Gaza hospital 'one massive trauma ward' as Palestinians shot trying to access food: WHO
Nasser Hospital in Gaza is operating as "one massive trauma ward" due to an influx of patients wounded at non-United Nations food distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the World Health Organization said on Friday.
The U.S.-and Israeli-backed GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of deliveries that the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. The GHF has repeatedly denied that incidents involving people killed or wounded at its sites have occurred.
Referring to medical staff at the Nasser Hospital, Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the West Bank and Gaza, told reporters in Geneva: "They've seen already for weeks, daily injuries ... [the] majority coming from the so-called safe non-UN food distribution sites. The hospital is now operating as one massive trauma ward."
Speaking to a CBC videojournalist outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Narmin Muammar says her brother Ashraf died Friday while going to get aid from a GHF centre.
"Why did they open this? To kill people? To kill youth?," she cried, visibly distraught. "Close it for God's sake — we don't want it."
Hunger forced him, she said.
"These Americans don't want to feed the people, they're killing us," said Muammar.
Muammar was speaking amid a crowd of mourners who also lost relatives, all gathered for a farewell ceremony outside the hospital. Many wept over bodies shrouded in white sheets, as others prayed.
Palestinians caught between starvation and danger at aid sites
3 days ago
Duration 2:07
WARNING: This video contains distressing images | Dozens of aid organizations are calling for an immediate change to how aid is delivered in Gaza. They say Palestinians are left with an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot.
At least 509 killings recorded at aid points
Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19.
The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that it had recorded at least 613 killings both at aid points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and near humanitarian convoys as of June 27.
"Since then ... there have been further incidents," Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva.
The OHCHR said 509 of the 613 were killed near GHF distribution points.
The GHF has previously said it has delivered more than 52 million meals to hungry Palestinians in five weeks "safely and without interference," while other humanitarian groups had "nearly all of their aid looted."
The UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that there have been some instances of violent looting and attacks on aid truck drivers, which it described as unacceptable.
Patients mostly young boys
Hundreds of patients, mainly young boys, were being treated for traumatic injuries, including bullet wounds to the head, chest and knees, according to the WHO.
Peeperkorn said health workers at Nasser Hospital and testimonies from family members and friends of those wounded confirmed that the victims had been trying to access aid at sites run by the GHF.
Peeperkorn recounted the case of a 13-year-old boy shot in the head, as well as a 21-year-old with a bullet lodged in his neck that rendered him paraplegic.
"There is no chance for any reversal or any proper treatment. Young lives are being destroyed forever," Peeperkorn said, urging for the fighting to stop and for more food aid to be allowed into Gaza.
The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, while displacing most of the population of more than two million, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours whether Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a "final proposal" for a ceasefire in Gaza.
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CBC
13 hours ago
- CBC
Gaza hospital 'one massive trauma ward' as Palestinians shot trying to access food: WHO
Social Sharing Nasser Hospital in Gaza is operating as "one massive trauma ward" due to an influx of patients wounded at non-United Nations food distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the World Health Organization said on Friday. The U.S.-and Israeli-backed GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of deliveries that the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. The GHF has repeatedly denied that incidents involving people killed or wounded at its sites have occurred. Referring to medical staff at the Nasser Hospital, Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the West Bank and Gaza, told reporters in Geneva: "They've seen already for weeks, daily injuries ... [the] majority coming from the so-called safe non-UN food distribution sites. The hospital is now operating as one massive trauma ward." Speaking to a CBC videojournalist outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Narmin Muammar says her brother Ashraf died Friday while going to get aid from a GHF centre. "Why did they open this? To kill people? To kill youth?," she cried, visibly distraught. "Close it for God's sake — we don't want it." Hunger forced him, she said. "These Americans don't want to feed the people, they're killing us," said Muammar. Muammar was speaking amid a crowd of mourners who also lost relatives, all gathered for a farewell ceremony outside the hospital. Many wept over bodies shrouded in white sheets, as others prayed. Palestinians caught between starvation and danger at aid sites 3 days ago Duration 2:07 WARNING: This video contains distressing images | Dozens of aid organizations are calling for an immediate change to how aid is delivered in Gaza. They say Palestinians are left with an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot. At least 509 killings recorded at aid points Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19. The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that it had recorded at least 613 killings both at aid points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and near humanitarian convoys as of June 27. "Since then ... there have been further incidents," Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva. The OHCHR said 509 of the 613 were killed near GHF distribution points. The GHF has previously said it has delivered more than 52 million meals to hungry Palestinians in five weeks "safely and without interference," while other humanitarian groups had "nearly all of their aid looted." The UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that there have been some instances of violent looting and attacks on aid truck drivers, which it described as unacceptable. Patients mostly young boys Hundreds of patients, mainly young boys, were being treated for traumatic injuries, including bullet wounds to the head, chest and knees, according to the WHO. Peeperkorn said health workers at Nasser Hospital and testimonies from family members and friends of those wounded confirmed that the victims had been trying to access aid at sites run by the GHF. Peeperkorn recounted the case of a 13-year-old boy shot in the head, as well as a 21-year-old with a bullet lodged in his neck that rendered him paraplegic. "There is no chance for any reversal or any proper treatment. Young lives are being destroyed forever," Peeperkorn said, urging for the fighting to stop and for more food aid to be allowed into Gaza. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, while displacing most of the population of more than two million, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours whether Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a "final proposal" for a ceasefire in Gaza.
CTV News
13 hours ago
- CTV News
Dozens of Palestinians killed by airstrikes or shootings while waiting for aid
Smoke rises from Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) DEIR al-BALAH, Gaza Strip —Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early on Friday, while a hospital said another 20 people died in shootings while waiting for aid. Meanwhile, the U.N. human rights office says it has recorded 613 killings within the span of a month in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and as Palestinians try to reach aid at distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization since it first began operations in late May. Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the rights office was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings. But she said 'it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points' operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In a message to The Associated Press, Shamdasani said that of the total tallied, 509 killings were 'GHF-related,' meaning at or near its distribution sites. 'Information keeps coming in,' she added. 'This is ongoing and it is unacceptable.' The GHF has denied any serious injuries or deaths on its sites and says shootings outside their immediate vicinity are under the purview of Israel's military. The Israeli military also issued new evacuation orders Friday in northeast Khan Younis and urged Palestinians to move west ahead of planned military operations against Hamas in the area. The new evacuation zones pushed Palestinians into increasingly smaller spaces by the coast. 20 killed Friday near aid distribution sites More deaths reported near aid distribution sites occurred overnight Friday, according to officials in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. At least three Palestinians were killed near aid sites in Rafah, which is close to two operated by GHF. Another 17 were killed waiting for trucks to pass by in eastern Khan Younis in the Tahliya area. Of the 15 Palestinians killed in Friday's strikes, eight were women and one was a child, the hospital said. The strikes hit the Muwasi area, where many displaced Palestinians are sheltering in tents. Israel's military said it was looking into Friday's reported strikes. The military, whose forces are deployed on the roads leading to the aid distribution sites, has previously said it fires warning shots to control crowds or at Palestinians who approach its troops. UN investigates shootings near aid sites Shamdasani originally told a U.N. briefing the recent spate of killings were recorded both at GHF sites and near humanitarian convoys. She later clarified to the AP that the killings in the vicinity of GHF distribution points were 'at or near their distribution sites.' The count from the rights office, which used a strict methodology to verify such figures, was based in part on information from hospitals that receive dead bodies, she said. Also Friday, Israel's military said a soldier was killed in combat in the north of Gaza and it was investigating. Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza. Efforts ongoing to halt to war The recent killings took place as efforts to halt the 21-month war appeared to be moving forward. 'We'll see what happens. We're going to know over the next 24 hours,' U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One late Thursday when asked if Hamas had agreed to the latest framework for a ceasefire. Hamas said Friday that it was holding discussions with leaders of other Palestinian factions to discuss a ceasefire proposal presented to it by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Hamas said it will give its final response to mediators after the discussions have concluded. Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The Health Ministry in Gaza said the number of Palestinians killed in the territory has passed 57,000. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says more than half of the dead are women and children. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. According to Palestinian witnesses and Gaza's Health Ministry, several hundred people have been killed or wounded by Israeli troops when trying to reach the aid sites since they opened in May. The military has repeatedly said it's fired only warning shots, denies deliberately firing towards civilians, and says it's looking into reports of civilian harm. Wafaa Shurafa And Samya Kullab, The Associated Press Kullab reported from Jerusalem. Julia Frankel contributed.
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
OPINION: Funding international organizations with higher sin taxes not the answer
This file photograph taken on Dec. 2, 2021, shows a sign of the World Health Organization (WHO) next to their headquarters in Geneva. Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images Should taxpayers around the globe, who dare to take part in activities like smoking and drinking, pay even more in taxes to help fund global organizations that are seeing funding cuts from major countries like the United States? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account That's what World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus seems to think. According to Ghebreyesus, countries have many 'tools' at their disposal to increase 'revenue' and then dedicate those funds to things like global health. First among these tools are sin taxes. A sin tax is a tax that governments impose on citizens on products or services that fancy government bureaucrats deem unnecessary or harmful. This includes things like cigarettes, gambling, cannabis, alcohol and others. The basic idea governments have is that these products and services are harmful and you, the consumer, should be punished by paying more in taxes on your so-called vice of choice. Sin taxes are a great way for governments to claim to be taking action to help protect citizens from themselves. In reality, it's all about turning a tidy profit to pad the government's bottom line. All the while, paternalistic bureaucrats stand in the way of people just trying to live their lives as they so choose. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Governments usually sell sin taxes as a means to deter people from doing things the government thinks are bad. But the veil slipped in Ghebreyesus's speech, when he made it clear that higher sin taxes are needed to help make up for shortfalls being faced by the WHO and other global organizations. Countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and France are all re-examining their foreign aid spending. As a result, organizations like the WHO are hunting for cash. But increasing sin taxes is just about the worst way to try to make up for the funding shortfall. First, why should the onus be placed on those who like to smoke, vape, drink or gamble to fix funding problems for global organizations? Second, increasing sin taxes will just send more people to the black market. Studies have shown that when sin taxes get too high, people turn elsewhere to enjoy their vices. And the government loses out on tax revenue as a result. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. As Concordia professor Ian Irvine points out in a C.D. Howe report, history has shown that trying to suppress the demand for 'sin goods' steers customers to the black market. That's where organized crime comes into the picture. When prices get too high, consumers look elsewhere. And when it comes to the black market, organized crime fills the void. Read More When a government pats itself on the back for seeing lower numbers of smokers after increasing sin taxes, for example, the more likely reality is that many consumers have simply turned to the black market instead. If a country is looking to increase its revenue, it's best not to hand it over to criminal organizations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sin taxes are also regressive, as they are imposed on vulnerable people at the same rate as those with extensive means to pay. Ghebreyesus himself is asking low- to medium-income countries to increase sin taxes on their already struggling populace. Smokers and sugary drink consumers come from all socio-economic backgrounds and they will all equally shoulder the burden of these increased taxes. Asking lower-income people to do this, in order to fund programming for other lower-income people, is cynicism at its worst. There's no doubt that several international organizations do important work around the globe. But proposing higher sin taxes to fund their shortfalls is wrongheaded. Whether consumers are enjoying a bottle of wine or are gambling on an outcome of a sports game with their favourite team, taxpayers shouldn't have to pay more in regressive and ineffective taxes for daring to take part in these activities to help fund international organizations. Money News Editorial Cartoons Sports Movies MLB
