Latest news with #Ghebreyesus
STV News
7 days ago
- Health
- STV News
'Man-made mass starvation' gripping Gaza and killing children, WHO says
A letter, signed by more than a hundred organisations, accuses Israel of using 'chaos, starvation, and death' as a 'method of warfare'. A warning that this report from ITV News Senior International Correspondent John Irvine, contains some scenes you may find distressing. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of a 'deadly surge' in malnutrition-related deaths and man-made 'mass starvation' as aid is blocked from getting into Gaza. The UN health agency said 21 children under the age of five had died from malnutrition in Gaza so far this year and that more than 30,000 children the same age were currently suffering from acute malnutrition. At least one in five pregnant and breastfeeding women are also malnourished. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the malnutrition was caused by the aid blockage. 'I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it's man-made, and that's very clear,' Mr Ghebreyesus said. Mr Ghebreyesus said acute malnutrition centers in Gaza were full and there were not enough supplies. The warning comes as Israeli strikes kill at least 29 people in Gaza on Wednesday night, including nine children and a pregnant woman. Gaza residents try to access food at a community kitchen. / Credit: AP In Deir al-Balah, Dalia Siam said her and her son, Saeed sometimes do not eat for days. 'I swear there comes days where we don't actually eat for three days in a row, we only live on water,' she said. 'Saaed for instance is living for four days now on water and salt. 'Even when I find something to feed him, I have to find starch and water, and without sugar, because Saeed gets very tired, and we suffer from this a lot in the war.' A woman carries a sack of flour she got from an aid truck in Gaza. / Credit: AP The WHO comments follow an open letter from more than 100 international aid agencies warning of mass starvation across Gaza, claiming workers and citizens were 'wasting away' as access to tons of food and medical supplies was blocked. In the joint letter, the organisations wrote that the UN-led humanitarian system had been 'prevented from functioning', urging governments to help restore the full flow of food, clean water and medical supplies. Those agencies include Save the Children, Médecins Sans Frontières and Oxfam International. The letter stated that there were 'tons' of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel sitting untouched within Gaza or just outside the region, but that organisations had been blocked from accessing or delivering the stock. Palestinians hold onto an aid truck in Gaza on Tuesday. / Credit: AP 'Humanitarian agencies have the capacity and supplies to respond at scale, but with access denied, we are blocked from reaching those in need, including our own exhausted and starved teams,' the letter read. 'Survival is dangled like a mirage.' It claimed distributions in Gaza average about 28 trucks a day for a population of about 2.1 million. Aid distribution has been complicated by a controversial Israeli-backed US-run contractor called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food, according to the UN. 'Aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families,' the letter from the organisations stated. 'With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes. 'Each morning, the same question echoes across Gaza: will I eat today?' Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City on Tuesday. / Credit: AP UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Israel had refused the United Nations the space and safety to deliver aid. 'Malnourishment is soaring,' he said on Tuesday. 'Starvation is knocking on every door. Now we are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles. 'Around the world, we see an utter disregard for, if not (an) outright violation of, international law.' Israel denied deliberately targeting civilians and aid staff as part of its war with Hamas and said it was operating within international law, blaming UN agencies for failing to deliver food it had allowed in. It accused the NGOs of 'echoing Hamas' propaganda' and said about 4,500 aid trucks had been allowed into Gaza since May, and that more than 700 trucks were waiting to be picked up and distributed by the UN. Earlier this week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his counterparts from 24 other nations, including France, Canada and Australia, urged Israel to lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza in a joint statement, condemning the current aid model. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Middle East Eye
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel attacks World Health Organisation facilities and detains staff, chief reveals
The World Health Organisation's (WHO) staff residence in Deir al-Balah was attacked three times by the Israeli military on Monday, the agency's chief said. The main WHO warehouse was also attacked, and that building is located within what has now become a forced evacuation zone. "Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. "Two WHO staff and two family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff remains in detention," he added. "32 WHO staff and family members were evacuated to the WHO office once access became possible." The agency "demands the immediate release of the detained staff and protection of all its staff", Ghebreyesus said.
Saba Yemen
17-06-2025
- Health
- Saba Yemen
WHO warns of consequences of attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran
Geneva – SABA: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern on Tuesday over the 'potential attacks' on nuclear facilities, warning that such actions could have 'immediate and long-term impacts on the environment and public health in Iran and the region.' In a statement posted on social media, Ghebreyesus described the Israeli aggression against Iran as 'extremely alarming,' noting the 'large number of civilian casualties.' He urged all parties to work toward de-escalation and peace, stressing that 'the consequences of any escalation in this direction will not be confined to a single party but will extend beyond the borders of geography and conflict.' This warning comes after Israeli Security Minister and war criminal Yisrael Katz stated earlier that the Israeli entity would attack 'strategic, governmental, and infrastructure targets in Tehran today,' claiming that 'there are 10 nuclear facilities in Tehran, and we are working to destroy them.' Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Saba Yemen
11-06-2025
- Health
- Saba Yemen
WHO: More than 10,000 patients in Gaza urgently need evacuation
Gaza - Saba: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said, "More than 10,000 patients in Gaza remain in urgent need of life-saving medical evacuation." According to the Palestinian Ma'an News Agency on Wednesday, Ghebreyesus called for expediting approvals and using all crossings to ensure the evacuation of patients from Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Wednesday that the death toll from the genocidal crime committed by the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip has risen to 55,104 martyrs and 127,394 injured since October 7, 2023. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Saba Yemen
10-06-2025
- Health
- Saba Yemen
WHO: al-Amal hospital in Gaza out of service
Rome – Saba: Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Tuesday that al-Amal Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip is out of service. In a post on X platform, Ghebreyesus said, "al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis is currently out of service due to increased attacks by the Israeli army in its vicinity," according to the Palestinian News Agency (Wafa). He noted that the hospital is no longer accessible, leading to more preventable deaths. The UN official explained that the hospital is no longer able to receive new patients, despite the presence of many in need of medical care. He noted that with the closure of Al Amal Hospital, Nasser Hospital is now the only hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, with an intensive care unit. Ghebreyesus added, "We once again call for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of health facilities, and unhindered access to essential medicines and medical supplies." Health services in the Gaza Strip are facing a complete collapse due to the systematic attacks launched by the Israeli occupation army on hospitals and medical facilities, as part of the genocide it has been perpetrating against the people of the Strip for more than a year and a half. With American and European support, the Israeli occupation army has continued to commit genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 54,981 Palestinian citizens, the majority of whom are children and women, and the injury of 126,920 others. This is a preliminary toll, with thousands of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulance and rescue crews. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
