediate action' to end the hostilities and allow for 'unimpeded, large-scale, life-saving humanitarian response.'
In May, the IPC reported that the enclave's entire population is experiencing 'high levels of acute food security' and the territory is at 'high risk' of famine, the most severe type of hunger crisis.
Update:
Date:
Title: Germany and Spain to help airlift humanitarian aid to Gaza, but concede airdrops aren't enough
Content:
Germany and Spain are sending humanitarian assistance to Gaza, although top officials from both countries acknowledged the aid isn't enough.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will coordinate with France and the UK, who he said are also prepared to provide airlifts for food and medical supplies. CNN has reached out to the French and UK governments for comment.
'We know that this can only be a very small help for the people in Gaza, but at least it is a contribution that we are happy to make,' Merz said.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno also said his country would arrange aid airdrops in the next few days in coordination with Jordan.
'Some airdrops with food stuff, but that's just a drop of water in the ocean,' he told CNN's Isa Soares.
Spain plans to air-drop food aid for approximately 5,000 people into Gaza between the first and second week of August. However, the minister emphasized, 'This is not what we want. We don't want just a drop here and a drop there.'
Calling for land access and distribution through United Nations agencies, the minister said there needs to be a permanent flow of aid, 'unimpeded, without any obstacles.'
Update:
Date:
Title: Israel says it will continue working with global aid agencies to ensure assistance flows into Gaza
Content:
Israel will continue working with global aid agencies, as well as the United States and European countries, 'to ensure that large amounts of humanitarian aid flows into the Gaza Strip,' the office of Israel's prime minister said yesterday.
'As part of this effort, Israel paused IDF operations in key populated areas of Gaza from 10am to 8pm every day and designated secure routes from 6am to 11pm that will ensure the safe passage of more convoys delivering aid,' the statement said.
The statement comes after United States President Donald Trump told reporters in Scotland that the US will set up 'food centers' in Gaza to address the ongoing starvation and malnutrition crisis amid Israel's aid blockade.
The Israeli prime minister's office said that Israel will 'continue to act responsibly, as we always have, and we'll continue to seek the return of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas. That is the only way to secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike.'
The statement reiterated accusations against Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid for which it provided no evidence.
Some background: An internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza. The analysis, conducted by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), looked into 156 incidents of waste, fraud, and abuse reported by partner organizations between October 2023 and May 2025.
Update:
Date:
Title: Trump acknowledges 'real starvation' in Gaza as the death toll climbs. Here's what to know
Content:
We're resuming our coverage of events in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump said yesterday there is 'real starvation' in Gaza and pledged to set up 'food centers' while blaming Israel for limiting aid into the enclave, during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland yesterday.
Trump's comments mark a shift from his prior comments on the aid crisis, which he has largely put on Hamas, and contradict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that there is 'no starvation in Gaza.'
Meanwhile on the ground in Gaza, the death toll is rising as the starvation and malnutrition crisis worsens. The UN's aid chief warned the coming days will be 'make or break' for humanitarian efforts in Gaza as aid slowly trickles amid the Israel's military daily pause in operations.
Here's what you also need to know:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Republicans are afraid of Mamdani in New York. That's a good thing.
Republicans think Zohran Mamdani will turn NYC into a socialist mecca because they forgot what a functioning government looks like. We're a few months out from New York City's municipal election, and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is still the frontrunner in the mayoral race. It's a positive sign for progressives who want to see democratic socialists transform the party. In a July poll by Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions, Mamdani received 50% of support while the rest of the candidates trailed behind. Former Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo, who is now running as an independent, received 22% of support, followed by Republican Curtis Sliwa at 13%. Current Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, received just 7% support. Mamdani may be polling well, but his path to victory in November is anything but smooth. There are already five anti-Mamdani PACs that have formed since the primary, backed by business moguls and real estate tycoons who warn that the Democratic nominee would be bad for the city's economy. He's also having to answer for some of his previous posts about 'defunding the police' and comments on Israel. Republicans criticizing Mamdani for 'defund police' comment are hypocritical The biggest criticism of Mamdani has come from his previous comments about the New York City Police Department. In the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020, Mamdani posted to X that the NYPD was 'racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety' and called for defunding the force. Mamdani has also proposed creating a Department of Community Safety separate from the police department, which would respond to mental health calls. But the Democratic nominee is attempting to distance himself from these previous claims, calling the posts 'out of step' with his current stance on public safety. He recently met with the family of Officer Didarul Islam, one of the four people killed in a recent shooting in Midtown Manhattan. Republicans criticizing him seem more than willing to ignore the way President Donald Trump pardoned Jan. 6 rioters who attacked police officers, or his own criminal convictions. But he is the "law and order" president, for sure. And the GOP is the "law and order" party, right? Voters are increasingly agreeing with Mamdani on Gaza Another criticism from the right is that Mamdani is too critical of Israel. Fox News recently resurrected a clip of Mamdani from a 2024 panel where the mayoral candidate claimed, 'Israel is not a place, it is not a country.' Mamdani seems to be taking these attacks to heart. He recently said he would not use the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' and would also discourage others from using it. Mamdani had previously refused to condemn the phrase. On the other hand, Mamdani's criticisms of Israel proved to be popular with voters in the Democratic primary. A poll from Data for Progress and the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project found that his 'support for Palestinian rights' was important for 96% of his voters, while his 'willingness to criticize the Israeli government' was important to 88% of his voters. Opinion: People are starving in Gaza. Why are we so comfortable just letting that happen? While conservatives are trying to attack Mamdani for his previous stances on Israel and his sympathy for the Palestinian people, it doesn't seem like it'll work. Democrats should listen to their voters, not conservatives, to know how to approach this issue. Only 8% of Democrats support Israel's actions in Gaza, according to a recent Gallup poll, while 71% of Republicans support it. Some Republicans are even breaking with the party to denounce mass starvation in the region, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, who recently called the crisis a "genocide." Republicans are afraid of what Mamdani stands for. Good. Mamdani won the primary largely thanks to his mobilization of young voters. It worked out for him: voters under 40 made up 40% of early voting turnout. Now, the question is whether they'll turn out for the general election. I'm hopeful that they will. I have personally seen the way my generation has reacted to Mamdani's campaign. There is a palpable excitement reminiscent of Barack Obama's first run for the presidency, an excitement fueled by the idea that the Democratic Party can change, in spite of itself. Opinion: Zohran Mamdani rallied Gen Z voters. We can't abandon him now. The reasons conservatives are criticizing Mamdani are the reasons people my age voted for him. We believe in moving funding from the NYPD into areas like mental health care and community building. We support Palestinian rights. We want to see that working-class New Yorkers can remain in this city. We see taxing corporations and the wealthy as a good thing. Some may call these things unrealistic, and they may have a point. There's no way New York City becomes a socialist utopia if Mamdani is elected, since he must work with the city council, state and national governments to achieve many of his campaign priorities. But his very election could signal to the Democratic Party that they should run to, not from, progressive politics. Mamdani's path to victory is not an easy one. He will continue to face criticism from the right throughout the next few months. But if polling is any indication, he's still likely to be the next mayor of the largest city in the United States. Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno
New York Post
31 minutes ago
- New York Post
Cambodia to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize for role in ending country's conflict with Thailand
Cambodia will nominate President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize after he helped the country reach a cease-fire agreement to end its border conflict with Thailand. Sun Chanthol, Cambodia's deputy prime minister, thanked Trump for bringing peace to the region while speaking to reporters earlier Friday in the country's capital of Phnom Penh. Advertisement Chanthol said the American president deserved to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the highest-profile international award given to a person or organization for doing the most to 'advance fellowship between nations.' 'We acknowledge his great efforts for peace,' Chanthol said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month he had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize and Pakistani officials said in June they would recommend him for the award for his role in helping to end its conflict with India. Trump urged a cease-fire last week when he spoke to the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand and threatened that the US would not get back to the 'trading table' with the Southeast Asian countries until the fighting stops. Advertisement 5 Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet shakes hands with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai during a press conference in Putrajaya on July 28, 2025. via REUTERS 5 President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the White House on Aug. 1, 2025. / MEGA A cease-fire was negotiated in Malaysia on Monday, ending the heaviest conflict between the two countries in over a decade. 'Numerous people were killed and I was dealing with two countries that we get along with very well, very different countries from certain standpoints. They've been fighting for 500 years intermittently. And, we solved that war … we solved it through trade,' Trump told reporters during his recent trip to Scotland. Advertisement Following news of the cease-fire, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X that Trump's direct involvement led to the truce. 'President Trump made this happen. Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!,' she said. 5 A fire erupts at a Cambodian military arms depot after a reported Thai drone strike in Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia on July 25, 2025. via REUTERS 5 The remains of a home destroyed by a fire after being struck by Cambodian artillery in the Surin Province, Thai on July 27, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement The fighting began last week after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Each side blamed the other for starting the clashes, which lasted five days. At least 43 people were killed and more than 300,000 people were displaced on both sides of the border. 'I said, 'I don't want to trade with anybody that's killing each other,'' Trump continued while in Scotland. 'So we just got that one solved. And I'm going to call the two prime ministers who I got along with very, very well and speak to them right after this meeting and congratulate them. But it was an honor to be involved in that. That was going to be a very nasty war. Those wars have been very, very nasty.' 5 Thailand's mobile artillery unit fires rounds across to Cambodia's side of the border on July 25, 2025. REUTERS Chanthol, who also serves as Cambodia's top trade negotiator, said his country was also grateful to Trump for a reduced tariff rate of 19%. The Trump administration had initially threatened a tariff of 49% before later reducing it to 36%, a level that would have decimated Cambodia's vital garment and footwear sector, Chanthol told Reuters. Reuters contributed to this report.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The quiet war: What's fueling Israel's surge of settler violence – and the lack of state response
Since Oct. 7, 2023, as Israel's war against Hamas drags on in the Gaza Strip, a quieter but escalating war has unfolded in the West Bank between Israelis and Palestinians. While precise figures are elusive, United Nations estimates indicate that Jewish settlers have carried out around 2,000 attacks against Palestinians since the war in Gaza began. That number represents a dramatic surge compared with any previous period during the nearly six decades Israel has controlled the West Bank. Attacks include harassment of Palestinian villagers trying to access their crops or work outside their villages, as well as more extreme and organized violence, such as raiding villages to vandalize property. While many of the attacks are unprovoked, some are what settlers call 'price tag' actions: retaliation for Palestinian violence against Israelis, such as car-rammings, rock-throwing and stabbings. Settlers' attacks displaced more than 1,500 Palestinians in the first year of the war in Gaza, and gun violence is increasingly common. Since October 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed. While most of these fatalities resulted from military operations, some were killed by settlers. As a scholar who has studied Jewish religious extremism for over two decades, I contend this campaign is not merely a result of rising tension between the settlers and their Palestinian neighbors amid the Gaza conflict. Rather, it is fueled by a confluence of ideological fervor, opportunism and far-right Israelis' political vision for the region. Religious redemption Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967's Six-Day War against Egypt, Jordan and Syria, transforming this small region of around 2,000 square miles (5,200 square kilometers) to an amalgam of Jewish and Palestinian enclaves. Most countries other than Israel consider Jewish settlements illegal, but they have rapidly expanded in recent decades, becoming a major challenge for any settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ideological roots of violence lie within religious Zionism: a worldview embraced by about 20% of Israel's Jewish population, including most West Bank settlers. The great majority of the leaders of the early Zionist movement held strong secular views. They pushed for the creation of a Jewish state over the objections of Orthodox figures, who argued that it should be a divine creation rather than a human-made polity. Religious Zionists, on the other hand, view the creation of modern-day Israel and its military victories as steps in a divine redemption, which will culminate in a Jewish kingdom led by a heaven-sent Messiah. Adherents believe contemporary events, particularly those asserting Jewish control over the entire historical land of Israel, can accelerate this process. In recent decades, influential religious Zionist leaders have argued that final redemption requires Israel's total military triumph and the annihilation of its enemies, particularly the Palestinian national movement. From this perspective, the devastation of Oct. 7 and the subsequent war are a divine test – one the nation can only pass by achieving a complete victory. This belief system fuels most religious Zionists' opposition to ending the war, as well as their advocacy for scorched-earth policies in Gaza. Some hope to rebuild the Jewish settlements in the strip that Israel evacuated in 2005. The violence in the West Bank reflects an extension of the same beliefs. Extreme groups within the settler population aim to solidify Jewish control by making Palestinian communities' lives in the region unsustainable. Opportunistic violence Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre, which killed over 1,200 Israelis, traumatized the nation. It also hardened many Jewish Israelis' conviction that a Palestinian state would be an existential threat, and thus Palestinians cannot be partners for peace. This shift in sentiment created a permissive environment for violence. While settler attacks previously drew criticism from across the political spectrum, extremist violence faces less public condemnation today – as does the government's lack of effort to curb it. This increase in violence is also enabled by a climate of impunity. Israeli security forces have been stretched thin by operations in Gaza, Syria, Iran and beyond. In the West Bank, the military increasingly relies on settler militias known as 'Emergency Squads,' which are armed by the Israeli military for self-defense, and army units composed primarily of religious Zionist settlers, such as the Netzah Yehuda Battalion. Such groups have little incentive to stop attacks on Palestinians, and at times, they have participated. This dynamic has dangerously blurred the line between the state military and militant settlers. The Israeli police, meanwhile, under the command of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, appear focused on protecting settlers. Police leadership has been accused of ignoring intelligence about planned attacks and failing to arrest violent settlers or enforce restraining orders. Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group, asserts that just 3% of attacks have resulted in a conviction. In June 2025, military attempts to curb settler militancy triggered a violent backlash, as extremist settlers attacked military commanders and tried to set fire to military facilities. Settlers view efforts to restrict their actions as illegitimate and a betrayal of Jewish interests in the West Bank. Political vision Violence by extremist settlers is not random; it is one arm of a coordinated pincer strategy to entrench Jewish control over the West Bank. While militant settlers create a climate of fear, Israeli authorities have undermined legal efforts to stop the violence – ending administrative detention for settler suspects, for example. Meanwhile, the government has intensified policies that undermine Palestinians' economic development, freedom of movement and land use. In May, finance minister and far-right leader Bezalel Smotrich approved 22 new settlements, calling it a 'historic decision' that signaled a return to 'construction, Zionism, and vision.' Together, violence from below and policy from above advance a clear strategic goal: the coerced depopulation of Palestinians from rural areas to solidify Israeli sovereignty over the entire West Bank. Levers for change The militant elements of the settler movement constitute a fractional segment of Israeli society. When it comes to improving the situation in the West Bank, broad punitive measures against the entire country, such as economic boycotting and divestment, or blocking access to scientific, economic and cultural programs and organizations, have historically proved ineffective. Instead, such policies seem to entrench many Israelis' perception of international bias and double standards: the sense that critics are antisemitic, or that few outsiders understand the country's challenges – particularly in light of threats from entitles like Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, which openly seek Israel's elimination. More targeted policies aim specifically at the Israeli far right, including sanctions – economic, political or cultural – directed at settler communities and their infrastructure. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the U.K. have imposed travel bans on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, and frozen their assets in those countries. Similarly, I believe decisions to ban goods produced in the West Bank settlements, as Ireland has recently debated, would be more effective than banning all Israeli products. This targeted approach, I would argue, would allow the international community to cultivate stronger alliances with the many Israelis concerned about the settlements and Palestinians' rights in the West Bank. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell Read more: Israelis have a skewed view on extent of Gaza's hunger plight − driven by censorship and media that downplay humanitarian crisis How the Israeli settlers movement shaped modern Israel Why government support for religion doesn't necessarily make people more religious Arie Perliger does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
