Latest news with #Cogat
Euronews
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
First aid trucks enter Gaza after almost three-month blockade, UN says
The first aid trucks have entered Gaza after an almost three-month long blockade of the territory by Israel, the United Nations has confirmed. Five trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including baby food, entered the territory of over two million Palestinians via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday, according to the Israeli defence body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, Cogat. The UN called the delivery a "welcome development" but said much more aid is needed to address the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Monday that the decision to resume limited deliveries of aid to Gaza after a blockade that started on 2 March came after pressure from allies who said they couldn't support Israel's renewed military offensive if there are "images of hunger" coming out of the Palestinian territory. Israel has meanwhile launched a new wave of air and ground operations across the territory and the army ordered the evacuation of Gaza's second-largest city, Khan Younis, where Israel carried out a massive operation earlier in the war that left much of the area in ruins. On Sunday, Israel said it would allow a "basic" amount of aid into Gaza to prevent a "hunger crisis" from developing. Experts have already warned of potential famine if the blockade imposed on the territory's roughly two million Palestinians is not lifted. Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza in what it says is a bid to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages abducted in the 7 October 2023 attack that ignited the war. Hamas has said it will only release them in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. Netanyahu said that Israel plans on "taking control of all of Gaza," and establishing a new system to distribute aid that circumvents Hamas. He has also said Israel will encourage what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of Gaza's population to other countries. The Trump administration has voiced full support for Israel's actions and blames Hamas for the toll on Palestinians, though in recent days it has expressed growing concern over the hunger crisis. Trump, who skipped Israel on his trip to the Middle East last week, voiced concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as did Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said on a visit to Turkey that he was "troubled" by it. In a video statement posted to social media, Netanyahu said Israel's "greatest friends in the world" had told him, "We cannot accept images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that. We will not be able to support you." Netanyahu said the situation was approaching a "red line" but it was not clear if he was referring to the crisis in Gaza or the potential loss of support from allies. The video statement appeared aimed at pacifying anger from Netanyahu's nationalist base at the decision to resume aid. Two far-right governing partners have pressed Netanyahu not to allow aid into Gaza. At least one of them, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, appeared to be on board with the latest plan. "No more raids and going in and out, but conquering, cleansing and remaining until Hamas is destroyed," he said. "We are destroying what is still left of the Strip, simply because everything there is one big city of terror." Israel says its new distribution plan is meant to prevent Hamas from accessing aid, which Israel says it uses to bolster its rule in Gaza. But UN agencies and aid groups have rejected the proposal, saying supplies won't reach enough people and would weaponise aid in contravention of humanitarian principles.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
BBC joins Gaza children as they are evacuated to Jordan for treatment
We were flying through the warm light of the setting sun. There were villages and small towns where the lights were coming on. It was a peaceful landscape where people walked and drove without constantly looking to the sky. We were over the suburbs of Amman when Safa'a Salha held up her mobile phone so that I could read a message she'd written. "Oh my God," this Gaza mother wrote, "Jordan is so beautiful." The evacuees had come to the Jordanian border by road. I joined them there for the final part of the journey by helicopter to Amman. Safa'a spoke very little English, and in any case the noise of the helicopter made it impossible to converse. She showed me another message. "We used to see this [helicopter] every day and it was coming to bomb and kill. But today the feeling is totally different." Next to her sat her 16-year-old son Youssef who showed me the scar on his head from his last surgery. He smiled and wanted to speak, not of Gaza but ordinary things. How he was excited by the helicopter, how he liked football. Youssef said he was very happy and gave me a fist bump. Beside him was nine-year-old Sama Awad, frail and scared-looking, holding the hand of her mother, Isra. Sama has a brain tumour and will have surgery in Amman. "I hope she can get the best treatment here," said Isra, when we were on the ground and the noise of the engines faded. I asked a question which had been answered for me many times by looking at images, but not face to face by someone who had just left. What is Gaza like now? "It is horrible. It is impossible to describe. Horrible on so many levels. But people are just trying to get on with living," Isra replied. Four sick children were evacuated to Jordan along with twelve parents and guardians. They left Gaza by ambulance on Wednesday morning and travelled through Israel without stopping until they reached the border crossing. The plan to evacuate children was first unveiled during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Jordan's King Hussein in February. Jordan's stated aim is to bring 2,000 sick children to the kingdom for treatment. So far only 33 have been evacuated to Jordan, each travelling with a parent or guardian. Jordanian sources say Israel has delayed and imposed restrictions and this - along with the resumption of the war - has impeded the evacuation process. Sick Gazans have also been evacuated to other countries via Israel. We put the Jordanian concerns to the Israeli government organisation responsible - Cogat (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) - who told us that since "the beginning of the year, and especially in recent weeks, there has been a significant increase in the number of Gazans evacuated through Israel for medical care abroad." Cogat said thousands of patients and escorts had gone to countries, including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the US and others. The statement said that "the ongoing hostilities in the Gaza Strip pose a challenge to the implementation of these evacuation operations." Israel broke the last ceasefire in March launching a wave of attacks on what it said were Hamas positions. Construction sites appear in Gaza ahead of Israeli-US aid plan rejected by UN, images show Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 80, hospitals and rescuers say Entire Gaza population at critical risk of famine, UN-backed assessment says Gaza remains a claustrophobic zone of hunger and death for its residents. Those who get out for medical treatment are the exception. According to the UN the population of 2.1 million is facing the risk of famine. The organisation's head of humanitarian affairs, Tom Fletcher, has appealed to the UN Security Council to act to "prevent genocide" in Gaza. These are strong words for a man trained in the sober traditions of the British Foreign Office and who has served as an ambassador and senior government advisor. The Israeli blockade is preventing essential aid supplies from reaching the population. That along with the continued bombing explain Isra Abu Jame's description of a place horrible beyond words. The children who arrived in Jordan on Wednesday from Gaza will join a small community of other wounded and sick youngsters in different Amman hospitals. Since January we have been following the case of Habiba Al-Askari, who came with her mother Rana in the hope doctors might be able to save three gangrene infected limbs - two arms, and a leg. But the infection - caused by a rare skin condition - had gone too far. Habiba underwent a triple amputation. When I met Habiba and Rana again this week, the little girl was using the toes of her remaining foot to scroll, and play children's games on her mum's phone. She blew kisses with the stump of her arm. This was a very different child to the frightened girl I met on the helicopter evacuation five months ago. "She's a strong person," Rana said. Habiba will be fitted with prosthetic limbs. Already she is determined to walk, asking her mother to hold under her armpits while she hops. Some day, Rana hopes, she will take Habiba back to Gaza. Mother and child are safe and well cared for in Amman, but their entire world, their family and neighbours are back in the ruins. Concerns about Habiba's health make Rana reluctant to contemplate going back soon. "We have no house. If we want go back where will we go? We would be going back to a tent full of sand…[but] I truly want to return. Gaza is beautiful, despite everything that has happened. To me Gaza will always be the most precious spot on this entire earth." They will return. But to war or peace? Nobody knows. With additional reporting by Alice Doyard, Suha Kawar, Nik Millard and Malaak Khassouneh. Israel issues major evacuation order for Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City Scared and malnourished - footage from Gaza shows plight of children and aftermath of Israeli strike US-Israeli hostage reunites with family after being freed by Hamas
Belfast Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Health
- Belfast Telegraph
Women and children among 13 killed in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza
Two of the strikes overnight and early on Sunday hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents, while five other people were killed in strikes elsewhere. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the 19-month war because the militants are embedded in densely populated areas. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the latest strikes. Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for more than 10 weeks in what it says is a pressure tactic aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages. Israel resumed its offensive in March, shattering a ceasefire that had facilitated the release of more than 30 hostages. Aid groups say food supplies are running low and hunger is widespread in Gaza. Children carrying empty bottles raced after a water tanker in a devastated area of northern Gaza on Sunday. Residents of the built-up Shati refugee camp said the water was brought by a charity from elsewhere in Gaza. Without it, they rely on wells that are salty and often polluted. 'I am forced to drink salty water, I have no choice,' said Mahmoud Radwan. 'This causes intestinal disease, and there's no medicine to treat it.' Cogat, the Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, says enough aid entered during a two-month ceasefire this year and that two of the three main water lines from Israel are still functioning. Aid groups say the humanitarian crisis is now worse than at any time in the war. US President Donald Trump, whose administration has voiced full support for Israel's actions, is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week in a regional tour that will not include Israel. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage. Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's offensive has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory and displaced some 90% of its population of around two million.
Irish Examiner
11-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Women and children among 13 killed in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza
Israeli strikes have killed 13 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to local health officials. Two of the strikes overnight and early on Sunday hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents, while five other people were killed in strikes elsewhere. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the 19-month war because the militants are embedded in densely populated areas. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the latest strikes. Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for more than 10 weeks in what it says is a pressure tactic aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages. Israel resumed its offensive in March, shattering a ceasefire that had facilitated the release of more than 30 hostages. Aid groups say food supplies are running low and hunger is widespread in Gaza. Palestinians collect water at a distribution point west of Gaza City (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Children carrying empty bottles raced after a water tanker in a devastated area of northern Gaza on Sunday. Residents of the built-up Shati refugee camp said the water was brought by a charity from elsewhere in Gaza. Without it, they rely on wells that are salty and often polluted. 'I am forced to drink salty water, I have no choice,' said Mahmoud Radwan. 'This causes intestinal disease, and there's no medicine to treat it.' Cogat, the Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, says enough aid entered during a two-month ceasefire this year and that two of the three main water lines from Israel are still functioning. Aid groups say the humanitarian crisis is now worse than at any time in the war. US President Donald Trump, whose administration has voiced full support for Israel's actions, is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week in a regional tour that will not include Israel. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage. Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's offensive has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory and displaced some 90% of its population of around two million.
Khaleej Times
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Hostage families fear outcome of intense Israeli strikes on Gaza
The mother of an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza longs for her son's return, fearing that Israel's renewed bombardment of the territory puts his life at even greater risk. "Our children are in danger," Herut Nimrodi told AFP in an interview. Her son, Tamir, was just 18 when he was taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023. "We don't know much, but one thing that is certain is that military pressure on Gaza endangers the hostages," she said. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. A truce that lasted from January 19 to March 17 led to the return of 33 Israeli hostages — eight of them in coffins — in exchange for the release of around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But on March 18, after weeks of disagreement with Hamas over next steps in the ceasefire, Israel resumed large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip, beginning with heavy bombardments. 'Negotiations and pressure' Nimrodi described her son, a soldier with Cogat, the Israeli military body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, as "happy, curious, altruistic and creative". On October 7, Tamir managed to send her a message about the thousands of rockets that Hamas began launching at dawn that day. He was taken hostage 20 minutes later, along with two other soldiers killed two months later inside Gaza, under unknown circumstances. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government insist that increased military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to hand over the hostages, dead or alive. "For a year and a half, that hasn't worked. What's worked is negotiations and pressure (from US President Donald Trump)," said Nimrodi, accusing Israel of not prioritising the return of the hostages. Tamir, who turned 20 in captivity, is one of 24 hostages believed to be alive, though no proof of life has been sent since his abduction. His mother regularly joins other hostage families at rallies in Tel Aviv, though they don't all agree on the best strategy to secure their return. Some, like Tzvika Mor, whose son Eitan was abducted at the Nova music festival, believe that strength rather than negotiation is the way to proceed. "Hamas will never free the hostages out of the goodness of their heart and without military pressure," he said. A founder of the Tikva Forum -- which means "hope" in Hebrew — Mor said: "Every time Hamas says 'time out', the government negotiates instead of increasing pressure to free all hostages at once." - 'Constant fear' - Others like Dani Miran, whose 48-year-old son Omri was kidnapped from his home at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, disagree. "The fear that our hostages will be hurt by Israeli strikes is constant," said Miran, a regular at the hostage rallies. The father, soon to turn 80, said the "hostages that got out said that when the Israeli army attacks Gaza, hostages suffer the consequences". He said support from his community has given him the ability to stay strong for his son, who has two daughters. "We just celebrated the second birthday of Alma, his youngest. Her second birthday without her father — it's so hard," he said. "I want to hold Omri in my arms and tell him how the whole country is fighting for all the hostages to come home together," he told the crowd during the weekly rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening. Both Omri and Eitan are believed to be alive. A few days before Passover — a Jewish holiday celebrating the biblical liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt — Herut Nimrodi, whose name means "freedom", said she is still waiting for her son. "He loves this holiday so much," she said.
