Latest news with #COGAT
Daily Maverick
5 hours ago
- General
- Daily Maverick
No aid supplies left, staff starves in Gaza, Norwegian Refugee Council says
By Olivia Le Poidevin 'Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left,' Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council, told Reuters in an interview via video link from Oslo. The council, which has 64 Palestinian and two international staff on the ground in Gaza, echoed comments on Tuesday by the head of the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA who said its staff were fainting on the job from hunger and exhaustion. The NRC said that for the last 145 days, it has not been able to get tents, water, sanitation supplies, food and education materials into Gaza, where Israel has been at war against Palestinian group Hamas since October 2023 and the United Nations has warned of a worsening hunger crisis. 'Hundreds of truckloads have been sitting in warehouses or in Egypt or elsewhere, and costing our Western European donors a lot of money, but they are blocked from coming in… That's why we are so angry. Because our job is to help,' Egeland said. 'Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyse our work,' he added. COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, said in a statement that Israel does not restrict aid trucks entering Gaza, but international organisations face challenges in collecting the trucks on the Gaza side of border crossings. Israel is working with the groups to improve the system, COGAT said, adding that more than 4,500 aid trucks carrying food for the U.N. and international organizations have entered the enclave in the last two months. Many truckloads were still waiting to be picked up. COGAT said 950 shipments were on the Gaza sides of 'the Kerem Shalom Crossing in the southern side of the Strip, and the Zikim Crossing in the northern part, pending collection and distribution.' COGAT has accused Hamas of stealing food, which Hamas denies. The NRC said its supplies of safe drinking water were running out due to dwindling fuel to run desalination plants. The water has reached 100,000 people in central and northern parts of Gaza in recent weeks An Israeli official told Reuters that the U.N. has been given approval to bring in half a million liters of fuel. 'They're bringing in fuel and collecting, but they can bring in and they can collect more, and we are having discussions with them,' the official said.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'Indescribable' crisis deepens for mothers, children in Gaza as IDF expands operation
LONDON and DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip -- In the children's ward in the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, the impact of Gaza's deteriorating humanitarian crisis is on full display. There are around 30 children receiving treatment in the ward, local staff told ABC News, and all of them are suffering from the effects of malnutrition. Nourhan Salha said she took her 5-month-old daughter to the hospital after she fell ill and was unable to gain weight. Haya suffered from complications at birth, her mother said, due to a lack of oxygen. The baby's weak immune system at birth was exacerbated by a lack of baby formula available in Gaza, Nourhan said. "It's a difficult feeling to see my daughter sick," she said. "And I can't do anything for her. It's a really hard thing for a mother to feel like this; it's indescribable." COGAT, the Israel organization in charge of facilitating aid into the Gaza Strip, says there is no ban on baby formula entering the strip, and they have delivered over 2,000 tons of formula and baby food into Gaza. MORE: WHO staff residence in Gaza attacked by IDF, WHO says But Salha said that baby formula is difficult to access, either due to a lack of availability or prohibitively high prices. UNRWA, the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees, says that "malnutrition has increased amid severe shortages of nutrition supplies" and that one in ten children screened in their medical facilities is malnourished. The United Nations Population Fund has warned that pregnant women are particularly vulnerable in Gaza, with hunger increasing the chance of miscarriages, low birth rate and other complications for newborns. Some of the children at Al Aqsa Martyrs are suffering from other conditions, exacerbated by their underlying malnutrition, doctors said. Om Ismael Abu Zannana, a mother of three, took her 2-year-old daughter to the hospital after they struggled to find food for several days after she said the family had been displaced a week ago. Her daughter fainted, she said, after feeling dizzy. "My daughter wants to eat, and I can't afford to get her or myself anything to eat. Or to my other children at the tent," Zannana told ABC News. In the hospital, Haya is able to drink some of the formula she desperately needs, her mother said. But each day is a struggle for survival. "Sometimes we buy [formula] from the market. It used to be available," she said. "But now it's not. It's too expensive and not available in enough quantities." At the nearby Deir al Balah market, what were once thriving stalls full of produce now look scarce. Shopkeepers and customers complain of both a lack of supply, and the food and basic necessities they do have on offer are prohibitively expensive for many. "Prices are unimaginable, the situation is tragic," Ayed Shaheen, a shopkeeper, told ABC News. Asked about prospective ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Shaheen's ire seemed to turn towards the Hamas negotiators abroad, who are in talks with Israel. "Find us a solution, what are you negotiating about?" he said. "We are humans, not dogs, we want to eat and live, just like you [negotiators] living abroad eating meat, lamb and fish and living the best way. We want to live like you are living." MORE: 25 countries sign statement calling for end of war in Gaza The World Food Programme warned on Sunday that 90,000 women and children in Gaza now urgently need treatment for malnutrition, but for many there does not appear to be respite from the Israeli military campaign in the near future. Israel denies there is widespread starvation in Gaza, and has accused Hamas of exploiting humanitarian aid deliveries to pay for its "war machine." On Sunday, the IDF issued new evacuation orders for the city of Deir al Balah, although neither the market nor the hospital fall under the latest evacuation orders. The evacuation order has cut off the coastal area of Al Mawasi, where thousands of Palestinians are living in tents, from the city to the rest of central Gaza, where most humanitarian organizations in the Strip are headquartered, according to a visual analysis by ABC News. From the market, smoke can be seen rising in the near distance from the renewed attacks on the city. As the war continues to close in, Nourhan hopes that her family will not be abandoned. "I ask the world to stop the war," she said. "Open the borders and provide milk and diapers for the children. It's not fair what's happening to us." Witnesses have reported a major increase in military activity in the city, which has so far been relatively untouched in over 21 months of war. From the market, smoke from Israel's expanded ground operation there can be seen rising in the near distance. Solve the daily Crossword
11 hours ago
- Health
'Indescribable' crisis deepens for many mothers, malnourished children in Gaza as IDF expands military operation
LONDON and DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip -- In the children's ward in the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, the impact of Gaza's deteriorating humanitarian crisis is on full display. There are around 30 children receiving treatment in the ward, local staff told ABC News, and all of them are suffering from the effects of malnutrition. Nourhan Salha said she took her 5-month-old daughter to the hospital after she fell ill and was unable to gain weight. Haya suffered from complications at birth, her mother said, due to a lack of oxygen. The baby's weak immune system at birth was exacerbated by a lack of baby formula available in Gaza, Nourhan said. "It's a difficult feeling to see my daughter sick," she said. "And I can't do anything for her. It's a really hard thing for a mother to feel like this; it's indescribable." COGAT, the Israel i organization in charge of facilitating aid into the Gaza Strip, says there is no ban on baby formula entering the strip, and they have delivered over 2,000 tons of formula and baby food into Gaza. But Salha said that baby formula is difficult to access, either due to a lack of availability or prohibitively high prices. UNRWA, the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees, says that "malnutrition has increased amid severe shortages of nutrition supplies" and that one in ten children screened in their medical facilities is malnourished. The United Nations Population Fund has warned that pregnant women are particularly vulnerable in Gaza, with hunger increasing the chance of miscarriages, low birth rate and other complications for newborns. Some of the children at Al Aqsa Martyrs are suffering from other conditions, exacerbated by their underlying malnutrition, doctors said. Om Ismael Abu Zannana, a mother of three, took her 2-year-old daughter to the hospital after they struggled to find food for several days after she said the family had been displaced a week ago. Her daughter fainted, she said, after feeling dizzy. "My daughter wants to eat, and I can't afford to get her or myself anything to eat. Or to my other children at the tent," Zannana told ABC News. In the hospital, Haya is able to drink some of the formula she desperately needs, her mother said. But each day is a struggle for survival. "Sometimes we buy [formula] from the market. It used to be available," she said. "But now it's not. It's too expensive and not available in enough quantities." At the nearby Deir al Balah market, what were once thriving stalls full of produce now look scarce. Shopkeepers and customers complain of both a lack of supply, and the food and basic necessities they do have on offer are prohibitively expensive for many. "Prices are unimaginable, the situation is tragic," Ayed Shaheen, a shopkeeper, told ABC News. Asked about prospective ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Shaheen's ire seemed to turn towards the Hamas negotiators abroad, who are in talks with Israel. "Find us a solution, what are you negotiating about?" he said. "We are humans, not dogs, we want to eat and live, just like you [negotiators] living abroad eating meat, lamb and fish and living the best way. We want to live like you are living." The World Food Programme warned on Sunday that 90,000 women and children in Gaza now urgently need treatment for malnutrition, but for many there does not appear to be respite from the Israeli military campaign in the near future. Israel denies there is widespread starvation in Gaza, and has accused Hamas of exploiting humanitarian aid deliveries to pay for its "war machine." On Sunday, the IDF issued new evacuation orders for the city of Deir al Balah, although neither the market nor the hospital fall under the latest evacuation orders. The evacuation order has cut off the coastal area of Al Mawasi, where thousands of Palestinians are living in tents, from the city to the rest of central Gaza, where most humanitarian organizations in the Strip are headquartered, according to a visual analysis by ABC News. From the market, smoke can be seen rising in the near distance from the renewed attacks on the city. As the war continues to close in, Nourhan hopes that her family will not be abandoned. "I ask the world to stop the war," she said. "Open the borders and provide milk and diapers for the children. It's not fair what's happening to us." Witnesses have reported a major increase in military activity in the city, which has so far been relatively untouched in over 21 months of war. From the market, smoke from Israel's expanded ground operation there can be seen rising in the near distance.
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
No aid supplies left, staff starves in Gaza, Norwegian Refugee Council says
FILE PHOTO: Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo GENEVA - The Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the largest independent aid organisations in Gaza, told Reuters on Tuesday its supplies were exhausted and some of its staff starving, and the group accused Israel of paralysing its work. "Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left," Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council, told Reuters in an interview via video link from Oslo. The council, which has 64 Palestinian and two international staff on the ground in Gaza, echoed comments on Tuesday by the head of the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA who said its staff were fainting on the job from hunger and exhaustion. The NRC said that for the last 145 days, it has not been able to get tents, water, sanitation supplies, food and education materials into Gaza, where Israel has been at war against Palestinian group Hamas since October 2023 and the United Nations has warned of a worsening hunger crisis. "Hundreds of truckloads have been sitting in warehouses or in Egypt or elsewhere, and costing our Western European donors a lot of money, but they are blocked from coming in… That's why we are so angry. Because our job is to help," Egeland said. "Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyse our work," he added. COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, said in a statement that Israel does not restrict aid trucks entering Gaza, but international organisations face challenges in collecting the trucks on the Gaza side of border crossings. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Two found dead after fire in Toa Payoh flat Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22 Singapore Singaporeans continue to hold world's most powerful passport in latest ranking Singapore Singapore, Vietnam agree to step up defence ties, dialogue between leaders Asia Malaysia govt's reform pledge tested as DAP chief bows over unresolved 2009 death of political aide Tech Singapore to increase pool of early adopters in AI to complement data scientists, engineers Singapore Prosecution says judge who acquitted duo of bribing ex-LTA official had copied defence arguments Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving Israel is working with the groups to improve the system, COGAT said, adding that more than 4,500 aid trucks carrying food for the U.N. and international organizations have entered the enclave in the last two months. Many truckloads were still waiting to be picked up. COGAT said 950 shipments were on the Gaza sides of "the Kerem Shalom Crossing in the southern side of the Strip, and the Zikim Crossing in the northern part, pending collection and distribution." COGAT has accused Hamas of stealing food, which Hamas denies. The NRC said its supplies of safe drinking water were running out due to dwindling fuel to run desalination plants. The water has reached 100,000 people in central and northern parts of Gaza in recent weeks An Israeli official told Reuters that the U.N. has been given approval to bring in half a million liters of fuel. "They're bringing in fuel and collecting, but they can bring in and they can collect more, and we are having discussions with them," the official said. REUTERS
Sky News
16 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News
More than 100 people die of hunger in Gaza, including 80 children, say Palestinian officials
For the first time since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, Palestinian officials have said that dozens of people are dying of hunger. At least 101 people are known to have died of malnutrition during the conflict, including 80 children, most of them in recent weeks, according to officials. United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has said malnourishment is soaring and starvation is knocking on every door in Gaza, describing the situation as a "horror show". Israel controls all supplies entering Gaza and has denied it is responsible for food shortages. Some food stocks in the Palestinian territory have run out since Israel cut off all supplies in March and then lifted the blockade in May with new measures it said were needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups. Israel has blamed the UN for failing to protect aid it says is stolen by Hamas and other groups. The fighters deny stealing it. 'There is nothing left' The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said its aid stocks are completely depleted in Gaza and some of its staff are starving, with the organisation accusing Israel of paralysing its work. "Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left," said Jan Egeland, the council's secretary-general. The NRC said that for the last 145 days, it has not been able to get hundreds of truckloads of tents, water, sanitation, food and education materials into Gaza. COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, and Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel denies accusations it is preventing aid from reaching Gaza, and has accused Hamas of stealing food, which the militant group denies. 6:22 Aid workers 'fainting due to hunger' The NRC comments echo those made earlier by the head of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA), who said doctors and aid workers have been fainting on duty due to hunger and exhaustion. "Caretakers, including UNRWA colleagues in Gaza, are also in need of care now. Doctors, nurses, journalists, humanitarians, among them. UNRWA staff are hungry. Many are now fainting due to hunger and exhaustion while performing their duties," UNRWA commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini said. He warned that seeking food has become "as deadly as the bombardments", describing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution scheme as a "sadistic death trap". "This cannot be our new norm, humanitarian assistance is not the job of mercenaries," he added. The UK, and several other countries, have condemned the current aid delivery model, backed by the Israeli and American governments, which has reportedly resulted in Israeli troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions. More than 800 people have reportedly been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near distribution centres. 2:04 Israel 'risking more civilian deaths' Meanwhile, Israeli displacement orders followed by intensive attacks on the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah will lead to further civilian deaths, the head of the UN human rights office has said. On Monday, Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the city for the first time after Israel issued an evacuation order. The area is packed with Palestinians who have been displaced during the war in the coastal territory, and Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held there. Now, Volker Turk, the head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, has said: "It seemed the nightmare couldn't possibly get worse. "And yet it does... given the concentration of civilians in the area, and the means and methods of warfare employed by Israel until now, the risks of unlawful killings and other serious violations of international humanitarian law are extremely high." 3:16 Tents sheltering displaced people 'hit by strikes' Also, at least 20 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Tuesday, according to officials in the Hamas-run strip. Among them were 12 who died when tents sheltering displaced people in the Shati refugee camp on the western side of Gaza City were hit, according to Shifa Hospital, which treated casualties. The dead included three women and three children, said hospital director Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, who added that 38 other Palestinians were injured. And eight people were killed in an overnight strike that hit crowds of people waiting for aid trucks in Gaza City, according to hospitals. The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 118 people were wounded. Israel blames the deaths of Palestinian civilians on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. It accuses the group of prolonging the war because Hamas has not accepted Israel's terms for a ceasefire - including calls to give up power and disarm. Health officials say Israeli forces have killed almost 60,000 Palestinians in airstrikes, shelling and shooting since launching their assault on Gaza in response to Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, when 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.
