Latest news with #IntegratedFoodSecurityPhaseClassification
NBC News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
New photos show scale of destruction in Gaza as Israel weighs expanded military operation
On Monday this week, officials from Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the Israeli leader had decided to 'occupy all of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages may be held.' The statement was shared in Hebrew and the term used can be translated to mean both 'occupy' and 'conquer." Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for clarification on the intended definition. Recent research from Israel's Hebrew University, reported in Haaretz, estimates that about 70 percent of all structures in Gaza have been made uninhabitable. While Israel had fought numerous conflicts in Gaza since Hamas militants took over the enclave in 2007, the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks that left 1,200 dead and saw 250 taken hostage triggered a war of unprecedented ferocity in the territory. Israel's military operation has forced most of the territory's residents to be displaced multiple times, and killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children, according to local health officials. The world's leading body on hunger, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, has sounded the alarm that the 'worst-case scenario of famine' is now unfolding in the Palestinian enclave. With a ceasefire elusive and some dozens of hostages still being held by militant groups in Gaza, Israel is weighing an expansion of the military campaign. Netanyahu held a three-hour long 'limited security discussion' on Tuesday, according to his office, in which the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff presented different options for continuing the offensive in Gaza. Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet at 6:30pm local time, or 11:30am ET, on Thursday to consider those different options, an Israeli official told NBC News. The Times of Israel reports that the cabinet is expected to sign off on a phased plan that would initially focus on seizing the central area of Gaza City, before expanding aid distribution centers in coordination with the United States. The operation could take place over up to five months, according to the report. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the hostages in Gaza, says more than 80 percent of Israelis want a comprehensive deal for the return of the hostages and an immediate end to the war. 'Six hundred and seventy days, almost two years since October 7th, and we keep hearing only promises,' the group said in a statement on Wednesday. Einav Tsangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Tsangauker, called on people to gather outside the cabinet meeting Thursday to protest against expanding the military operation. "Anyone who talks about a comprehensive agreement doesn't go conquering the Strip while putting hostages and soldiers in danger," she wrote in a post on X. There are 50 hostages who remain captive in Gaza, with just over 20 believed to be alive as of late June, according to Netanyahu's office.
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mothers in Gaza stretch meager ingredients where they can, but say hunger persists
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A single bowl of eggplant stewed in watery tomato juice must sustain Sally Muzhed's family of six for the day. She calls it moussaka, but it's a pale echo of the fragrant, layered meat-and-vegetable dish that once filled Gaza's kitchens with its aroma. The war has severed families from the means to farm or fish, and the little food that enters the besieged strip is often looted, hoarded and resold at exorbitant prices. So mothers like Muzhed have been forced into constant improvisation, reimagining Palestinian staples with the meager ingredients they can grab off trucks, from airdropped parcels or purchase at the market. Israel implemented a total blockade on trucks entering the besieged strip in early March and began allowing aid back in May, although humanitarian organizations say the amount remains far from adequate. Some cooks have gotten inventive, but most say they're just desperate to break the dull repetition of the same few ingredients, if they can get them at all. Some families say they survive on stale, brittle pita, cans of beans eaten cold for lack of cooking gas, or whatever they can get on the days that they arrive early enough that meals remain available at charity kitchens. 'The children remain hungry. Tomorrow we won't have any food to eat,' Muzhed said from the tent where her family has been displaced in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah. Once, her bowl would barely have fed one child. Now she ladles it out in spoonfuls, trying to stretch it. Her son asks why he can't have more. The Muzhed family's struggle is being repeated across Gaza as the territory plunges deeper into what international experts have called 'the worst-case scenario of famine.' On some days, mothers like Amani al-Nabahin manage to get mujaddara from charity kitchens. The dish, once flavored with caramelized onions and spices, is now stripped to its bare essentials of rice and lentils. "Nearly nine out of ten households resorted to extremely severe coping mechanisms to feed themselves, such as taking significant safety risks to obtain food, and scavenging from the garbage,' the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said on July 29. Gas for cooking is scarce, vegetables are costly and meat has all but vanished from the markets. Families in Gaza once dipped pieces of bread into dukkah, a condiment made of ground wheat and spices. But today, 78-year-old Alia Hanani is rationing bread by the bite, served once a day at noon, allowing each person to dip it in a wartime dukkah made of flour, lentils and bulgur. 'There's no dinner or breakfast,' the mother of eight said. 'I had to beg for it,' she said. For some, it's even less. Kifah Qadih, displaced from Khuza'a east of Khan Younis, couldn't get any food — the bowl in front of her has remained empty all day. 'Today there is no food. There is nothing.'
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mothers in Gaza stretch meager ingredients where they can, but say hunger persists
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A single bowl of eggplant stewed in watery tomato juice must sustain Sally Muzhed's family of six for the day. She calls it moussaka, but it's a pale echo of the fragrant, layered meat-and-vegetable dish that once filled Gaza's kitchens with its aroma. The war has severed families from the means to farm or fish, and the little food that enters the besieged strip is often looted, hoarded and resold at exorbitant prices. So mothers like Muzhed have been forced into constant improvisation, reimagining Palestinian staples with the meager ingredients they can grab off trucks, from airdropped parcels or purchase at the market. Israel implemented a total blockade on trucks entering the besieged strip in early March and began allowing aid back in May, although humanitarian organizations say the amount remains far from adequate. Some cooks have gotten inventive, but most say they're just desperate to break the dull repetition of the same few ingredients, if they can get them at all. Some families say they survive on stale, brittle pita, cans of beans eaten cold for lack of cooking gas, or whatever they can get on the days that they arrive early enough that meals remain available at charity kitchens. 'The children remain hungry. Tomorrow we won't have any food to eat,' Muzhed said from the tent where her family has been displaced in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah. Once, her bowl would barely have fed one child. Now she ladles it out in spoonfuls, trying to stretch it. Her son asks why he can't have more. The Muzhed family's struggle is being repeated across Gaza as the territory plunges deeper into what international experts have called 'the worst-case scenario of famine.' On some days, mothers like Amani al-Nabahin manage to get mujaddara from charity kitchens. The dish, once flavored with caramelized onions and spices, is now stripped to its bare essentials of rice and lentils. 'Nearly nine out of ten households resorted to extremely severe coping mechanisms to feed themselves, such as taking significant safety risks to obtain food, and scavenging from the garbage,' the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said on July 29. Gas for cooking is scarce, vegetables are costly and meat has all but vanished from the markets. Families in Gaza once dipped pieces of bread into dukkah, a condiment made of ground wheat and spices. But today, 78-year-old Alia Hanani is rationing bread by the bite, served once a day at noon, allowing each person to dip it in a wartime dukkah made of flour, lentils and bulgur. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'There's no dinner or breakfast,' the mother of eight said. Some people don't even have enough to improvise. All Rehab al-Kharoubi has for her and her seven children is a bowl of raw white beans. 'I had to beg for it,' she said. For some, it's even less. Kifah Qadih, displaced from Khuza'a east of Khan Younis, couldn't get any food — the bowl in front of her has remained empty all day. 'Today there is no food. There is nothing.'
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
Gaza: Over 40% of Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women in Save The Children Clinics Malnourished
GAZA - Media OutReach Newswire - 7 August 2025 - More than four in 10 (43%) pregnant and breastfeeding women seeking treatment at Save the Children's clinics in Gaza in July were malnourished, said Save the Children. Some breastfeeding mothers are feeling so desperate and scared of dying, they are asking for infant formula to protect their infants if they are orphaned, said Save the Children. Of the 747 women Save the Children screened during the first half of July, 323 (43%) were malnourished [1] - potentially impacting their ability to care for their newborns - which was almost three times as many as in March when the Government of Israel reimposed a total siege on Gaza. Since April, staff at Save the Children's two primary healthcare centres operating in Gaza have reported monthly increases in the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women found to be malnourished, with food, water and fuel almost entirely unavailable. Poor nutrition and malnutrition during pregnancy can cause anaemia, pre-eclampsia, haemorrhage and death in mothers, lead to stillbirth, low birthweight, stunted growth and developmental delays for children. Without breastfeeding support, mothers are reportedly giving their babies bottles of water or water mixed with ground chickpeas or tahini, which can increase risk of malnutrition. Health experts globally promote breastfeeding to protect child health and improve survival, especially in the first months of life. In addition to essential nutrition, it provides antibodies that protect against common illnesses like diarrhoea, pneumonia and infections. But in Gaza, there have been reports of mothers struggling to produce breastmilk amid severe hunger, stress, dehydration and a lack of privacy caused by multiple displacements. There are 55,000 pregnant women in Gaza, according to United Nations Population Fund [3]. More than 70,000 children under five and 17,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are facing acute malnutrition, according to the global humanitarian authority on hunger crises, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) [4] which warned 'the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out' in Gaza. Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children's Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said: 'Mothers are arriving at our clinics hungry, exhausted, and terrified their babies won't survive. Some are asking for formula so their baby can still be fed if they die. These are realities no mother should ever have to face. 'We know extreme stress can disrupt breastfeeding, and the relentless airstrikes, and obviously being in a war zone brings on a huge amount of distress - displacement and hunger in Gaza are taking a devastating toll on mothers. Many women are malnourished themselves yet still trying to nourish their babies. Supporting mothers to breastfeed can be a life-saving intervention for both mother and child.' 'When babies have no food, their bodies will start to shut down after a few days. They stop eating, lose energy, and start to waste away. Eventually their organs begin to fail and they become dangerously vulnerable to infection. Malnutrition is treatable and children can recover, but only if we reach them in time. The siege on entry of aid into Gaza must be urgently lifted. With sufficient, safe, and predictable entry processes and routes, humanitarian organisations know how to get the right assistance to people in time to save lives. Anything else, anything less, is a dangerous distraction that is costing mothers their babies, babies their mothers and, in the 'best case' scenario, undermining children's growth, development, and futures. If the world does not act now, more children will die from this preventable, man-made crisis.' Kalina Tsang, CEO of Save the Children Hong Kong, added: 'It is a mother's worst nightmare to be unable to feed her own child. The reports from our clinics in Gaza, of mothers so malnourished they cannot breastfeed and so desperate they are preparing for their own deaths, are utterly devastating. This is a complete collapse of humanity. We cannot turn away. I urge the public to help us reach these mothers and babies before it is too late. Your contribution to our Children's Emergency Fund can provide critical nutritional support and save lives, whenever humanitarian channels are available, in this man-made catastrophe.' The Gaza Ministry of Health has reported that 180 people have died of malnutrition-related causes since the start of the war in October 2023, including 93 children with at least 25 of these children dying in July as malnutrition rises on a dangerous trajectory. Save the Children is calling on the Government of Israel to uphold their obligations under international law and allow total access for all aid including breastfeeding support and, in the case of those who have no other option, the entry of infant formula and the essential supplies and services required for their regulated, targeted use in a way that is as hygienic as possible. Infants already devastated by war must not be left without the means to survive. Infant formula and the supplies required to administer it in a hygienic way, like all aid, has been restricted from entering Gaza due to the Israeli government-imposed siege on supplies. Save the Children has been working in Gaza for decades, running primary healthcare centres and providing essential services to children, mothers, and families, including screening and treatment for malnutrition. We are ready to scale-up lifesaving aid alongside our partners. Our teams deliver water, run child-friendly spaces and mother and baby areas where pregnant and breastfeeding women can receive support on nutrition and infant feeding and psychosocial care. We also set up temporary learning centres to help children continue their education. NOTE TO EDITORS: World Breastfeeding Week is held in the first week of August every year, highlighting that breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. [1]Save the Children screened 747 women from July 1st to 17th 323 (43%) of which were malnourished.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
BBC dismisses complaint over Israeli 'propagandist' comments
The corporation's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) probed the issue after a viewer claimed that the presenter had shown 'discourtesy and hostility' during as interview on BBC Radio 4 on May 14. The listener also complained that the Israeli government spokesperson had faced a tougher line of questioning in comparison to a similar interview with a representative of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. READ MORE: Harrowing before and after pictures show extent of devastation in Gaza The ECU said it had assessed whether the programme had met the BBC's guidelines on impartiality and had ruled to dismiss the listener's complaint. It said the presenters 'skilled propagandist' remark followed an exchange in which the Israeli government spokesperson had suggested journalists in Gaza who had reported on cases of starvation were 'acting on behalf of Hamas'. In its judgment, the ECU said it 'accepted' the presenter could have used a more 'neutral form' of words. However, it added that considered in context, listeners would have understood that the Radio 4 host was reminding the interviewee that his role was not that of a 'disinterested observer but a government spokesman'. The ECU noted for the second part of the complaint, referring to the UN representative, that although the interviewee had not given a direct answer to the presenter's question, the answer she did give was still relevant to the main topic of the interview. The judgment added the ECU did not consider the presenter's decision to continue to focus on that topic rather than pressing the interviewee on a less relevant point was 'evidence of bias'. The dismissal of the BBC complaint comes after a UN committee chair has condemned the 'deliberate starvation' of women and girls in Gaza as a 'war crime'. Nahla Haidar El Addal, chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) said that the 'act of seeking food has become a death sentence'. Following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Israel, defence minister Yoav Gallant declared a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with Israel cutting off the supply of food, water, fuel and electricity to the region. By December the same year, Gazans accounted for 80% of the people in the world experiencing catastrophic hunger. Now, more than 20,000 children are reported to have been hospitalised for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July this year, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). Last month, a mass starvation expert warned that the crisis in Gaza is the 'most severe' and 'minutely engineered' act of deliberate starvation since the Second World War. Speaking with System Update, Alex de Waal noted that whilst the man-made famine in Gaza is not the largest by numbers, it is more 'intense' than the starvation imposed on countries like Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen. READ MORE: Scottish activists mark 80 years since atomic bombings with new 'peace garden' De Waal, who has been working on mass starvation for over 40 years, said there is no other case since the Second World War that he can think of where people are being subjected to such a severe degree of starvation. He said: 'What's really remarkable and unique about what we're seeing in Gaza today, it's not the largest in terms of the numbers – those in Ethiopia and Sudan and indeed in Yemen have been larger – but it's the most intense, the most severe and the most sort of minutely engineered. 'There is no other case since World War Two that I can think of where you have a people being subjected to this degree of starvation, and literally just a few miles away, there are aid givers with the resources, with the expertise, with the plans, with everything worked out, which, at the flick of a switch, could actually deliver a very comprehensive package of aid.'
