Latest news with #FergusEckersley
Saba Yemen
a day ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Britain: Israel needs to allow UN to save Gaza's lives
New York - Saba: Britain called on Israel to allow the United Nations to save lives in Gaza, while Tel Aviv continues its attacks on starving Palestinians queuing daily for humanitarian aid in the Strip. This came in a British statement delivered by Fergus Eckersley, the British Political Coordinator at the UN, to the UN Security Council on Monday during a meeting on the Middle East peace process. Apart from the oversight of the United Nations and international organizations, Tel Aviv and Washington have been implementing a limited aid distribution plan since May 27. The Israeli occupation army has been shooting Palestinians queuing for aid, forcing them to choose between starvation and being shot. Eckersley said, "The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operations, which are supposed to save lives, are themselves resulting in massive human losses." This comes as attacks on Palestinians at aid distribution points continue, leaving hundreds dead and wounded in a scene that exacerbates the ongoing genocide for the 22nd consecutive month. Israeli soldiers and officials have admitted to deliberately shooting at unarmed civilians simply seeking a living. The British official stressed that Israel's measures to deliver aid to Gaza are inhumane and that it must allow the United Nations to save lives there. He continued, "We also need a ceasefire because the suffering in Gaza is horrific and cannot continue." Eckersley emphasized that "the United Nations is able to deliver aid to Gaza without endangering the lives of civilians." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
UK slams Israel for 'inhumane' aid delivery system in Gaza
Britain on Monday condemned Israel's new aid delivery system in Gaza as 'inhumane,' referencing reports of hundreds of Palestinians killed while attempting to access food and humanitarian supplies. 'The suffering in Gaza is appalling and cannot continue. Israel's aid delivery measures are inhumane,' said Fergus Eckersley, the UK's political co-ordinator to the United Nations. 'The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operations, which are supposed to be saving lives, are themselves leading to mass casualties. Starving people who are desperate to feed their families are told food awaits them, but over 500 have reportedly been killed trying to access it.' Many Gazans said they have to walk for hours to reach the four appointed sites by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), meaning they must start travelling well before dawn if they are to stand any chance of receiving food. The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centres in Gaza, saying that instructions had been issued to forces following 'lessons learnt'. Previously, the military has said it fires warning shots at people who move suspiciously or get too close to troops, including while they are collecting aid. Since June 17, at least 580 Palestinians have been killed either trying to reach GHF distribution points or waiting for other aid convoys, Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary general for the Middle East, told Council members. Mr Khiari also said that the level of suffering and brutality in Gaza is 'unbearable', and the continued collective punishment of the Palestinian people is 'unjustifiable'. 'Civilians are being killed while simply trying to receive aid amid life-threatening famine. They are forced to flee time and again although no place in Gaza, as we know, is safe for civilians,' said Slovenia's UN envoy Samuel Zbogar. The World Food Programme reported that one in five people IN Gaza faces catastrophic levels of hunger, and more than 90,000 women and children urgently require treatment. The Palestinian deputy envoy to the UN, Majed Bamya, said to Council members: 'What if these people that you saw on your TVs every night and every day were Israelis starving, trying to get aid? Gaza was the most densely populated area on earth, with over two million people living in the Gaza Strip. They now are squeezed on 16 per cent of that area to render them more desperate, to force them to leave their land.' Israel has pushed for the GHF to replace the current UN-co-ordinated aid system, accusing Hamas of diverting assistance to sustain its rule. The US has backed these claims, but the world body says there has been no systematic aid theft. Israel's ambassador Danny Danon said the GHF has offered the United Nations full data-sharing, joint logistics and transparent monitoring. 'What has the response been from the Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] and other officials?' Mr Danon asked. 'We heard it today: indifference, defamation and obstruction.' In a letter sent last week to Mr Guterres, the head of the GHF Johnnie Moore urged the world body to engage 'immediately and directly' with the organisation, says it had a proven ability to distribute aid effectively. When asked by The National whether the UN had responded, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: 'We're in the process of responding, but our public message and our private message is the same.' Mr Dujarric confirmed that senior UN officials had met GHF representatives in Israel, adding: 'We were invited in Israel to hear from the GHF and we went, because we don't refuse these kinds of meetings.' However, he reiterated concerns over safety: 'Our concerns continue. I think we've all seen what is happening again. We're not saying that GHF should not operate. What we're saying is that whether it's GHF or others, they need to operate in ways that are safe. And I think everyone can see that currently it's not safe. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.'
