Latest news with #AmjadAlShawa
The Guardian
04-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Wednesday briefing: What three deadly days for civilians in Rafah reveal about the food distribution system backed by Israel
Good morning. On Sunday, at least 31 Palestinians were killed after Israeli forces opened fire at a food distribution centre in Rafah, Gaza. On Monday, another three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire at the same site. And yesterday, 27 people were killed after Israeli forces opened fire again. If there was any doubt at all about the inadequacy of the new system for distributing supplies in Gaza, run by an Israeli-backed foundation rather than the UN or aid organisations, it has surely been dispelled. Last night, the foundation said that all of its sites would be closed today – and appointed a new executive chairman: an evangelical Christian pastor and loyal ally of Donald Trump. Palestinians – or those who are able to get to the sites – now face an impossible choice, as the UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk, said on Tuesday: 'Die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available.' The attacks on civilians, he added, constitute a war crime. Today's newsletter, with Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network in Gaza City, explains what we know about these incidents – and why Palestinians are bound to keep coming back. Here are the headlines. UK politics | Rachel Reeves is announcing £15bn for trams, trains and buses outside London as she launches a charm offensive to persuade fractious Labour MPs that her spending review will not be a return to austerity. The move is part of a strategy to focus on major capital expenditure plans rather than expected cuts to day-to-day spending. US politics | Elon Musk has opened a new rift with Donald Trump by denouncing the US president's tax and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination'. Musk said of the bill, which is expected to add $2.5-5 trillion to the US budget deficit over the next ten years: 'Congress is making America bankrupt.' Ukraine | Ukraine has detonated a massive underwater blast targeting the Kerch road and rail bridge connecting the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula to Russia, damaging its underwater supports. The operation follows a sophisticated drone raid on Moscow's strategic bomber fleet on Sunday. Environment | More than 5,000 of England's rare natural habitats are at high risk of being destroyed by development under Labour's new planning bill. The bill, designed to help address the UK's housing affordability crisis, allows developers to pay into a nature restoration fund to sidestep environmental regulations. Netherlands | The Dutch government has collapsed after the far-right leader Geert Wilders pulled his party out of the ruling coalition in a row over immigration and asylum policy. Elections are likely in October. Last week, a food point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) opened for the first time. As crowds broke through fencing around the site, Israeli forces started firing what were described as 'warning shots'. At least one person died. You can read more about the genesis of the GHF and how it compares with the normal aid model in last Thursday's First Edition. What is now clear is that the chaos on the first day was not an artefact of how new the scheme was – but a warning of much worse to come. What do we know about the incidents in recent days? All three incidents unfolded in the same area, near the Al-Alam roundabout, about a kilometre from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centre in Rafah. The Israeli military is not present on the GHF site itself – where armed American contractors are in charge – but it controls the surrounding areas. On Sunday, rescuers and witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire as people congregated before going to pick up food parcels. Israel denied firing 'near or within' the site, but an Israeli military source later acknowledged that 'warning shots were fired towards several suspects' about a kilometre away. The GHF denied that there were any 'injuries, fatalities or incidents' during its operations. Gaza's civil defence agency reported that 31 people were killed, with another 176 wounded. On Monday, the military again acknowledged firing warning shots towards 'suspects who advanced toward the troops and posed a threat to them'. Three people were killed, said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and dozens more injured. On Tuesday, eyewitnesses said that the shooting started at about 4am local time, as crowds started to gather in the hope of getting food before the centre ran out for the day. Mohammed al-Shaer told AFP that 'the Israeli army fired shots into the air, then began shooting directly at the people', with a helicopter and drones present as the crowd approached a barrier separating them from the Israeli forces. Another witness, Neima al-Aaraj, told the Associated Press that the shooting was 'indiscriminate'. The IDF said 'suspects' failed to retreat after warning fire and 'additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced towards the troops'. A statement claimed that they were not following 'designated access routes' to the GHF site. The GHF says civilians should arrive via a single coastal road, a route that one expert told the BBC was neither 'safe nor effective'. Local health officials put the death toll at 27 so far, including at least three children. Mohammed Saqr, the head of nursing at Nasser hospital, which received the bodies, told the Guardian that they had shrapnel wounds which appeared consistent with being targeted by tanks or artillery. Given the very large numbers of desperate people seeking food, it is not surprising if order breaks down around the centre. But the implication of Israel's stance – that its forces were in serious danger if they did not act – is hard to credit given their authority around the site, Amjad Al-Shawa said. 'This is happening in an area entirely under the control of the Israeli military. They have troops, they have quadcopters, they have intelligence. In these circumstances there is no justification for the killing.' What do these events suggest about how the GHF system is working? Accounts from the scene suggest that besides the conduct of the Israeli forces, there are a number of factors exacerbating the situation. Food is reportedly running out very early each day, adding to the chaos as people desperately try to secure supplies for themselves and their families. Even if all of the GHF sites were opened, large numbers of people needing support would be congregating in a very few places; with only one site up and running since Friday and only one access route allowed, that effect is exacerbated. Then there is the sheer physical difficulty of the journey for those living further away. 'It takes three or four hours to reach the distribution point from here,' said Al-Shawa, who is in Gaza City, in the north of Gaza. 'Most people are going on foot, or paying a lot of money to use a donkey cart. And when you get there it is not an easy mission. There are tens of thousands of people waiting to get a very limited amount of food parcels, and so there is a rush. There is no system – they just open the gate and tell people to go. The mechanism excludes older people, women with children, the sick, people with disabilities.' Images from the site show that most of those who have been waiting are young men – perhaps more likely to be deemed 'suspects' by the IDF if the crowd gets out of control. Is the amount of food being distributed adequate to the task? GHF says it has distributed just over 7m meals so far. It says that it will continue to ramp up its operations in the days ahead. But last night it said that all of its distribution centres would be closed today for 'update, organisation, and efficiency improvement work'. The Israeli military said that while the sites are closed, the areas leading to them will be considered 'combat zones'. The fact that food is running out so early each day is testament to how badly supply is outstripped by desperate demand. As of 12 May, almost all of the population of about 2.1 million were facing acute hunger, according to Unicef; one in five were facing starvation, and about 71,000 children and 17,000 mothers needed urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. Al-Shawa says he is relatively fortunate, because he can afford the extortionate price of basic provisions, at least for now. 'But I'm part of this community,' he said. 'There is almost nothing available. My wife bought 250g of sugar yesterday for about $18. A kilo of flour, to make some bread, for $16. You need cash to pay for it, and you pay 35 or 40% commission. So for me to eat a salad will cost $40 or $50.' Nor, he emphasised, was Gaza facing a hunger crisis – or even Israel's continuing military onslaught – in isolation. 'It's not just the denial of aid. It's not just sanitation. It's not just the lack of water. It's not just the denial of vaccines. It's not just displacement. It's not just chronic patients without medicine. It's not just 80% of hospitals destroyed. It's all of those things together.' Is there any reason to hope that the process will improve? Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion While the GHF has sought to emphasise the amount of food it has distributed so far, there are reasons to be sceptical that it will soon be able to start running the sites in a more orderly way. Its founding executive director, Jake Wood, quit last week, saying that it could not operate in a way that followed 'humanitarian principles'; yesterday, he was replaced by Reverend Dr Johnnie Moore - who was appointed as a commissioner for international religious freedom by Donald Trump, but has no apparent experience of complex aid operations. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that Boston Consulting Group, which helped design the programme, had withdrawn its team working in Tel Aviv. Sources close to the operation told the Post that 'it would be difficult for the foundation to continue to function without the consultants who helped create it'. As the situation worsens, Israel is facing growing diplomatic pressure from Europe, the UK, and Canada. But there has not yet been the kind of concrete action that might force Israel to reconsider – while the Trump administration continues to offer its unflagging support, and will likely veto a UN security council resolution demanding unfettered access for aid operations today. In those circumstances, it is difficult to see how the situation on the ground will improve. 'People have no option but to keep coming,' Al-Shawa said. 'They will be back tomorrow in search of food. But they will pay a price to get it, and the price is in lives.' Society is sleepwalking into a nightmare, warns Laura Bates, as AI is used to create virtual 'brothels' featuring underage girls. This is just one of thousands of tech-driven tools re-embedding misogyny deep into the foundations of our future. Aamna Quite a lot of establishment Democrats are now wondering if a Bernie Sanders presidential candidacy would have been such a horrifying thing after all. In this interview with Zoe Williams, he urges them to set out a positive vision for the future: 'They don't have much of a message for working people, other than to say Trump is dangerous. I think that's just not enough.' Archie Video jockeys, who translate and narrate western films for local audiences, have become a cultural staple in rural and low-income Ugandan communities. Carlos Mureithi explores the rise of this booming trade. Aamna Laila Soueif is 247 days into a hunger strike for her jailed activist son Alaa Abd el-Fattah, imprisoned in Egypt for 'spreading false news'. Now very frail, she nonetheless gives Patrick Wintour a remarkable interview: 'My message is: use my death as leverage to get Alaa out. Don't let my death be in vain.' Archie A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as trees once teeming with insects now stand eerily still. Tess McClure speaks to experts warning of rapid extinctions in remote regions with little human contact. Aamna Football | Spain demonstrated why they are the favourites to win the Women's European Championship in Switzerland as they came from behind to beat England in Barcelona and top their Nations League group. Alessia Russo gave England the half-time lead before two goals from substitute Claudia Pina (above) took Spain to victory. Cricket | England coasted to victory in the third one-day international against the West Indies, giving them a clean sweep in the series. Three wickets for Adil Rashid and 64 off 28 balls for Jamie Smith led the way for the hosts. Tennis | Iga Swiatek sunk Elina Svitolina to set up a semi-final clash with Aryna Sabalenka, who powered past Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets. In the men's draw, Lorenzo Musetti beat Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Tommy Paul in straight sets. 'Reeves in £15bn spending pledge to placate fractious Labour MPs' is the Guardian's lead story. The Metro splashes on the 'Maddie search' in Portugal. 'Trump attacks BBC over Hamas coverage' says the Telegraph while the i paper reports 'UK to stockpile military medical supplies for nuclear attacks'. 'The evidence Rwanda plan DID deter small boats' is what the Mail is writing up today and the Express has 'Now it's good weather to blame for boat surge!'. 'Police cuts 'mean some crimes must be ignored'' – that's the Times while there's a plea about benefits in the Mirror: 'I lost my girl … think again on cuts'. Leading the Financial Times is 'Thames Water on brink as KKR scraps £4bn rescue effort amid political fears'. A trip to Musk city Guardian US southern bureau chief Oliver Laughland heads to Starbase, Texas, to visit the home of Elon Musk's company SpaceX as it votes on whether to become its own city. A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad Forest officials in India are enlisting sankirtan mandalis, traditional devotional song-and-dance troupes, to spread awareness about forest fires in Odisha. These groups were once male-only, but that changed two years ago when the women in Murgapahadi village revived the tradition after a record number of men left their rural villages and headed to the cities in search of work. The women now sing climate messages like, 'Don't set fire to the forest. If the forest survives, we survive.' Officials credit their efforts for the minimal forest fires recorded this summer, highlighting the power of cultural traditions in climate action. And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
CNN
27-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Chaos erupts on first day of US-backed aid distribution in Gaza after weeks of hunger
Thousands of Palestinians overran a newly established aid site in southern Gaza on Tuesday that is part of a controversial new Israeli- and US-approved aid distribution mechanism that began on Tuesday after months of blockade. Videos from the distribution site in Tel al-Sultan, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), showed large crowds storming the facilities, tearing down some of the fencing and appearing to climb over barriers designed to control the flow of the crowd. A diplomatic official called the chaos at the site 'a surprise to no one.' An 11-week Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid has pushed the enclave's population of more than 2 million Palestinians towards famine and into a deepening humanitarian crisis, with the first resumption of humanitarian aid trickling into the besieged enclave last week. The GHF acknowledged the pandemonium, saying 'the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Gazans to take aid safely and dissipate. This was done in accordance with GHF protocol to avoid casualties.' A security source said American security contractors on the ground did not fire any shots and that operations would resume at the site on Wednesday. 'It's a big failure that we warned against,' said Amjad al-Shawa, director of Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network. 'If Israel believes that through this blockade and emboldening starvation, which violates humanitarian principles, that this distribution method would work, they are mistaken.' GHF said it has distributed about 8,000 food boxes totaling 462,000 meals in Gaza so far. They say the flow of meals will increase each day, with a goal of delivering food to 1.2 million – 60% of Gaza's population – by the end of the week. The GHF claimed it began operating on Monday, but photos from the organization showed only a handful of people carrying boxes of aid, with pallets of boxes sitting at an otherwise empty lot. GHF is readying three additional sites for the distribution of aid, two of which are in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza. All of the sites in the south are in an area that fell under a massive evacuation order one day earlier. There are no distribution sites in northern Gaza – a point of criticism from many aid experts. The UN has previously warned that the fact the initial sites were only in southern and central Gaza could be seen as encouraging Israel's publicly stated goal of forcing 'the entire Gazan population' out of northern Gaza, as Defense Minister Israel Katz put it earlier this month. 'This mechanism appears practically unfeasible, incompatible with humanitarian principles and will create serious insecurity risks, all while failing to meet Israel's obligations under international law,' the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs wrote earlier this month in a document obtained by CNN. The United Nations said on Tuesday that Israel continues to deny it authorization to deliver food directly to families in Gaza, but they have thousands of trucks ready to enter the strip. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said it was ready, with other humanitarian organizations, 'to distribute meaningful quantities of aid the moment we are allowed to.' 'The amount of supplies that were permitted to enter the Gaza Strip has been so minimal that they have not even reached families outside of one small area,' UNRWA said in a statement. Israel and the US had declined to name the humanitarian organizations involved in the controversial new mechanism, but images from the GHF showed boxes labeled 'Rahma Worldwide,' a Michigan-based non-profit organization that says it provides 'aid and assistance to the most vulnerable communities in the world.' This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
27-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Chaos erupts on first day of US-backed aid distribution in Gaza after weeks of hunger
Thousands of Palestinians overran a newly established aid site in southern Gaza on Tuesday that is part of a controversial new Israeli- and US-approved aid distribution mechanism that began on Tuesday after months of blockade. Videos from the distribution site in Tel al-Sultan, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), showed large crowds storming the facilities, tearing down some of the fencing and appearing to climb over barriers designed to control the flow of the crowd. A diplomatic official called the chaos at the site 'a surprise to no one.' An 11-week Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid has pushed the enclave's population of more than 2 million Palestinians towards famine and into a deepening humanitarian crisis, with the first resumption of humanitarian aid trickling into the besieged enclave last week. The GHF acknowledged the pandemonium, saying 'the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Gazans to take aid safely and dissipate. This was done in accordance with GHF protocol to avoid casualties.' A security source said American security contractors on the ground did not fire any shots and that operations would resume at the site on Wednesday. 'It's a big failure that we warned against,' said Amjad al-Shawa, director of Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network. 'If Israel believes that through this blockade and emboldening starvation, which violates humanitarian principles, that this distribution method would work, they are mistaken.' GHF said it has distributed about 8,000 food boxes totaling 462,000 meals in Gaza so far. They say the flow of meals will increase each day, with a goal of delivering food to 1.2 million – 60% of Gaza's population – by the end of the week. The GHF claimed it began operating on Monday, but photos from the organization showed only a handful of people carrying boxes of aid, with pallets of boxes sitting at an otherwise empty lot. GHF is readying three additional sites for the distribution of aid, two of which are in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza. All of the sites in the south are in an area that fell under a massive evacuation order one day earlier. There are no distribution sites in northern Gaza – a point of criticism from many aid experts. The UN has previously warned that the fact the initial sites were only in southern and central Gaza could be seen as encouraging Israel's publicly stated goal of forcing 'the entire Gazan population' out of northern Gaza, as Defense Minister Israel Katz put it earlier this month. 'This mechanism appears practically unfeasible, incompatible with humanitarian principles and will create serious insecurity risks, all while failing to meet Israel's obligations under international law,' the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs wrote earlier this month in a document obtained by CNN. The United Nations said on Tuesday that Israel continues to deny it authorization to deliver food directly to families in Gaza, but they have thousands of trucks ready to enter the strip. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said it was ready, with other humanitarian organizations, 'to distribute meaningful quantities of aid the moment we are allowed to.' 'The amount of supplies that were permitted to enter the Gaza Strip has been so minimal that they have not even reached families outside of one small area,' UNRWA said in a statement. Israel and the US had declined to name the humanitarian organizations involved in the controversial new mechanism, but images from the GHF showed boxes labeled 'Rahma Worldwide,' a Michigan-based non-profit organization that says it provides 'aid and assistance to the most vulnerable communities in the world.' This is a developing story and will be updated.
SBS Australia
22-05-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
'Drop in the ocean': First supply of aid in months enters Gaza as Israel orders evacuations
Displaced people at a temporary shelter in the seaport area of western Gaza City. Source: AAP / Middle East Images/ABACA/PA Flour and other food aid will start reaching some of Gaza's most vulnerable people after Israel let some humanitarian aid trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week blockade, Palestinian officials said. Israel imposed the blockade on all supplies in March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters — a charge the group denies The United Nations said a quarter of Gaza's 2.3 million people were at risk of famine. "Some bakeries will begin receiving flour to produce bread, and we expect the distribution of bread to begin later today," Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network in Gaza, told the Reuters news agency. He said just 90 trucks had entered. "During the ceasefire, 600 trucks used to enter every day, which means that the current quantity is a drop in the ocean, nothing," he said. Bakeries backed by the UN's World Food Programme would produce the bread and the agency's staff would hand it out — a more controlled system than previously when bakers sold it directly to the public at a low cost, he added. "The idea is to try and reach the most needy families, those who are desperate, as it is just the start," Shawa said. Palestinian health minister Majed Abu Ramadan said on Thursday that 29 children had died from "starvation-related deaths" in Gaza in recent days and that many more were at risk. Palestinians have been scrambling for basic supplies, with Israel's blockade leading to critical food and medicine shortages. Umm Talal al-Masri, 53, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza City, described the situation as "unbearable". "No one is distributing anything to us. Everyone is waiting for aid, but we haven't received anything," she said. "We barely manage to prepare one meal a day." UN agencies have said that the amount of aid entering Gaza falls far short of what is required to ease the crisis. "I am tormented for my children," Hossam Abu Aida, another resident of the Gaza Strip, told AFP. "For them, I fear hunger and disease more than I do Israeli bombardment," the 38-year-old added. The Israeli army issued an evacuation warning on Thursday for 14 neighbourhoods of northern Gaza, as it pressed a renewed offensive that has drawn international condemnation. In an Arabic-language statement on Thursday, the military said it was "operating with intense force" in 14 areas in the northern Gaza Strip, accusing "terrorist organisations" of operating there. As the first aid arrived since the blockade, Israeli military strikes on Gaza killed at least 52 Palestinians across the enclave on Thursday, Gaza's civil defence agency said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the reports. It has repeatedly said it seeks to avoid civilian casualties and targets militants. In Beit Lahiya on the northern edge of the enclave, a tank shell hit a medicine warehouse inside Al-Awda Hospital and set it ablaze, the health ministry said. Rescue workers had been trying to extinguish the fires for hours, it added. Tanks are stationed outside the hospital, medics say, effectively blocking access to the facility. The Gaza healthcare system has been barely functioning, with most of the medical facilities out of order, because of repeated Israeli military strikes, raids and the ban on the entry of medical supplies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would be open to a temporary ceasefire to enable the return of hostages taken by Hamas-led fighters. But if they were not returned, he said it would press ahead with a military campaign to gain total control of Gaza. "Netanyahu continues to stall and insist on pursuing the war. There is no value to any agreement that doesn't stop the massacres in Gaza permanently," senior Hamas official Sami Ab Zuhri said in response to Netanyahu's comments. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack in October 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's campaign has since killed more than 53,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip, where aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.
Free Malaysia Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Looting of Gaza stores, community kitchens signals worsening hunger crisis
Displaced Palestinians crowd in line to receive food portions from a charity kitchen in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. (EPA Images pic) CAIRO : Increased looting of food stores and community kitchens in the Gaza Strip shows growing desperation as hunger spreads two months after Israel cut off supplies to the Palestinian territory, aid officials say. Palestinian residents and aid officials said at least five incidents of looting took place across the enclave on Wednesday, including at community kitchens, merchants' stores, and the UN Palestinian refugee agency's (UNRWA) main complex in Gaza. Israeli forces are continuing their aerial and ground offensive across Gaza in the war with Palestinian militant group Hamas that began nearly 19 months ago. Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at least 12 people, the territory's health ministry said. The looting 'is a grave signal of how serious things have become in the Gaza Strip – the spread of hunger, the loss of hope and desperation among residents as well as the absence of the authority of the law,' said Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) in Gaza. Thousands of displaced people broke into the UNRWA complex in Gaza City late on Wednesday, stealing medicines from its pharmacy and damaging vehicles, said Louise Wateridge, a senior official for the agency based in Jordan. 'The looting, while devastating, is not surprising in the face of total systemic collapse. We are witnessing the consequences of a society brought to its knees by prolonged siege and violence,' she said in a statement shared with Reuters. Hamas deployed thousands of police and security forces across Gaza after a ceasefire took effect in January, but its armed presence shrunk sharply since Israel resumed large-scale attacks in March. Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza Hamas-run government media office, described the looting incidents as 'isolated individual practices that do not reflect the values and ethics of our Palestinian people.' He said that despite being targeted, Gaza authorities were 'following up on these incidents and addressing them in a way that ensures the preservation of order and human dignity'. Child malnutrition Thawabta said Israel, which since March 2 has blocked the entry of medical, fuel, and food supplies into Gaza, was to blame. Israel says its move was aimed at pressuring Hamas to free hostages as the ceasefire agreement stalled. Israel has previously denied that Gaza was facing a hunger crisis. It has not made clear when and how aid will be resumed. Israel's military accuses Hamas of diverting aid, which Hamas denies. The UN warned earlier this week that acute malnutrition among Gaza's children was worsening. Community kitchens that have provided lifelines for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are at risk of closure due to lack of supplies, and face an additional threat from looting. 'This is going to undermine the ability of the community kitchens to provide meals to a great number of families, and an indication that things have reached an unprecedentedly difficult level,' PNGO's Shawa told Reuters. More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's campaign in Gaza, Palestinian officials say. It was launched after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Much of the narrow coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble, leaving hundreds of thousands of people sheltering in tents or bombed-out buildings.
