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UPI
3 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Israel groups: Anihilation of Gaza people, health systems 'genocide'
Palestinians demonstrate at a "Stand For Gaza Vigil" outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the West Bank on Saturday. Protesters were demanding an end to the "slaughter, hunger, oppression of Palestinians in Gaza." Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo July 28 (UPI) -- Israel is committing genocide in Gaza due to both military action and creating "catastrophic conditions" that increase the huge death toll, including the destruction of its health care system, two Israeli human rights groups said Monday. B'Tselem said serious harm to the entire population, large-scale destruction of infrastructure and living conditions, destruction of the social fabric, abuse of detainees held without trial, forced mass displacement, including attempts at ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza, and undermining efforts of the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency were "unequivocal" proof. "An examination of Israel's policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack, leads to the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip. In other words: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians," the group said in a report. "It is a clear and explicit attempt to destroy Palestinian society in Gaza and create catastrophic living conditions that prevent the continued existence of this society in Gaza. That is precisely the definition of genocide." It warned that with no mechanism, domestically or internationally, to check it, it could easily spread to the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and inside Israel, where the government and same forces were "abandoning Palestinians to escalating violence, forcible displacement, collective punishment, and denial of their human rights solely because they are Palestinian." B'Tselem said widespread dehumanization of Palestinians, seen by Israelis as a threat and as a problem to be "solved," had led to genocide with the immense trauma of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, a trigger exploited by an extreme-right government to advance the agenda of prominent ministers. The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories' report calls on the Israeli public and the international community to take a stand against the genocide in Gaza and prevent it from spreading. "Now is the time to raise our voices and resist. Now is the time to use every means available under international law to save whoever and whatever we can, and to put an end to the continued suffering of millions of people," the report titled "Our Genocide" said. Separately, Physicians for Human Rights issued a report detailing what it said was a "deliberate, cumulative, and ongoing dismantling of Gaza's healthcare system and of the population's ability to survive" that clearly amounted to genocide. The group traced the start of the "unprecedented" assault of Gaza's healthcare system to an Oct. 13, 2023, evacuation order by the Israeli military to 22 hospitals in Gaza City and northern Gaza. The report accused Israel of "systematically" attacking medical infrastructure, targeting all but three of Gaza's 36 hospitals and clinics, depriving them of fuel and water, and killing or detaining more than 1,800 medical staff. "Israel's bombing of hospitals, destruction of medical equipment, and depletion of medications have made medical care -- both immediate and long-term -- virtually impossible. The system has collapsed under the weight of relentless attacks and blockade," it said. The reports said malnutrition was killing dozens of people daily with 85 children dying of starvation so far and 92% of infants aged six months to two years malnourished. Nine in 10 Gazans had been displaced by Israel, which had destroyed or damaged 92% of homes and left over half a million children without schools or stability. "It has wiped out essential health services -- including dialysis, maternal care, cancer treatment, and diabetes management," the report added. Physicians for Human Rights said it wanted governments and international bodies to insist Israel halt military operations, even if unilaterally, protect and rebuild Gaza's health infrastructure and restore U.N., international and Palestinian support systems, including unrestricted entry and distribution of aid. The International Court of Justice in The Hague is currently in the midst of adjudicating a case brought by South Africa in January 2024, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, but a judgment is not expected before the end of 2027 at the earliest.
UPI
22-07-2025
- Health
- UPI
Eat better to better, Columbia researcher suggests in cookbook
1 of 3 | Complex carbohydrates and fiber from fresh and fruits and vegetables are a key part of a diet designed to promote better laid out in a new cookbook authored by a top U.S. nutrition researcher. File Photo by Debbie Hill/ UPI | License Photo ST. PAUL, Minn., July 22 (UPI) -- A top U.S. nutrition researcher is translating her expertise on the connections between diet, better sleep and heart health from the pages of dry academic journals into a colorful mass-market cookbook. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, along with recipe expert Kat Craddock, have chronicled dozens of recipes and lay out a 28-day meal plan designed for better sleep health in Eat Better, Sleep Better, published by Simon & Schuster earlier this year. St-Onge in recent years has published studies exploring various angles of the connection between what we eat and how we sleep -- a field that remains poorly understood even as doctors have named lack of proper sleep as one the top risk factors for heart disease. Her work has mainly centered on examining the relationship between sleep, weight management and cardiometabolic disease risk. She has also performed well-received research on "functional foods," or foods that offer health benefits, and on how ingredients affect weight management and cardiovascular disease risk prevention. Now with Eat Better, Sleep Better, she and Craddock have produced an elegant, 288-page cookbook packed with 75 recipes meant to give users an opportunity to shape their diets around foods that promote better sleep. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it prioritizes protein sources that are rich in tryptophan, the amino acid that serves as the building block for the sleep-regulating hormones melatonin and serotonin. Tryptophan, of course, is found in turkey and is famous for producing drowsiness after a full Thanksgiving Day dinner. But the book goes well beyond that, highlighting several other ingredients tied to healthier sleep, such as omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in salmon; complex carbohydrates found in oats and buckwheat; and spices like ginger and turmeric. For example, the book's recipe for savory lamb stew notes that lamb is exceptionally high in tryptophan and is also an excellent source of several essential nutrients, including zinc and vitamin B6, "two of the four essential nutrients involved in the body's production of serotonin and melatonin." Similarly, the recipe for chia pudding identifies tiny chia seeds as "a sleep-supporting superfood," not only rich in protein and tryptophanm but also in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, magnesium, fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamin B6 and zinc. St-Onge told UPI one of her main goals with Eat Better, Sleep Better is to translate her scientific research on sleep into a more popular format at at time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 40% of U.S. adults are getting insufficient sleep. "We do all this work and always publish it just in scientific journals, and my book agent said, 'But the public wants to know, too, it should be something that's available for them as well,' and I thought, he kind of has a point," she said. "We need to disseminate the work that we do, the findings that we have. "Especially in this day and age when the work that we do is funded entirely from taxpayer dollars or donor dollars, if we're talking about the American Heart Association, and it's really a return on their investment -- the knowledge that we can impart to them." St-Onge said she also finds that nutritionists sometimes have a misconception about the ability of people to translate esoteric facts about micronutrients into real-world diets, especially if it means changing those diets. "If you're saying eat more plant protein or eat more fiber, they'll ask, 'Where can I find fiber and plant protein?' And I'll say, well, buckwheat is a great grain. 'Buckwheat? What's that? And how I am going to put it to use in my own diet?' "I thought it was wonderful that I able to get paired with Kat, my co-author, who is in the food world and the recipe development world, and talking more about the application of nutrition in real life. I like recipes, and I also like to cook, but I've never been trained in recipe development or anything like that. So it was nice to be able to be part of that process." Craddock would develop the recipes and send them to St-Onge, who would then try them at home and offer some additional suggestions. One of the reasons there's a need for a sleep-centered cookbook is because it's not just what's eaten before bedtime that affects the quality of sleep, but rather what's consumed throughout the whole day, and over even longer periods, that counts in the body's ability to make melatonin. "We're saying sleep is complicated, it's not just about what happens at night, it's about what happens during the day," she said. In the background of it all is the risk that poor sleep poses to heart health. The American Heart Association in 2022 added sleep to its list of "Life's Essential 8," the eight top markers for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health, calling proper sleep "vital to your heart and brain health." That assessment is shared by Dr. Kin M. Yuen, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a sleep medicine specialist at UCSF Health in San Francisco. "A balanced diet with a healthy amount of lean protein, carbohydrates, including fruits and vegetables, starches and healthy fats, along with nuts and seeds -- for those without allergies -- is the most optimal" for healthy sleep, she told UPI in an emailed statement. Generally, she added, sleep specialists support their nutritionist and cardiology colleagues in advocating for a diet that may include plant based protein, leafy greens and lean animal proteins, such as chicken, fish and seafood, depending on the individual's sensitivity and tolerance. Yuen said it's also important for people with sensitivities or intolerances to specific substances to avoid or limit those food groups, as they may disturb or fragment sleep. "Therefore, those with lactose intolerance may have better sleep by ingesting fewer dairy products or using lactose-free dairy only," she said. "For those with diagnosed celiac disease or gluten sensitivities, sleep may be improved without gluten in their diet, which may cause bloating, stomach upset or nausea, and sometimes weight loss." Ultimately, she cautioned, no one diet plan works for everyone. "Individual differences and allergic tendencies may limit the intake of a particular food group. Viral, bacterial illness and antibiotic use may make a regular diet not feasible," Yuen warned. Nevertheless, "good sleep and healthy diets go very well together," she concluded. "Adequate exercise also ensures sleep quality is optimized. Adequate daytime sunlight and devoting enough time to sleep will help ensure that the quality of sleep is optimal."
UPI
21-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Britain, 28 nations say Israel's war in Gaza 'must end now'
People carry placards calling for the end of the Israel-Hamas war during a protest in Jerusalem on Saturday. Nearly 30 nations on Monday issued a joint statement saying Israel's ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza "must end now." Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo July 21 (UPI) -- Nearly 30 nations on Monday issued a joint statement saying Israel's ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza has "reached new depths" and "must end now." Meanwhile, Israel in rejecting it said the statement "sends the wrong message to Hamas" and was "disconnected from reality." Britain and 28 other nations, including Canada, France, Italy and Australia called for remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas to be released, denounced settler activity in the West Bank and Israel's "humanitarian city" scheme in southern Gaza. "We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food," read the joint statement in part singed by its foreign ministers. The other signatories included Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Iceland, Ireland, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Austria and Belgium. They called it "horrifying" that over 800 Palestinians have so far been killed seeking help, adding that it was "unacceptable" that Israeli officials continue to deny "essential humanitarian assistance" to Gaza's civilian population. "Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law," the letter stated. In addition, it was critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and came out against a recent "city" proposal by Israeli officials. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz floated a plan to construct a "city" camp in ruined Rafah to eventually hold all Palestinians in Gaza. The allied countries wrote that Israel's aid delivery model in Gaza is "dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity." Reports by CBS suggest since May that Israeli forces have routinely opened fire on people in Gaza near food distribution sites. Meanwhile, Israeli officials do not allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza, making it nearly impossible to independent verify facts such as rising death figures by the Hamas-run health ministry. The group of nations called for Israel to "immediately" lift its restrictions on the flow of much-needed aid into Gaza in order to "urgently enable" the United Nations and other humanitarian non-government orgs to "do their life saving work safely and effectively." Late Monday morning, Israel's foreign ministry flatly rejected the international statement by suggesting it was "better to avoid statements of this kind" during "sensitive moments" in the ongoing cease-fire negotiations. Their words failed to "focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognize Hamas's role and responsibility for the situation," Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted on X. He claimed that Iran's terror proxy was the "sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides." It got released hours after further IDF strikes killed three people in a central area of the war-torn enclave where thousands of displaced Palestinians refugees take shelter, and days after Israeli military bombings killed three at a Catholic Church injuring several, including a priest.
UPI
11-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Protests at U.S. embassy in Jerusalem cites America's support of Israel
1 of 3 | Protesters rallied outside the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem Friday, calling for an end to American support of Israel amid that country's continued war against Hamas in Gaza. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo July 11 (UPI) -- Protesters rallied outside the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem Friday, calling for an end to American support of Israel amid that country's continued war against Hamas in Gaza. Demonstrators chanted and banged drums while "protesting the U.S. funding and support of the genocide," the group Voice Against War posted on Instagram. "Today in Jerusalem, activists demonstrated the genocide in Gaza in front of the US consulate, protesting the US funding and support of the genocide," it said on X. Today in Jerusalem, activists demonstrated the genocide in Gaza in front of the US consulate, protesting the US funding and support of the genocide. @FreeJerusalem1 Voices Against War (@againstwarvoice) July 11, 2025 The protests come the same day an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza killed at least 15 Palestinians, including 10 children and two women. Earlier this week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz unveiled plans to eventually move all Palestinians in Gaza into a closed "humanitarian city." Katz said the plan was for the Israel Defense Force to construct the camp near the site of Rafah, in the southern tip of the Palestinian enclave, with the hope that Palestinians would then "voluntarily emigrate" from there to other countries. The plan drew immediate criticism, with critics calling it a "crime against humanity." The same day, U.S. State Department officials sanctioned the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza. Francesca Paola Albanese recently authored a report, describing Israeli actions as "genocide" of the Palestinian people, calling for punitive measures. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu this week met with U.S. officials while on a visit to Washington, D.C. Netanyahu continues to try and orchestrate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas with the assistance of President Donald Trump. Israelis call for cease-fire in front of American Consulate Protesters hold a banner calling on the Israeli government to stop the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza at a demonstration in front of the American Consulate in Jerusalem on July 11, 2025. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
UPI
07-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Two Israelis' 50-hour hunger strike in cage seeks 50 hostages' release from Gaza
1 of 6 | On Monday, protesters sit in a mock cage outside the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem during a 50-hour protest and hunger strike, calling for the release of all 50 hostages from Gaza in a single deal. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo July 7 (UPI) -- A rabbi and another Israeli resident are enclosed in a cage without food or water in Jerusalem, vowing to remain inside for 50 hours to represent the number of hostages still held in Gaza. Rabbi Avidan Freedman, a 45-year-old resident of the Efrat settlement in the West Bank, told Haaretz that he conceived of the idea and was joined by Tzvika Novik from the Galilee on Saturday night in front of the Knesset. They are enduring the scorching sun, including a high of 90 degrees on Monday. They have been joined by members of Shift 101, who are seeking the release of the hostages. They also have protested in Tel Aviv. Freedman's rallying cry is all the hostages freed "at once." Freedman, an educator, said that since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, he has been consumed with one goal: bringing the hostages home. "I'm trying to channel all my abilities and energy into saving them," he said. "To me, this is the most important moral and Jewish responsibility." Thirty-five days after the war began, he went into Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where he drew a circle around himself and "went on a hunger strike and didn't leave." He was demanding an immediate Red Cross visit to the hostages and a call to halt humanitarian aid going into Gaza "Back then, I still believed that military pressure could bring about their release," he said. He changed his position after six hostages were executed in Rafah in late August by their captors in a tunnel after Israeli forces closed in. "I felt we had to step up our pressure, even though everyone was already exhausted and despairing after more than 600 days of failing to bring them back," he said. "Suddenly it was evident to me there's a window of opportunity here and that we can't compromise. As a people, we must make it clear: There has to be one comprehensive deal that will include everyone." He entered the cage on Saturday night, before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington, D.C. Netanyahu was to meet Monday night with U.S. President Donald Trump about a deal with Hamas to end the war. A 60-day ceasefire has been proposed by the United States and both sides are studying it. There was a cease-fire between Jan. 19 to March 1, during which 25 Israeli living hostages and 1,737 Palestinian prisoners were released. "It's madness. Simply madness," he said. "A partial deal means more suffering for the hostages and their families. There's no justification for it -- none. Not moral, human, Jewish or halachic. There's no reason for anyone to remain there. Everyone must return now." The rabbi said he thought it was an ideal time to enter the cage. "I asked myself -- what's the most powerful way I can express this?," he said. "Another demonstration just wouldn't do. Then I remembered the cage we had built a few months ago, something we hadn't used until now. "I told myself: 'Now is the time.' Netanyahu is departing abroad for 50 hours and there are 50 hostages, so I'll be here, inside the cage, for 50 hours. Not moving, not eating, for one purpose only: to make this cry heard as loudly as possible." He noted the hardship of hostages' families. "The families are exhausted," Freedman said. "They're living through daily hell. We, who have no personal connection to them -- we're the ones who have the strength and privilege to act."
