Latest news with #American-funded
Daily News Egypt
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Gaza on verge of famine as war escalates, ceasefire talks stall
The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continues to intensify as the Israeli assault escalates and ceasefire negotiations stall, with growing warnings of an impending famine. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that 88 Palestinians were killed and 374 others wounded in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll since 7 October 2023, to 59,821, with 144,851 others injured. Amid these devastating developments, Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, accused Israel of backtracking on the understandings reached during recent ceasefire negotiations. He condemned the Israeli government for prolonging the 'genocide' in Gaza and stated that the immediate entry of food and humanitarian aid is a prerequisite for any continued talks. 'There is no point in continuing negotiations amid starvation and extermination,' he emphasized. On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to shift the blame for the worsening humanitarian situation to the United Nations, asserting that the Israeli military had opened safe corridors for aid delivery. His remarks came as an Israeli security delegation arrived in Cairo to discuss coordination over the Rafah crossing, signaling some technical progress despite the political deadlock. In Washington, US President Donald Trump acknowledged the dire hunger crisis in Gaza, pledging that the US would help establish unrestricted food distribution centers with the participation of other countries. He also stressed that Israel bears significant responsibility for ensuring aid reaches Gaza and vowed to remove any barriers to food delivery. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has warned that all Gaza residents, particularly children, are suffering from hunger. UNICEF reported that since 25 July, at least 83 children had died due to malnutrition, and many others are risking their lives in search of food. The agency urgently called for the immediate entry of sufficient humanitarian aid. In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer called an emergency meeting on Gaza, cutting short the government's summer recess. British MPs, across party lines, urged Starmer to take a stronger stance with Israel during his upcoming meeting with President Trump in Scotland. Meanwhile, Italy's Foreign Minister called on Israel to protect Palestinians and cease settler attacks in the West Bank, suggesting that the EU might impose new sanctions on violent settlers. Internationally, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the use of hunger as a weapon of war, specifically referencing the Gaza and Sudan conflicts. Germany joined calls for an immediate ceasefire, warning of increased pressure on Israel if no progress is made on improving Gaza's humanitarian conditions. In a significant development, CNN revealed an internal US government review that found no evidence to support Israeli claims that Hamas had diverted or stolen American-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, contradicting repeated Israeli allegations. Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing mass killings, forced displacement, and the systematic destruction of refugee camps. The group condemned the lack of international accountability, claiming that both Europe and the US have enabled these atrocities rather than stopping them. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi urged President Trump to exert maximum pressure on Israel to end the war and allow the entry of humanitarian aid. He reiterated that the situation in Gaza has become unbearable and that Egypt will not accept any attempt to displace Palestinians from their land. On the ground, Palestinian resistance factions continue to target Israeli forces. The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for shelling an Israeli troop gathering near Al-Muntar Hill east of Gaza City, using 60mm mortars in coordination with the Ansar Brigades. In an attempt to bypass Israeli restrictions, Jordanian and Emirati aircraft have airdropped food aid over parts of Gaza. However, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs emphasized that air drops are not a substitute for coordinated ground access. Despite Israel announcing limited 'tactical pauses' in military operations for humanitarian purposes in specific areas, scenes of destruction and rising casualties continue to dominate Gaza. Dwindling supplies and a collapsing health infrastructure threaten to spark an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.
Vancouver Sun
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Hamas recruits teenagers by stealing food and controlling supply, some experts say
Jerusalem, 25 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Hamas are controlling the food supply as a tactic to garner more teenage recruits, an aid worker in Gaza and experts have told The Press Service of Israel. In recent weeks, claims of a famine and repeated pressure on Israel to provide food for people in the Gaza strip has led to the establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American-funded initiative that works alongside Israel to feed Gazans. As the focus of world news shifted to the Iran-Israel conflict, TPS-IL spoke to experts and people on the ground to understand what is really happening with the food supply in Gaza. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Hamas control aid, it's one of their things. We see it all, Hamas act physically. This is not intelligence,' a member of Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), told TPS-IL. '…Hamas takes the aid in Gaza.' COGAT works to get the food trucks into Gaza. GHF works alongside them, and many other security contractors to deliver meals, something the UN aid agencies are vocal in opposing, claiming that to work with Israel lacks 'impartiality.' GHF claims to have delivered more than 42 million meals to date, and continues to operate daily, despite having five of their volunteers allegedly murdered by Hamas while doing so. One expert told TPS-IL that Hamas controls the strip with the aim of ensuring teenagers end up in their ranks. Dr. Igal Shiri, who works at the counterterrorism institute Meir Amit, said: 'Hamas completely control the area (the Gaza strip). 'Even though there is the massive attack, and you can see Aza is destroyed, with most of Gaza under bombing, they continue to control the civilians. They still control the area with aggression, even under attack. 'Every little bit of food – they stole it. When they get the food, they get the power. The young people in Gaza are not working. 'There is no school, no university, and they have no effective way to earn money, so Hamas has the power.' He went on to explain that the control starts with the food, but eventually infiltrates every aspect of life in Gaza: 'It's a problem because they still control Gaza, even after 18 months of war.' Accurate recruitment figures for Hamas are not obtainable due to the unreliability of Hamas reporting, but Joe Biden's Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in January that the U.S. government believed Hamas had recruited almost as many as it had lost since the beginning of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Other sources claim as many as 15,000 new recruits were added to the group since October 7. Shiri continued to outline how Hamas use media manipulation to wildly exaggerate claims of starvation, which eventually trickles down into them controlling food supplies: 'It's a narrative that they're starving.' 'If they really cared (about providing for their people and building a country), they would build schools and factories, but they put thousands of billions into constructing tunnels and we have to think why? For 20 years, all they thought about was October 7. 'We got pictures from inside, you can see the food. So they are not starving, but its good to say you are and show pictures of children in the hospital, because that gives them power.' Another expert, Dr. Nesya Rubinstein- Shemer, who wrote a book on Hamas's ideology and is a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar Ilan University, told TPS-IL that the control of food has been a tactic of terror groups even before Hamas was founded. She explained: 'The history of Hamas goes back further than it's establishment in 1987; their roots began as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 in Egypt. 'The Muslim Brotherhood was founded on the (Islamic ideological) basis of 'dawah' – the concept of conquering the hearts of the people and reaching for a firm basis in the population, before trying to achieve a role in the state. 'Muslim Brotherhood belongs to political Islam. The end goal is to gain political power, but they believe that to do that, they first have to gain control over the population. 'Muslim Brotherhood did this first, because the population had it very hard from a social point of view, so they established social structure to help society and provide places to eat, food for the poor, medical treatment, summer camps for youth – a whole kind of social engagement with the population to gain control and support. 'The main aim was to achieve ideological support, to achieve help from the population in whatever they need. 'After eight years, they established 150 branches all over Egypt, because this is what the population needed, so this is how they gained influence.' This, she said, is where Hamas garnered it's food-control tactics: 'Hamas did the same in Gaza, before it was established. 'Ahmed Yassin was the establisher of Hamas, but before they were established in 1987, in 1973, Yassin established another organization El Mujjma El Islami – this organization gained control of the population through the establishment of institutions like mosques, kindergartens, schools, and he offered aid in clothes, and food. 'Then came the Hamas movement. Hamas now has perfect control over the population because they control food and humanitarian aid. Many people from Hamas worked in UNWRA. 'The message put out by Hamas to the people, over time was that 'if you are loyal to Hamas, you can get what you need like fuel, medical supplies, food' – basically everything Israel gave them over the years.' She went on to detail how Hamas continue to use food to maintain control: 'Hamas are acting as a gatekeeper to the food supply. Additionally, if you (regular Palestinians) resist Hamas, you will be the last in line (for food).' Finally, she told TPS-IL how Hamas use the image of starvation to maintain control: 'Now what they're doing is perpetuating the narrative of hunger in the world. 'They have Al Jazeera in six languages, which works 24/7 in supplying pictures. Hamas don't care if the population die and suffer – on the contrary, it serves them, because then the world sees and it is translated into political pressure on the world to step in. 'Jihad also means fighting through media. This makes all the countries isolate Israel because it is demonized in the world media. This is very problematic. 'Hamas presents the idea of liberation and people don't understand they are a terror organization. People don't know the meaning of 'the river to sea'. 'Hamas is a murderous terrorist organization, which pretends to fight for the liberation of Palestine… 'Since 2005, there wasn't a single (Israeli) soldier in Gaza – they (Hamas) chose to take money and make tunnels and to buy missiles in order to attack Israel. They are not freedom fighters, and there is no solution (to be made with them). 'Now the situation is very problematic because they use world media to create a bad image of Israel and it's challenging.' GHF was contacted for comment.
Edmonton Journal
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Hamas recruits teenagers by stealing food and controlling supply, some experts say
Article content Jerusalem, 25 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Hamas are controlling the food supply as a tactic to garner more teenage recruits, an aid worker in Gaza and experts have told The Press Service of Israel. In recent weeks, claims of a famine and repeated pressure on Israel to provide food for people in the Gaza strip has led to the establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American-funded initiative that works alongside Israel to feed Gazans. Article content As the focus of world news shifted to the Iran-Israel conflict, TPS-IL spoke to experts and people on the ground to understand what is really happening with the food supply in Gaza. 'Hamas control aid, it's one of their things. We see it all, Hamas act physically. This is not intelligence,' a member of Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), told TPS-IL. '…Hamas takes the aid in Gaza.' COGAT works to get the food trucks into Gaza. GHF works alongside them, and many other security contractors to deliver meals, something the UN aid agencies are vocal in opposing, claiming that to work with Israel lacks 'impartiality.' GHF claims to have delivered more than 42 million meals to date, and continues to operate daily, despite having five of their volunteers allegedly murdered by Hamas while doing so. One expert told TPS-IL that Hamas controls the strip with the aim of ensuring teenagers end up in their ranks. Dr. Igal Shiri, who works at the counterterrorism institute Meir Amit, said: 'Hamas completely control the area (the Gaza strip). Article content 'Even though there is the massive attack, and you can see Aza is destroyed, with most of Gaza under bombing, they continue to control the civilians. They still control the area with aggression, even under attack. 'Every little bit of food – they stole it. When they get the food, they get the power. The young people in Gaza are not working. 'There is no school, no university, and they have no effective way to earn money, so Hamas has the power.' He went on to explain that the control starts with the food, but eventually infiltrates every aspect of life in Gaza: 'It's a problem because they still control Gaza, even after 18 months of war.' Accurate recruitment figures for Hamas are not obtainable due to the unreliability of Hamas reporting, but Joe Biden's Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in January that the U.S. government believed Hamas had recruited almost as many as it had lost since the beginning of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Article content Other sources claim as many as 15,000 new recruits were added to the group since October 7. Shiri continued to outline how Hamas use media manipulation to wildly exaggerate claims of starvation, which eventually trickles down into them controlling food supplies: 'It's a narrative that they're starving.' 'If they really cared (about providing for their people and building a country), they would build schools and factories, but they put thousands of billions into constructing tunnels and we have to think why? For 20 years, all they thought about was October 7. 'We got pictures from inside, you can see the food. So they are not starving, but its good to say you are and show pictures of children in the hospital, because that gives them power.' Another expert, Dr. Nesya Rubinstein- Shemer, who wrote a book on Hamas's ideology and is a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar Ilan University, told TPS-IL that the control of food has been a tactic of terror groups even before Hamas was founded. Article content She explained: 'The history of Hamas goes back further than it's establishment in 1987; their roots began as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 in Egypt. 'The Muslim Brotherhood was founded on the (Islamic ideological) basis of 'dawah' – the concept of conquering the hearts of the people and reaching for a firm basis in the population, before trying to achieve a role in the state. 'Muslim Brotherhood belongs to political Islam. The end goal is to gain political power, but they believe that to do that, they first have to gain control over the population. 'Muslim Brotherhood did this first, because the population had it very hard from a social point of view, so they established social structure to help society and provide places to eat, food for the poor, medical treatment, summer camps for youth – a whole kind of social engagement with the population to gain control and support. Article content 'The main aim was to achieve ideological support, to achieve help from the population in whatever they need. 'After eight years, they established 150 branches all over Egypt, because this is what the population needed, so this is how they gained influence.' This, she said, is where Hamas garnered it's food-control tactics: 'Hamas did the same in Gaza, before it was established. 'Ahmed Yassin was the establisher of Hamas, but before they were established in 1987, in 1973, Yassin established another organization El Mujjma El Islami – this organization gained control of the population through the establishment of institutions like mosques, kindergartens, schools, and he offered aid in clothes, and food. 'Then came the Hamas movement. Hamas now has perfect control over the population because they control food and humanitarian aid. Many people from Hamas worked in UNWRA. Article content 'The message put out by Hamas to the people, over time was that 'if you are loyal to Hamas, you can get what you need like fuel, medical supplies, food' – basically everything Israel gave them over the years.' She went on to detail how Hamas continue to use food to maintain control: 'Hamas are acting as a gatekeeper to the food supply. Additionally, if you (regular Palestinians) resist Hamas, you will be the last in line (for food).' Finally, she told TPS-IL how Hamas use the image of starvation to maintain control: 'Now what they're doing is perpetuating the narrative of hunger in the world. 'They have Al Jazeera in six languages, which works 24/7 in supplying pictures. Hamas don't care if the population die and suffer – on the contrary, it serves them, because then the world sees and it is translated into political pressure on the world to step in. Latest National Stories
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
03-06-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
Israel kills 27 Palestinians at Gaza aid site; UN calls it 'a war crime'
Israeli soldiers on Tuesday opened fire morning near a group of Palestinians making their way to a new food distribution site in southern Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 27 people were killed, with dozens more wounded in the incident, news agency Reuters reported. UN human rights chief Volker Turk said that the "deadly attacks" targeting civilians near aid distribution centres in Gaza amount to "a war crime". In a statement, Turk said, "Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable." He further added, "For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured." The Israeli military claimed that soldiers fired at 'a few' individuals who had left the designated route and failed to heed warning shots. The military described them as 'suspects' who allegedly posed a threat to the troops. This latest episode of violence unfolded roughly 550 yards from the food distribution site and follows another deadly shooting on June 1, when troops opened fire on Palestinians approaching the same location. Palestinian officials said that the attack killed at least 23 people. These incidents add to the growing tensions surrounding the newly implemented Israeli-backed food aid system in Gaza. Contentious new food aid system The new aid distribution programme is run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American-funded private aid group that replaced the United Nations-led system that had operated across 400 sites throughout Gaza. The new system distributes food from a handful of locations in Israeli-controlled southern Gaza, the New York Times reported. Aid agencies have warned that Gaza is facing severe food shortages after an 80-day blockade on food deliveries between March and May. Israel argues that the new system is essential to prevent Hamas from seizing and reselling aid at inflated prices to finance its war efforts. 'Today's events have shown once again that this new system of aid delivery is dehumanising, dangerous and severely ineffective,' said Claire Manera, an emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, as quoted by the New York Times report. 'It has resulted in deaths and injuries of civilians that could have been prevented," Marena added. UN chief calls for independent investigation UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced deep concern, expressing that he was 'appalled' by reports of Palestinians being killed and wounded while seeking aid. He emphasised the urgent need for an independent investigation into the incident, Reuters reported. Late Monday, the Israeli military issued fresh evacuation orders targeting several districts in Khan Younis, located in the southern Gaza Strip. The army warned residents that it would take decisive action against militants allegedly operating in these areas. Civilians were directed to move west toward the Mawasi humanitarian zone. Palestinian and United Nations officials contend that there are no truly safe areas within the enclave. They note that most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have already been internally displaced during the months of conflict. The Gaza Health Ministry warned on Tuesday that the latest evacuation orders could jeopardise the functioning of Nasser Hospital, the largest still-operational medical centre in southern Gaza. The ministry stressed that these orders risk the lives of those currently receiving critical treatment. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 assault by Hamas-led gunmen, who killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Since then, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, according to local health authorities, Reuters reported. (With agency inputs)
Eyewitness News
30-04-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
US shuts down massive Lesotho development project
A 6-billion Maloti (R6-billion) American-funded development project in Lesotho is on the verge of collapse as the United States moves to shut down the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the agency behind the programme. Launched last year, the Lesotho Health and Horticulture Compact was to benefit approximately 2.5 million people over the next 20 years and generate over 90,000 direct and indirect jobs over five years. The Lesotho Health and Horticulture Compact included three projects: A $75.4-million health project to improve primary health care and modernise data systems, improve maternal and child health, and support HIV/AIDS treatment; A $118.6-million food production project aimed at increasing rural incomes and food security through investments in irrigation; and A $62-million project aimed at small businesses, especially owned by women and young people. According to the 2022 agreement between the MCC and the Government of Lesotho, seen by GroundUp, the US committed $300-million, while Lesotho pledged to contribute no less than $22.3-million over the lifespan of the compact. The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) was set up to implement the project in Lesotho. Both the MCA in Lesotho and the Lesotho government have remained silent on the future of the initiative, following the closure of other US-funded programmes. But GroundUp has seen correspondence suggesting that the project is being shut down. In response to questions from GroundUp, acting chief executive for Lesotho of the Millennium Challenge Account, Limpho Maema, said only that MCC and the Lesotho government were discussing the issue. She said once a final decision had been made, the government would issue a statement. Foreign Affairs Minister Lejone Mpotjoane referred all inquiries to Finance Minister Retselisitsoe Matlanyane, but she said she was out of the country and too busy to comment. However, staff on the food production project have been told: 'As per an email from Limpho [Maema]… Regrettably, the determination is that the Lesotho Health and Horticulture Compact will be closing'. GroundUp has also seen correspondence from Maema to contractors saying the same thing. In her email, Maema said services would remain in place 'until we have confirmation of a definitive date of closure' Contractors to the project include consultants on engineering, horticulture, gender, and business development, as well as auditors and providers of phone services, IT, and vehicles. Employees of Cowater International—a Canadian consulting firm awarded a $21-million contract in the small business programme —have already been instructed to return company equipment in preparation for shutdown. In an internal email last week, Cowater Project Manager Antoinette Albisetti told staff to bring laptops and equipment back to the office. 'We are now moving all office equipment into storage and looking to tie up loose ends before the end of the month,' she said. According to the agreement with the US and the Lesotho government, the government must return any unspent funds to MCC. In Phamong, Mohale's Hoek — one of the areas earmarked for implementation of the horticulture project — uncertainty now looms large. 'Maamohelang Tomo, a local villager who served on the land verification committee, told GroundUp that communication about the project has abruptly halted. 'Since we were told to suspend services in January, there's been no word on the way forward,' she said. Tomo and her team had been verifying land ownership for fields earmarked for the project. The initial plan included constructing access roads and irrigation dams before moving into crop production. 'We had already concluded discussions with landowners, and many had willingly agreed to release their fields,' she explained. Now, with MCA operations in question, that progress is at risk. 'The closure would be a heavy blow. We had made plans based on the payments that we were expecting,' said Tomo. 'The community trusted us because we were the ones meeting with them, persuading them to release their land. Now they come to us, asking for answers, but we have nowhere to turn for information and nothing to tell them.' A request for comment to the US Embassy in Maseru had not been answered by the time of publication. On previous occasions, the Embassy has referred queries to the US foreign affairs administration in Washington.
