Latest news with #Allcock
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Aid groups warn of 'dire' conditions in Gaza as Israel says there is no shortage of aid
Children crowding around a charity kitchen holding empty pots and pans clamoring for food to take to their families. Hours spent in search of clean water and scouring piles of garbage looking for trash to burn for a fire to cook or keep warm. These scenes, which NBC News' crew in the Gaza Strip captured over the past week, come as humanitarian agencies sound the alarm over a dire and worsening situation in in the Palestinian enclave as Israel enforces a blockade on food, water, fuel, medical supplies and other aid and goods. Israeli officials maintain there is "no shortage" of aid in Gaza and accuse Hamas of withholding supplies. Israel says its blockade is crucial to its goal of weakening the militant group's control over the population. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) told NBC News they had seen "no evidence" of a diversion of aid in Gaza. Both warned that supplies in the enclave were running out. Humanitarian groups describe a spiraling crisis on the ground, with bakeries shuttered for weeks because of a lack of wheat, food parcels for families running out, supplies of hot meals dwindling and medical supplies drying up. "In terms of humanitarian supplies ... I mean, to say dwindling would be putting it nicely," Liz Allcock, head of humanitarian protection of Medical Aid for Palestinians, a United Kingdom-based humanitarian organization, told NBC News on Tuesday. 'We're really scraping the barrel in terms of being able to provide anything of substance," Allcock, said, speaking from Gaza. Abeer Etefa, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme, described the situation in Gaza as "dire and worsening," with all WFP-supported bakeries across the territory closing after wheat flour ran out March 31. By early April, she said, the WFP had also exhausted its stocks of food parcels for distribution. "Remaining stocks of hot meals commodities are being dispatched to the kitchens of partners providing hot meals," she said, adding: "We have around 1,000 tons or less left for these hot meals kitchens." The WFP and its partners have 85,000 tons of food waiting to enter the enclave, she said. The Global Nutrition Cluster, a coalition of humanitarian groups, has warned that in March alone, 3,696 children were newly admitted for care for acute malnutrition alone, out of 91,769 children screened — a marked increase from February, when 2,027 children were admitted from a total of 83,823 screened, OCHA said in a report Tuesday. Meanwhile, the United Nations has sounded the alarm that medical supplies in the enclave are running low, while casualties continue to fill hospitals. Etefa added that Israeli military activity across the enclave was affecting humanitarian groups' ability to deliver aid, with the decision to block the flow of aid coming just more than two weeks before Israel shattered its ceasefire with Hamas last month, bringing two months of relative calm in the Gaza Strip to an end. In a statement Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his country's policy in Gaza was 'clear and unequivocal,' including the policy to stop humanitarian aid, a move he said 'undermines Hamas' control over the population, and creating an infrastructure for distribution through civilian companies later." Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has maintained that there is "no shortage of aid," pointing to the fact that more than 25,000 aid trucks entered the territory during Israel's ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas was withholding supplies from civilians "in order to create an image of shortage," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told NBC News on Wednesday without providing evidence. OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said the U.N. body's team on the ground described "no evidence of diversion of aid." Etefa said the WFP also had not seen any evidence, adding that the organization did not experience any looting during the ceasefire. Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusation. But Thursday, the militant group, which has faced protests calling for its ouster and an end to the war, accused Israel of committing a war crime by "declaring the use of starvation as a weapon." Under international humanitarian law, parties of a conflict cannot use starvation of a civilian population as a method of warfare or deprive civilians of essential supplies as a legitimate means to subdue an enemy. Marmorstein previously denied that Israel is violating international humanitarian law with its blockade in a post on X, saying war parties are not obliged to allow aid in if it is "likely to assist the military or economic efforts of the enemy." The war in Gaza began after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, which killed 1,200 and saw around 250 kidnapped, according to Israeli counts. Israel's military offensive in the enclave since then has killed more than 51,000 people, including thousands of children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, which has been run by Hamas since 2007. Data published by COGAT, the Israeli military's liaison with the Palestinians, shows that 25,200 aid trucks entered Gaza during the ceasefire, carrying more than 447,500 tons of aid into the enclave. Before the war began, around 500 trucks carrying food and other supplies were entering Gaza each day, according to the British Red Cross. This suggests that by prewar standards, the 25,200 trucks that entered during the ceasefire, according to COGAT's data, would likely be sufficient for around 1½ months, a point reached this week. COGAT's database shows 'no data' for aid entering the enclave between March 2 and April 16. Presented with the above data and asked to comment on the current aid situation on the ground, a spokesperson for COGAT told NBC News they could only confirm that more than 25,000 aid trucks had entered Gaza during the ceasefire. The spokesperson referred other questions related to the flow of aid to Israel's political leadership. In a report released this month, the WFP warned that humanitarian aid is the 'primary food source' for 80% of households across Gaza. Meanwhile, it said Israel's closure of crossings into the territory had 'exacerbated the fragility of the Gaza market,' leading prices to soar between 150% and 700% compared with prewar levels, and by 29% to as much as 1,400% above prices during the ceasefire. As officials debate the reality of the situation on the ground, families across the enclave tell NBC News that they are struggling to survive. 'We've been deprived of everything — food, water, school — even clothes,' 12-year-old Hasan Abu Jazar told NBC News' crew on Monday after waiting in line in Al-Mawasi to gather water at an increasingly rare distribution point. "I'm tired."This article was originally published on
NBC News
17-04-2025
- General
- NBC News
Aid groups warn of 'dire' conditions in Gaza as Israel says there is no shortage of aid
Children crowding around a charity kitchen holding empty pots and pans clamoring for food to take to their families. Hours spent in search of clean water and scouring piles of garbage looking for trash to burn for a fire to cook or keep warm. These scenes, which NBC News' crew in the Gaza Strip captured over the past week, come as humanitarian agencies sound the alarm over a dire and worsening situation in in the Palestinian enclave as Israel enforces a blockade on food, water, fuel, medical supplies and other aid and goods. Israeli officials maintain there is "no shortage" of aid in Gaza and accuse Hamas of withholding supplies. Israel says its blockade is crucial to its goal of weakening the militant group's control over the population. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) told NBC News they had seen "no evidence" of a diversion of aid in Gaza. Both warned that supplies in the enclave were running out. 'Scraping the barrel' Humanitarian groups describe a spiraling crisis on the ground, with bakeries shuttered for weeks because of a lack of wheat, food parcels for families running out, supplies of hot meals dwindling and medical supplies drying up. "In terms of humanitarian supplies ... I mean, to say dwindling would be putting it nicely," Liz Allcock, head of humanitarian protection of Medical Aid for Palestinians, a United Kingdom-based humanitarian organization, told NBC News on Tuesday. 'We're really scraping the barrel in terms of being able to provide anything of substance," Allcock, said, speaking from Gaza. Abeer Etefa, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme, described the situation in Gaza as "dire and worsening," with all WFP-supported bakeries across the territory closing after wheat flour ran out March 31. By early April, she said, the WFP had also exhausted its stocks of food parcels for distribution. "Remaining stocks of hot meals commodities are being dispatched to the kitchens of partners providing hot meals," she said, adding: "We have around 1,000 tons or less left for these hot meals kitchens." The WFP and its partners have 85,000 tons of food waiting to enter the enclave, she said. The Global Nutrition Cluster, a coalition of humanitarian groups, has warned that in March alone, 3,696 children were newly admitted for care for acute malnutrition alone, out of 91,769 children screened — a marked increase from February, when 2,027 children were admitted from a total of 83,823 screened, OCHA said in a report Tuesday. Meanwhile, the United Nations has sounded the alarm that medical supplies in the enclave are running low, while casualties continue to fill hospitals. Etefa added that Israeli military activity across the enclave was affecting humanitarian groups' ability to deliver aid, with the decision to block the flow of aid coming just more than two weeks before Israel shattered its ceasefire with Hamas last month, bringing two months of relative calm in the Gaza Strip to an end. Israeli policy on aid In a statement Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his country's policy in Gaza was 'clear and unequivocal,' including the policy to stop humanitarian aid, a move he said 'undermines Hamas' control over the population, and creating an infrastructure for distribution through civilian companies later." Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has maintained that there is "no shortage of aid," pointing to the fact that more than 25,000 aid trucks entered the territory during Israel's ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas was withholding supplies from civilians "in order to create an image of shortage," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told NBC News on Wednesday without providing evidence. OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said the U.N. body's team on the ground described "no evidence of diversion of aid." Etefa said the WFP also had not seen any evidence, adding that the organization did not experience any looting during the ceasefire. Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusation. But Thursday, the militant group, which has faced protests calling for its ouster and an end to the war, accused Israel of committing a war crime by "declaring the use of starvation as a weapon." Under international humanitarian law, parties of a conflict cannot use starvation of a civilian population as a method of warfare or deprive civilians of essential supplies as a legitimate means to subdue an enemy. Marmorstein previously denied that Israel is violating international humanitarian law with its blockade in a post on X, saying war parties are not obliged to allow aid in if it is "likely to assist the military or economic efforts of the enemy." The war in Gaza began after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, which killed 1,200 and saw around 250 kidnapped, according to Israeli counts. Israel's military offensive in the enclave since then has killed more than 51,000 people, including thousands of children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, which has been run by Hamas since 2007. By the numbers Data published by COGAT, the Israeli military's liaison with the Palestinians, shows that 25,200 aid trucks entered Gaza during the ceasefire, carrying more than 447,500 tons of aid into the enclave. Before the war began, around 500 trucks carrying food and other supplies were entering Gaza each day, according to the British Red Cross. This suggests that by prewar standards, the 25,200 trucks that entered during the ceasefire, according to COGAT's data, would likely be sufficient for around 1½ months, a point reached this week. COGAT 's database shows 'no data' for aid entering the enclave between March 2 and April 16. Presented with the above data and asked to comment on the current aid situation on the ground, a spokesperson for COGAT told NBC News they could only confirm that more than 25,000 aid trucks had entered Gaza during the ceasefire. The spokesperson referred other questions related to the flow of aid to Israel's political leadership. In a report released this month, the WFP warned that humanitarian aid is the 'primary food source' for 80% of households across Gaza. Meanwhile, it said Israel's closure of crossings into the territory had 'exacerbated the fragility of the Gaza market,' leading prices to soar between 150% and 700% compared with prewar levels, and by 29% to as much as 1,400% above prices during the ceasefire. As officials debate the reality of the situation on the ground, families across the enclave tell NBC News that they are struggling to survive. 'We've been deprived of everything — food, water, school — even clothes,' 12-year-old Hasan Abu Jazar told NBC News' crew on Monday after waiting in line in Al-Mawasi to gather water at an increasingly rare distribution point. "I'm tired."
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Woody Harrelson playing me in a film is surreal'
"The Hollywood movie and seeing Woody Harrelson play me, is totally surreal."Duncan Allcock is still in disbelief at witnessing the dramatic deep-sea emergency he was involved in more than a decade ago being turned into a Last Breath tells the tale of a group of deep-sea divers working on an oil installation on the North Sea bed who race to rescue a stranded teammate following an Allcock, from Derbyshire, told BBC Radio Derby said it felt "amazing" to be portrayed by Harrelson. Mr Allcock, who lives in Chesterfield but was originally from Bradford, said he had met the actor twice. "We went on set in Malta for four days and had a really good chat. He was trying to get my background and my feeling," he said."The first thing he said was 'I'm not doing the Yorkshire accent'." Recalling the 2012 near-disaster recreated in the movie, Mr Allcock said his two colleagues - Chris Lemons and Dave Yuasa - had been diving on the seabed, inside a large metal framework, about 100m (300ft) below the explained they were attached to a "diving bell" by "umbilicals" - large cables providing breathing gas, communication and warm water. The diving bell - which Mr Allcock was inside as the safety diver ready to rescue a colleague if needed - was then attached to the boat."So wherever the boat goes, the bell goes," said Mr Allcock. He said the boat's computer suddenly stopped working, the vessel lost power, and started drifting off. Mr Allcock said: "Diver two - Chris - got his umbilical caught on the top of the structure, and that changed everything."He said the cord "stretched like a rubber band" and he heard "a massive almighty bang, like a shotgun, then Chris's umbilical goes limp". "I thought I was going to go with it out the hole," he said."I pinned myself to the roof like Spiderman because if I had gone out the hole, I couldn't have rescued anybody."He said Chris Lemons was left in total darkness, and his emergency tanks on his back only had enough oxygen to last about 10 mins. He said he and the other diver Dave Youasa - who had made it back to the diving bell - could not do anything to help Mr Lemons until the boat was up-and-running again."It ended up at 38 minutes," he explained Mr Youasa went down to rescue him and "had to clip Chris on, and climb back up his own umbilical". Once the pair were on a framework under the diving bell, Mr Allcock said he was able to pull Mr Lemons inside using a set of pully systems had stopped breathing and was hypothermic but went on to make a full recovery, including resuming his diving job and marrying his three men attended the film's New York premiere in February, with the movie due to hit UK cinemas this month.
New York Times
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Last Breath' Review: Three Men and a Crisis
I can't swear to it, but I have a suspicion that Woody Harrelson signed on to star in the deep-sea adventure 'Last Breath' only when assured he wouldn't have to submerge so much as a toenail in water. As Duncan Allcock, the leader of a three-man dive team on a perilous North Sea mission, Harrelson not only remains impressively bone-dry throughout, he even manages to spend most of the movie seated. Allcock's dive buddies are not so lucky, and we soon learn why one of them, Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu) — unforthcoming to a fault — is filmed early on pumping even more volume into his already generously sculpted upper body. This visual shorthand is one of the movie's most common tics, both forewarning and a lazy substitute for fully realized characters and revealing dialogue. In Harrelson's case, this takes the form of an entrance that screams 'mildly eccentric, extremely chill old-timer' as Allcock shows up for duty in a Hawaiian shirt and ill-fitting khakis, a queen-size floral pillow under one arm and a bag of chocolate treats in the other. The character is so clearly suggestive of the man who plays him, I fully expected him to pull out a bong. Cinematic comfort food disguised as a disaster movie, 'Last Breath,' blandly directed by Alex Parkinson, is based on the 2019 documentary of the same name, which Parkinson directed with Richard da Costa. The actual events must have been nail-biting: In 2012, during a routine repair of an oil pipe, the young diver Chris Lemons (here played by Finn Cole in a role that requires little beyond looking meltingly cute and credibly unconscious) was cast adrift in deep water without access to oxygen or communications. Yet Parkinson and his fellow writers (Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks) seem unable to shape a gripping narrative, and we're given no real sense of who these people are outside their dive suits. Unspooling in large part in near-pitch blackness, 'Last Breath' struggles to convey urgency. Far above Lemons, in the safety of a diving bell, Allcock — a veteran diver on what he believes is his final mission — and Yuasa wait impatiently for an opportunity to rescue their teammate. From time to time, the camera peeks above the ocean surface to watch the crew of their dive ship (including the always-enjoyable Mark Bonnar as the dive supervisor) scramble to overcome an electrical failure. Underwater, however, everything moves with a dreamy sluggishness that the time clock onscreen, counting down Lemons's remaining minutes of reserve oxygen, does little to dispel. A movie of barely sketched personalities and trite emotional stakes (the lovely Bobby Rainsbury, as Lemons's anxious fiancée, is especially underserved), 'Last Breath' is disappointingly shallow and fatally lethargic. Harrelson, though, seems delighted: Perhaps only Woody could headline an action movie and be virtually stationary for the duration. Last Breath Rated PG-13 for oxygen deprivation and deep-sea heroics. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. In theaters.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fundraising event to raise awareness of 'life-threatening' condition
A fundraising event is set to be held to raise awareness of B12 deficiency - described as a 'life-threatening" condition. The event, organised by Lee Allcock, co-owner of NE Volume Music Bar in Stockton, will be held on Saturday, February 15, from 2pm. The event will be raising money for The B12 Society, a charity that raises awareness of B12 deficiency and gives guidance to medical professionals. Mr Allcock has been battling nerve damage related to a B12 deficiency for more than a year and a half. (Image: Sound and Vision Photography) He was diagnosed with the condition after struggling with severe health issues, which included being housebound for several months. Mr Allcock said: "I want to share my story because B12 deficiency is something that's not well-known, but it can have devastating consequences if not treated properly. "Along the way, The B12 Society has been an incredible support, helping me navigate the complexities of this condition, offering guidance, and raising awareness about the flaws in the NHS' approach to treatment." With the support of The B12 Society, Mr Allcock is hosting this special event to raise both awareness and funds for the charity. (Image: Sound and Vision Photography) The money raised will go towards educating the public about the life-threatening risks of untreated B12 deficiency, while also supporting vital resources for medical professionals, including GPs and student nurses. Mr Allcock said: "B12 deficiency is a serious issue that far too many people are unaware of. "It's my hope that this event will help shed light on the condition and make a real difference in how it's managed within the healthcare system." Read more: 'Once in a lifetime' train journey from County Durham to depart later this year Four 'perfect' farm shops in the region that have been named some of best in UK Nature enthusiasts treated to sighting of 'rare' bird across North East skies The event will feature live performances, talks from the president, chair and moderators of The B12 Society, and opportunities to connect with others passionate about raising awareness for this important cause. Mr Allcock invites everyone to join in the effort and support this mission to help those who are suffering from this often-overlooked health issue. For more information on the event and how to get involved, please visit
