More Relief Supplies Enter Gaza, but Aid Groups Warn of Bottlenecks
Cogat, the Israeli security agency responsible for coordinating aid deliveries into Gaza, has said roughly 300 trucks of relief supplies and commercial goods have entered Gaza daily in recent days. And the price of some food items in markets has fallen significantly.
But United Nations officials said many trucks were still being intercepted by desperate people and gunmen before reaching their destination. Other obstacles, they said, are the limited routes into Gaza and long waits at Israeli checkpoints.
'There has been a slight improvement, but it hasn't been sufficient to change the overall outcome,' said Olga Cherevko, a Gaza-based spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In recent weeks, Israel has been pressured by allies to address growing hunger in Gaza after months of restrictions on the entry of aid. The Israeli government has responded by saying it would allow more trucks into the territory.
Last week, an Israeli security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under military rules, said Israel was willing to facilitate the entry of 500 trucks per day and was trying to open more routes to let the United Nations and international organizations deliver relief.
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Los Angeles Times
9 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
European leaders to join Ukraine's Zelensky for meeting with Trump
KYIV, Ukraine — European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will join President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington for talks with President Trump on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, with the possibility of U.S. security guarantees now on the negotiating table. European leaders, including heavyweights France, Britain and Germany, are rallying around the Ukrainian leader after his exclusion from Trump's summit on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their pledge to be at Zelensky's side at the White House on Monday is an apparent effort to ensure the meeting goes better than the Ukrainian leader's last one in February, when Trump berated him in a heated Oval Office encounter. 'The Europeans are very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated, and so they want to support Mr. Zelensky to the hilt,' said retired French Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France's military mission at the United Nations. 'It's a power struggle and a position of strength that might work with Trump,' he said. Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Putin agreed at the meeting in Alaska with Trump to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3½-year war. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Zelensky, said, 'We welcome President Trump's willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. And the 'coalition of the willing' — including the European Union -- is ready to do its share.' Von der Leyen was joined Sunday by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in saying they will take part in Monday's talks at the White House, as will the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Mark Rutte. The European leaders' demonstration of support could help ease concerns in Kyiv and other European capitals that Ukraine risks being railroaded into a peace deal that Trump says he wants to broker with Russia. Neil Melvin, director of international security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said European leaders are trying to 'shape this fast-evolving agenda.' After the Alaska summit, the idea of a ceasefire appears all but abandoned, with the narrative shifting toward Putin's agenda of ensuring Ukraine does not join NATO or even the EU. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday that a possible ceasefire is 'not off the table' but that the best way to end the war would be through a 'full peace deal.' Putin has implied that he sees Europe as a hindrance to negotiations. He has also resisted meeting Zelensky in person, saying that such a meeting can only take place once the groundwork for a peace deal has been laid. Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Trump, the Russian leader raised the idea that Kyiv and other European capitals could 'create obstacles' to derail potential progress with 'behind-the-scenes intrigue.' For now, the Zelensky meeting offers the Europeans the 'only way' to get into the discussions about the future of Ukraine and European security, Melvin said. But the sheer number of European leaders potentially in attendance means the group will have to be 'mindful' not to give 'contradictory' messages, he said. 'The risk is they look heavy-handed and are ganging up on Trump,' he added. 'Trump won't want to be put in a corner.' Although details remain hazy on what Article 5-like security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe would entail for Ukraine, it could mirror NATO membership terms, in which an attack on one member of the alliance is seen as an attack on all. In remarks made on CNN's 'State of the Union,' Witkoff said Friday's meeting with Trump was the first time Putin has been had heard to agree to such an arrangement. Zelensky continues to stress the importance of both U.S. and European involvement in any negotiations. 'A security guarantee is a strong army. Only Ukraine can provide that. Only Europe can finance this army, and weapons for this army can be provided by our domestic production and European production. But there are certain things that are in short supply and are only available in the United States,' he said at the news conference Sunday alongside Von der Leyen. Zelensky also countered Trump's assertion — which aligned with Putin's preference — that the two sides should negotiate a complete end to the war rather than first securing a ceasefire. Zelensky said a ceasefire would provide breathing room to review Putin's demands. 'It's impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons,' he said. 'Putin does not want to stop the killing, but he must do it.' Kullab and Leicester write for the Associated Press and reported from Kyiv and Le Pecq, France, respectively. AP writers Pan Pylas in London and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Times
39 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Israel's growing frustration over the war in Gaza explodes in nationwide protests
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Some restaurants and theaters closed in solidarity. Police said they arrested 38 people. 'The only way to bring [hostages] back is through a deal, all at once, without games,' former hostage Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv. Her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, is still being held by Hamas. One protester carried a photo of an emaciated Palestinian child from Gaza. Such images were once rare at Israeli demonstrations but now appear more often as outrage grows over the hunger crisis there after more than 250 malnutrition-related deaths, including more than 100 children. An end to the conflict does not seem near. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is balancing competing pressures including the potential for mutiny within his coalition. 'Those who today call for an end to the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas' position and delaying the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of Oct. 7 will be repeated,' Netanyahu said, referencing the Hamas-led attack in 2023 that killed some 1,200 people and sparked the war. The last time Israel agreed to a ceasefire that released hostages earlier this year, far-right members of his Cabinet threatened to topple Netanyahu's government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday called the demonstrations 'a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas' hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future.' The new offensive would require the call-up of thousands of reservists, another concern for many Israelis. Hospitals and witnesses in Gaza said Israeli forces killed at least 17 aid-seekers on Sunday, including nine awaiting United Nations aid trucks close to the Morag corridor. Hamza Asfour said he was just north of the corridor awaiting a convoy when Israeli snipers fired, first to disperse the crowds, then from tanks hundreds of yards away. He saw two people with gunshot wounds. 'It's either to take this risk or wait and see my family die of starvation,' he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the Israeli-backed and U.S.-supported distribution points that have become the main source of aid since they opened in May, said there was no gunfire 'at or near' its sites, which are in military-controlled areas. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions. Israel's air and ground war has displaced most of Gaza's population and killed more than 61,900 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says about half were women and children. Two children and five adults died of malnutrition-related causes Sunday, according to the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. The United Nations has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Most aid has been blocked from entering Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade in March after ending a ceasefire. Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organizations say the flow is far below what is needed. It is not clear when Israel's military will begin the new offensive in crowded Gaza City, Muwasi and the 'central camps' of Gaza, as Netanyahu describes them. The military body that coordinates its humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, this weekend noted plans to forcibly evacuate people from combat zones to southern Gaza 'for their protection.' Designated 'safe zones,' however, also have been bombed during the war. War-weary Palestinians on Sunday insisted that they won't leave, arguing that there is 'no safe place' in Gaza. 'There are no humanitarian zones at all,' said Raghda Abu Dhaher, who said she has been displaced 10 times during the war and now shelters in a school in western Gaza City. Mohamed Ahmed also insisted that he won't move south. 'Here is bombing and there is bombing,' he said. Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital of Sanaa on Sunday, escalating strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who since the war in Gaza began have fired missiles at Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi-run Al-Masirah Television said the strikes targeted a power plant in the southern district of Sanhan, sparking a fire and knocking it out of service. Israel's military said the strikes were launched in response to missiles and drones aimed at Israel. While some projectiles have breached its missile defenses — notably during its 12-day war with Iran in June — Israel has intercepted the vast majority of missiles launched from Yemen. Its military later Sunday said it had intercepted another. Metz, Melzer and Magdy write for the Associated Press and reported from Jerusalem; Nahariya, Israel; and Cairo, respectively. AP writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.
CBS News
40 minutes ago
- CBS News
Transcript: José Andrés on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Aug. 17, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with Chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Aug. 17, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reports that the total number of starvation-related deaths has now risen to 250, including 110 children, seven of those deaths in the last 24 hours. World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés joins us this morning from Jerusalem. He visited Gaza late last week. Good morning. It is rare to get a look inside of Gaza. The IDF does not allow journalists in to freely report, but they let you in. What did you see? JOSÉ ANDRÉS: It was a day trip. I was able to go early in the day and leave before sunset, and I visit our main- one of our two main kitchens inside Gaza in Deir al-Balah. And I was able to visit the few warehouses we have there, the bakery, the kitchens, and spending a day trying to see what else the teams need, what else we need to be doing, how we are going to be increasing the hot food and bread that we are producing right now. So this was a day, again, to show support, to see on my own and assess the situation of our own kitchens. And that's what I have to report about that. MARGARET BRENNAN: The U.N. says that there is starvation happening in Gaza, Israel's Prime Minister says there is no starvation. What's real? ANDRÉS: Obviously, there is always a gray area, but we are making boxes for children that we know they are in very- a special need situation. I saw those boxes being made with the name of every one of the children. We need to remember that during many weeks, no food was going inside Gaza, and this is two- two million people. So in the places we know we are feeding, we are doing around 200,000 meals a day, but this is only 10 percent of the need. That's what we are trying to increase. I can say that where we are, obviously, people are- are being fed at the bare minimum. It's not everything they should be receiving, but at the very least they're receiving a piece of bread and a piece of food. But we need much more aid. We need to make sure that the aid is never interrupted again. We need to make sure that the flow of trucks keeps happening. We need to make sure that we have safe roads so those trucks can reach their intended delivery place. We need to make sure that all the NGOs that are actively trying to do the best they can to take care of people inside Gaza- and this is beyond food, obviously, medicines, etc., etc. We need to make sure that the aid is massive enough that we don't get to those moments where- in some areas, like in the north, that is still very difficult to reach, that we know that people are desperate for food. MARGARET BRENNAN: You mentioned for many weeks no food was allowed in. That was a government policy. There was a blockade for many months. That is now lifted officially. But as you say, your organization wants to scale up. You are trying to produce one million meals a day in Gaza. Can you get the fuel in to do that? Can you get the food in? Are Israeli officials giving you a green light? ANDRÉS: Well, it's a million because we are an organization that we specialize in emergencies and in food, but obviously we are requesting that all the NGOs that are participating in feeding are given more access, including us and other organizations like Anera, which was one of the organizations we work with that they've been in Gaza for many, many decades- and many others. We need to make sure that everybody has access. For that, we need a lot of things, the trucks inside Gaza. We need to remember that the trucks come from outside Gaza, and there they are put aside. And then we need to reload the trucks that are inside Gaza. This takes time. We need more trucks inside so the trucking company can have enough people and enough trucks to have a constant flow. I have to report that, yes, I saw a good flow of trucks going in. I don't- around 150 to 250 trucks are going in every day. But even I will say that this is not enough. We need to make sure that we massively increase- that we massively make sure that nobody has to be walking for miles to try to reach a place where they can find a plate of food or use a bag of rice. We need to make sure- like what World Central Kitchen does, at one moment we had, you know, 100, 200 kitchen partners. We need to make sure that we are cooking where people live. We need to make sure that we are feeding them where people are, so the people don't have to be, again, leaving their neighborhoods, leaving their tents and walking for hours back and forth only to try to bring little bit of food back home. MARGARET BRENNAN: In terms of walking to designated areas for food, you're referring to the model that the Israelis have set up with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. You are saying that their preferred method of feeding people is not sufficient. ANDRÉS: Well, it takes a village, right? To feed 2 million people and more in a- in a situation like the people of Gaza are facing. That's why the model we are- we are pushing for is the more kitchens we have, the better. Right now, we have 80 partner kitchens on top of the two main World Central Kitchen kitchens, but that's not enough. We need to make sure that we increase the numbers of World Central Kitchen, the big ones that people can see on the webpage of World Central Kitchen or in my Twitter account. We need to make sure that our partner kitchens, that they produce between 500 and two, three, four thousand meals each. We need to make sure the bakeries are fully loaded with bread. We need to make sure that we have the fuel. That's why we need to be bringing pellets, because we have hundreds of kitchens firing up every day. We need the fuel to be able to cook the food. The big bakery we have, a bakery that was in partnership with the Kingdom of Jordan that is doing almost 50,000 loaves of bread a day. We need diesel to make sure that we are able to move the machinery to be very effective, but that's only one bakery doing 50,000 pitas a day. We need many more bakeries to make sure that we are able to- to cover the demand of 2 million people. MARGARET BRENNAN: Before I let you go, I have to ask you about an incident that happened a few days ago. World Central Kitchen issued a statement saying the Israeli government told you armed people were posing as workers for your organization. Is that the first time that you've heard bad actors are trying to pose as humanitarian workers? Have you experienced exploitation by Hamas? ANDRÉS: Obviously, World Central Kitchen, we are a young organization. Gaza is a very complicated place. I know this is still kind of under investigation on our side and everybody else. But doubly, we are there to be next to the people of Gaza, next to the Palestinians. At the end, what we have is Palestinians feeding Palestinians. Only in our kitchens, we have around 600 Palestinians doing amazing work just trying to feed their fellow citizens, and that's what we plan to continue to make sure that Palestinians feed Palestinians, that Palestinians take care of themselves, and we're going to be giving them all the support we can to achieve that. MARGARET BRENNAN: And I understand you met with a former hostage while you were in- in Israel, whose brother is still being held in Gaza. What did you learn? ANDRÉS: Yeah, I've been- I've been- I've been- I've been meeting with- with different- but these- I met with Iair Horn. His brother is still in Gaza. You know, we had a two hour conversation. You know, was hard to listen to the story. Obviously, he wants his brother- his brother out. Today is a very massive strike in- in Israel, and everybody is asking for the return of the hostages. That's what should be happening. That's what should be- let's hope that this happens, obviously, alongside of a cease-fire, of peace, where nobody is under bombs, where nobody has their loved ones away, where nobody is losing their loved ones in the middle of- of- of this- of this war, where everybody is fed, where we can start the reconstruction of Gaza, where every children can receive a plate of food that they can go back to school, where, obviously, the hostages are released, where the people of Palestine and Gaza can live in peace and where the people of Israel can live in peace. What is good for you must be good for me. Let's hope that you at least will cover the basic minimums right now of feeding everybody, hopefully also the hostages being released as soon as possible. MARGARET BRENNAN: José Andrés, thank you very much for your time this morning.
