Latest news with #American-backed
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Macron's crusade against the Jewish state continues,' MFA responds to France sanctions threat
Instead of "applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state," the Foreign Ministry said. "There is no humanitarian blockade [in Gaza]. That is a blatant lie," the Israel Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter/X on Friday, in response to comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier in the day. "President Macron's campaign against the Jewish state continues. The facts do not interest Macron," the post added. Within the past week, Israel has facilitated the entry of nearly 900 aid trucks into Gaza, with hundreds more ready for UN collection and distribution, and the Gaza Humanitarian Fund has provided Gazans with two million meals and tens of thousands of aid packages, the MFA wrote. The distribution of aid directly to Gazans, sidestepping Hamas, has "already changed the situation on the group," according to the MFA. Yet, instead of "applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state," and is looking to impose sanctions on Israel, the statement added. Hamas has praised Macron's statements in response, it concluded. The early success of the American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation-run aid centers has the ability to significantly dent Hamas's control over food distribution in the coastal enclave, The Jerusalem Post learned Friday. Aid has been flowing into the enclave, IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin confirmed in a video on Friday morning, while at the Kerem Shalom crossing. "The responsibility now falls on the UN and international organizations to ensure its proper distribution." "Two centers are operating so far and the third will be ready in the coming days," Defrin said. "The aid is coming in, but UN organizations prefer to cooperate with Hamas than with us," he added. Macron on Friday said that France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza and reiterated that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. "And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers. "But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response." French President Emmanuel Macron said in April that France could recognize a Palestinian state in June, adding that, in turn, some countries in the Middle East could recognize the state of Israel. "We need to move towards recognition [of a Palestinian state]. And so over the next few months, we will. I'm not doing it to please anyone. I'll do it because at some point it will be right," he said during an interview on France 5 television. "And because I also want to take part in a collective dynamic that should also enable those who defend Palestine to recognize Israel in their turn, something that many of them are not doing," the French president declared. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot delivered a speech on Wednesday, reiterating the country's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging "the implementation of a two-state solution." Barrot also announced that France will co-host, alongside Saudi Arabia, a United Nations conference in June regarding this topic. The American embassy argued in response that the implementation of a two-state solution would constitute a "reward for Hamas' shocking attack on Israel," in reference to the Washington shooting attack at the Jewish Museum in which Elias Rodriguez killed two Israeli embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. Reuters contributed to this report.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
GHF aid threatens Hamas control in Gaza, UN trying to undermine efforts, IDF sources say
Hamas fears losing control over vital humanitarian supplies, demanding that distribution returns to the UN. The early success of the American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation-run aid centers has the ability to significantly dent Hamas's control over food distribution in the coastal enclave, The Jerusalem Post learned Friday. However, distribution of aid through the GHF has become a tumultuous point in current ceasefire negotiations and has raised many questions. IDF sources have confirmed that at least four food distribution centers have already begun partial operations — three in the south and one in central Gaza — providing over 1.2 million meals through an estimated 3,550 to 5,000 boxes. Each package can feed a family of five for five to seven days. This initiative, carried out largely through convoys of more than 30 trucks each carrying at least 1,000 packages, is seen by some as a potential blow to Hamas's longstanding control over food supplies. Analysts suggest that while Hamas remains the dominant armed presence in Gaza, its political grip, especially in controlling vital resources, could be significantly undermined. A source said the IDF currently inspects around 60,000 aid packages every day to ensure proper distribution. It is expected to take about two weeks before all four centers reach full operational capacity. Plans are also underway for at least four more centers to open in the future. A US-backed hostage deal is currently in limbo as Israel has agreed to the terms, while Hamas has currently rejected them without fully walking away from negotiations. The current deal proposal includes returning the distribution of the humanitarian aid in Gaza to the UN. Analysts believe that the fact that Hamas included a stipulation of removing aid distribution from the GHF further shows that the terror group fears that the initiative will undermine its control in Gaza. Meanwhile, organized crime and local gangs, separate from Hamas, have reportedly hijacked food shipments. 'Sometimes it's Hamas, sometimes it's just desperate people,' one official explained. 'Sometimes it's local gangs not connected to Hamas at all.' The humanitarian crisis has been worsened by the movement of nearly 900,000 Palestinians from northern Gaza into the densely populated Gaza City following the latest wave of fighting. This concentration of displaced residents is placing enormous strain on aid efforts, with only a single food center currently operating in the central region. Adding to the tension are strong accusations from the IDF that the UN has acted as if it lacks the capacity to move food to northern Gaza, thereby stalling hundreds of aid trucks at the Kerem Shalom crossing point. Earlier this week, Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said that the UN is reducing cooperation with Israel's food initiative, complicating the distribution of aid and effectively playing into Hamas's hands. On Monday, Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said there are 10,000 aid trucks on the Gaza border, cleared and ready to go. 'We've got 10,000 trucks on the border right now, cleared [and] ready to go, and we'll do everything to get them in and save lives,' Fletcher told CNN's Christine Amanpour on Monday. When she repeated the number back to him incredulously, Fletcher nodded and replied, 'Full of food.' COGAT posted a clip of the interview on X/Twitter, saying, 'Look, it's @UNReliefChief with another libelous lie.' 'There are no 10,000 trucks waiting to go into Gaza. What there are, are hundreds of trucks' worth of aid the UN hasn't picked up from the Gazan side over the last few days, after we gave you plenty of routes you can use to safely distribute the aid throughout Gaza.' On Thursday, COGAT accused UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric of lying about Fletcher's recent visits to Gaza and the UN's framing of the Gaza humanitarian aid issue. COGAT noted that while Dujarric claimed Fletcher had seen Gaza "with his own eyes a few weeks ago," the UN official had actually not visited the enclave since February. "Let's stop focusing on aid that might be in the pipeline, and start collecting the content of the 550 trucks already waiting for you inside Gaza," COGAT wrote. "For a full week now, we've been offering you alternative routes to facilitate pickup. These are areas with active military activities, and coordination is for your own safety. Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.
Libyan Express
25-05-2025
- Health
- Libyan Express
Gaza doctor's family amongst 79 killed in airstrikes
Israeli blockade continues as Gaza death toll reaches 53,901 Palestinian health authorities in Gaza announced on Saturday that 79 bodies had been brought to medical facilities following Israeli military operations conducted over the previous day. The figure does not include potential casualties from Gaza's northern region, where medical infrastructure has become inaccessible due to ongoing conflict. The fatalities include a devastating personal tragedy for one medical professional. Dr Alaa Najjar, who works as a paediatrician at Nasser Hospital, lost nine of her ten children when their home was struck on Friday evening in Khan Younis, situated in Gaza's southern area. Dr Ahmad al-Farra, who heads the paediatric unit at Nasser Hospital, reported that Dr Najjar was working her hospital shift when the attack occurred. Upon returning home, she discovered her house engulfed in flames. Her husband sustained serious injuries, whilst her sole surviving child—an 11-year-old boy—remains in critical condition. The children who died were aged between seven months and 12 years. Health Ministry spokesman Khalil al-Dokran told the Associated Press that two young victims are still trapped beneath rubble. Israeli military officials have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this particular incident. However, the Israeli Defence Forces announced earlier on Saturday that their air operations had targeted over 100 locations throughout Gaza during the same timeframe. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, these recent deaths bring the conflict's total death toll to 53,901 since the violence began on 7th October 2023. The ministry stated that 3,747 Palestinians have died since Israel recommenced major operations on 18th March, part of an effort to compel Hamas to agree to modified ceasefire conditions. Israel's strategy has included implementing a comprehensive blockade affecting Gaza's population of more than 2 million residents since early March. This week marked the first time since the blockade's implementation that a small number of humanitarian supply lorries entered the territory. However, these deliveries represent a dramatic reduction from the approximately 600 daily lorry shipments that occurred during previous ceasefire periods. International food security specialists have issued famine warnings, whilst photographs showing desperate Palestinians competing for meals at dwindling charitable feeding centres have prompted Israel's international partners to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to permit increased humanitarian access. Netanyahu's government has presented a new American-backed system for aid delivery and distribution, though United Nations officials and partner organisations have declined participation, arguing it would weaponise food assistance and breach humanitarian standards. Recent correspondence obtained by the Associated Press suggests Israel may be reconsidering its position to allow humanitarian organisations continued oversight of non-food relief efforts. Whilst Israel maintains that Hamas has diverted aid supplies, UN representatives and humanitarian groups dispute claims of substantial diversion. The 7th October assault on southern Israeli communities resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, with Hamas taking 251 individuals as hostages. Israel's subsequent military response has severely damaged much of Gaza, with the Health Ministry reporting that women and children comprise the majority of Palestinian casualties. Israeli officials state they will continue with military operations until Hamas releases all 58 remaining Israeli hostages and surrenders its weapons. Hamas leadership has indicated they will only return the remaining hostages in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoner releases, a permanent ceasefire, and complete Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. Netanyahu has dismissed these conditions and pledged to maintain Israeli oversight of Gaza whilst supporting what he describes as voluntary Palestinian population relocation.
Economist
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Vietnam's diaspora is shaping the country their parents fled
Fifty years ago Thinh Nguyen left his homeland aboard an American navy ship. Some of his compatriots escaped in helicopters. Tens of thousands fled in makeshift boats. Many more, including Mr Nguyen's father and brother, were left behind as troops from North Vietnam stormed into Saigon, then the capital of American-backed South Vietnam. The chaotic evacuation marked the end of the Vietnam war, badly damaged American credibility and left Vietnam in Communist hands. It also helped create one of the world's biggest diasporas.
Boston Globe
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Amid cease-fire talks, Israel says it has expanded ground operations in Gaza
Advertisement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office explained the abrupt reversal in Israeli policy as an 'operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas,' adding in a statement that the military had recommended the step. The statement did not say exactly when the resumption of aid would begin, or how or where it would be distributed. Plans for a new American-backed system for distributing aid meant to bypass Hamas have not yet been put into action. Details about the renewed offensive were also scarce, and it was not immediately clear how far the Israeli forces would go at this stage, or which areas of Gaza would be most affected. As of Sunday night, troops had not yet reached the center of major cities like Gaza City and Khan Younis as they did at the height of the initial ground offensive in the fall of 2023 and early 2024. There are also fewer forces in Gaza now than there have been at other times, according to experts, though the military said Sunday that five army divisions were involved in the offensive, amounting to tens of thousands of soldiers. Advertisement Israeli government and military officials have vowed to press ahead with this new stage in the 19-month war until Hamas releases the hostages it is still holding or until the group has been destroyed or forced to surrender. Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza in recent days to prepare the way for the expansion of ground operations, the military said, adding that the wave of strikes had hit what it described as more than 670 'Hamas terror targets.' So far, the military said, it has killed 'dozens' of Hamas operatives and has destroyed military infrastructure used by the group both above and below ground. But many civilians, including children, have also been killed, according to Palestinian officials and residents of Gaza. The expansion of military operations comes even as Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks for a ceasefire in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The military has been issuing threats for days about a broader invasion, without much change visible on the ground. Israeli officials have said that the new campaign would be carried out gradually, in stages, and could be stopped should a deal be reached with Hamas. The Israeli military's chief spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, said Sunday that the idea was to dissect Gaza into separate areas. He said that the population would be told to evacuate areas where the military was operating, and that the military was being intentionally ambiguous about its movements to protect its forces. Advertisement More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the war, according to health officials in the enclave, whose death tolls do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The Health Ministry in Gaza said Sunday that the preliminary number of those killed since dawn stood at more than 90. Suzanne Abu Daqqa, who lives in Abasan, near the southern city of Khan Younis, said residents had been living through near-constant bombardment over the past few days that had rattled her home with terrifying blasts. But she said she was even more afraid that a renewed ground invasion could again force her to flee her house -- where her family still had some electricity from solar panels, as well as a modest stockpile of rice and flour -- for sweltering tent camps near the coast. 'So many have died for nothing,' Abu Daqqa said. 'People want the war to end by all means.' International efforts have so far failed to broker an end to the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. That attack killed about 1,200 people, and the Palestinian assailants took about 250 hostages back to Gaza. At least 21 living hostages are still being held, according to the Israeli government, along with the remains of more than 30 others who have died in captivity. Netanyahu signaled for the first time Sunday that his negotiating team in Qatar was authorized to discuss terms for a broad deal that could end the war in Gaza. Advertisement Previously, the Israeli prime minister's office had said that the negotiations would be limited to discussing an initial deal in which Hamas would release about 10 of the living hostages and the two sides would enter a ceasefire lasting about six weeks. But even as he spoke Sunday of the possibility of a broader deal, Netanyahu reiterated his firm conditions for ending the war: the release of all the hostages, the expulsion from Gaza of Hamas leaders and fighters and the demilitarization of the Palestinian coastal enclave. Hamas has steadfastly rejected the idea of disarming. Omer Dostri, a spokesperson for Netanyahu, said his statement represented 'nothing new and no drama' since Hamas was not ready at this point to surrender. A Hamas official said over the weekend that Israel had withdrawn its insistence that truce talks be based on the earlier proposal for an initial deal and that everything was now up for negotiation. It was not clear if Netanyahu's statement was meant to lay the ground for an unexpected diplomatic move or was chiefly aimed at deflecting domestic criticism that he had not done enough to bring back the hostages. Analysts noted that Netanyahu and Hamas also faced pressure from the Trump administration, and that Israel's military pressure on Hamas might be working. Kobi Michael, an analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said all of the above could be true at the same time. 'A significant military dynamic has been created,' Michael said, adding that the killing of many Hamas operatives had brought the group back to the negotiating table. This article originally appeared in
