Latest news with #Israeli-approved
The Intercept
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
Trump's Gaza 'Food Centers' Miss the Real Problem: Israel's Aid Blockade
President Donald Trump's vague plan to respond to the famine in Gaza with Israeli-approved 'food centers' is being panned by humanitarian groups who say it will do little or nothing to reverse widespread starvation caused by Israel's decision to block aid. Trump has given only broad-brush details about the scheme after announcing it Monday, when he acknowledged that children in Gaza are starving. As with many of Trump's proposals, however, it is unclear how seriously the president intends to pursue it. Aid organizations fear the rollout of another new system of food aid, considering the hundreds of killings near food distribution sites operated by the American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. They also emphasize that at this point, women and children in Gaza are in need of not just food but also specialized medical care to reverse severe malnutrition. 'The proposal is ludicrous,' said Dr. John Kahler, a pediatrician who co-founded a nonprofit group MedGlobal that supports re-feeding centers for children in Gaza. 'Nothing new needs to get done. It's a simple but not easy solution: Stop the bombing, open up the gates, and let the people who know how to do it, do it.' Trump has sketched out only the vaguest details about how the 'food centers' might work after introducing the idea during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump told reporters Tuesday on Air Force One that Israel would 'preside' over the food centers 'to make sure the distribution is proper.' Israeli officials have repeatedly offered the unsupported claim that Hamas is diverting food aid, which has been widely rejected by humanitarian groups, as their justification for clamping down on the flow of aid Gaza and pushing to the sidelines established aid organizations in the region. The food centers would roll out 'very soon,' Trump said. The White House has given no information on key questions, however, such as who would run the food centers, who would fund them, where they would be sited, and whether they would be militarized in a similar manner as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution operations, which have been the sites of numerous deadly strikes on aid-seekers. In the months leading up to the past week's outcry from European countries and the United Nations over mass starvation, the Trump administration largely relied on the GHF to distribute food aid, and some observers thought it sounded like Trump might be talking about an expansion of the nonprofit's operations. A State Department spokesperson told reporters Tuesday that she was unsure whether the food centers would involve the GHF, however. 'We don't know the framework of how something would proceed regarding the details. I am waiting for the president to return and don't want to get ahead of him regarding announcements and what the framework would be,' Tammy Bruce said. The White House and Israel's embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to requests for comment. The White House seems to have communicated few if any details about the food centers to several members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee questioned about the proposal Tuesday. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he had received no information from the White House. 'The notion that the U.S. is going to set up food distribution centers — why not let the pros do it? The World Food Programme. Mercy Corps. World Vision. I mean, all these NGOs that this is what they do for a living, why not let them do it?' Kaine said. 'The U.S.'s efforts thus far have been the pier, which was a joke, and this GHF thing, which has been a disaster. So we don't have any credibility on this.' Read our complete coverage Another member of the committee, foreign aid skeptic Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., questioned how the food centers would be funded. 'What, is Israel going to pay for them?' Paul said when asked about the idea. 'I think as with most humanitarian crises, the people most directly involved are the people that should be involved with funding them.' Congress last year banned the U.S. from funding the longtime hub of aid distribution in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Israel halted aid deliveries altogether between March and May, creating the conditions for dozens of malnutrition deaths this month. The main conduit for U.S. aid to starving Gazans since the aid pause was lifted has been the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a nonprofit supported by the U.S. and Israeli governments that was incorporated in Delaware in February. The State Department approved $30 million in funding for the GHF in June. The GHF's food distribution centers are clustered largely in southern Gaza, forcing thousands of people to make dangerous treks and weather a barrage of gunfire in desperate attempts to secure food for their families. GHF has drawn scathing criticism from nongovernmental organizations over its decision to ring distribution sites with heavily armed private soldiers. GHF's chair Johnnie Moore has dismissed the reports of chaos at its distribution sites as 'misinformation.' Aid groups would have the same concerns about GHF if Trump's latest plan consists simply of expanding its operations, said James Hoobler, a humanitarian policy adviser at Oxfam America. Oxfam says its own attempts to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza have been severely constrained by 'systematic obstruction by the government of Israel.' Amid international outrage, Israel said over the weekend that it would ease access into Gaza for humanitarian groups, which say they have faced many obstacles to distributing aid. Hoobler said it was critical for Trump to follow through on his promise of providing more aid, since Israel has repeatedly promised greater access that fails to materialize. 'We really are looking over just a cliff edge. There is a real risk that the deaths we have seen so far are going to accelerate because of the combination of malnutrition and dehydration and water-borne disease, and lack of shelter and hygiene issues we are seeing,' he said. 'It has to be across all sectors. It can't just be food parcels that aren't reaching the most vulnerable, and aren't even consumable for people who don't have clean water and don't have fuel.'
17-07-2025
- Politics
Why are Palestinians dying near U.S.-led aid distribution sites in Gaza?
ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge investigates why so many Palestinians in Gaza have died near food distribution sites run by the Israeli-approved, U.S.-led Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
04-07-2025
- Politics
Hamas says it 'responded positively' to temporary ceasefire deal proposal with Israel
Hamas announced it has submitted a "positive response" to the mediators about the current ceasefire and hostage exchange release proposal on the table. How the proposal will be implemented will require another round of negotiations, according to the group. "The movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework," Hamas said. The deal comes more than 20 months into the conflict -- and more than three months after a previous deal ended. Israel had expected a response from Hamas on the ceasefire and hostage deal by Friday, an Israeli official told ABC News. Earlier this week, a Hamas adviser said the group was still studying the proposal. "Hamas is open to any proposal that will end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, but Hamas wants guarantees that Israel will commit to moving to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement after the first phase, which is set to last for 60 days," said Taher Al-Nounou, media adviser to the head of Hamas. What's in the deal? The revised temporary ceasefire deal on the table now deals with the release of more hostages by Hamas, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter. The deal calls for the release of 10 living hostages from Hamas captivity and the return of 15 bodies of hostages being held by the terrorist group. It is believed there are about 20 living hostages still being held by Hamas. According to the terms of the proposal, the release of the 10 living hostages and 15 bodies will be staggered over the 60-day period the temporary ceasefire is in effect. Under the terms of the deal, Hamas will not hold ceremonies for the hostage releases, as they did during a previous six-week ceasefire. Discussion of a permanent ceasefire will take place during the 60-day period. Even after Hamas responds to the proposal, there are still several issues that remain to be addressed, one of the sources said -- including the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for hostages. In many rounds of negotiations, Hamas has sought a guaranteed end to the war in Gaza -- but that remained a chief sticking point in recent negotiations and something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not agreed to budge on. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that Israel had agreed to conditions for the 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. Trump said representatives from Qatar and Egypt would deliver the final proposal to Hamas, which came after a "long and productive meeting" between Trump officials and Israeli officials in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. The latest deal comes after months of negotiations over a ceasefire led in part by U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. In May, the White House submitted an Israeli-approved proposal for a 60-day ceasefire to Hamas, but the deal stalled. At the time, Trump urged both Israel and Hamas to make a deal ahead of and during his first foreign policy trip of his second term in office to the Middle East. Ultimately, a deal was not reached, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ramped up attacks on Gaza after Trump left the region In January, a six-week temporary ceasefire went into effect, resulting in the release of dozens of captives held by Hamas and an exchange of Palestinian prisoners. However, that ceasefire ended on March 18 when Israel resumed military operations against Hamas in Gaza, with Israel citing the failure to release the remaining hostages and saying the military was targeting Hamas terrorists who posed a threat to Israeli troops and citizens. The Israeli government also imposed a blockade on humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip on March 2 that lasted for 11 weeks and ended on May 19. The Israel-Hamas war has taken a grim human toll. Since the war began, nearly 56,000 people in Gaza have been killed and more than 131,000 have been wounded, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed in a Hamas-led terrorist attack on southern Israel. Hundreds more were taken hostage. At least 20 living hostages are believed to still remain in Hamas captivity.
International Business Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- International Business Times
Trump Announces Israel Has Agreed to a 60-Day Ceasefire and Hopes Hamas Also Agrees to the Deal
Donald Trump has announced that Israel has agreed to the conditions of a 60-day ceasefire, and he expressed optimism that Hamas would also agree to the proposal. Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday night, the U.S. president shared that his team had a "long and productive meeting with the Israelis today" about the conflict in Gaza. He said that Israel had "agreed to the necessary conditions" to move forward with a ceasefire. "Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," the President wrote in his Tuesday night post. Temporary Peace in Middle East "The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Trump concluded. Talks surrounding the newly proposed ceasefire have been ongoing for several months. Back in May, Hamas responded to the U.S.-supported and Israeli-approved plan with a counter-offer that was deemed "completely unacceptable." In its response, Hamas insisted that Israel agree to a permanent end to hostilities and a full military withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for the release of the remaining 10 living hostages along with the bodies of 18 dead captives. Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, immediately rejected those demands. Trump also said on Tuesday that he plans to address the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Iran during his upcoming meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week. He added that he remains hopeful about securing the long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza in the near future. Trump Brokering Peace Trump plans to meet Netanyahu on Monday and told reporters during a trip to Florida that he plans to be "very firm" about the urgent need for a Gaza ceasefire while also pointing out that Netanyahu shares that goal. Last week, Israel announced a fresh round of evacuation orders in northern Gaza, signaling preparations for a renewed military operation against Hamas in the war-torn region. The details of the latest ceasefire proposal have not yet been made public. Israel has been at war with Hamas since the terror group launched an attack on the Jewish nation on October 7, 2023. Efforts to reach a new truce have been ongoing since the most recent ceasefire, which lasted from January 19 to March 18 of this year. That previous agreement involved a two-phase ceasefire, during which both sides agreed to halt fighting and carry out a hostage exchange, bringing a temporary pause to the 15-month-long conflict.
Canada News.Net
27-06-2025
- Health
- Canada News.Net
Gazans have to burn plastic waste to cook in makeshift shelters: UN
OCHA said Israeli authorities continue to restrict the delivery of fuel into and throughout Gaza Strip. The rapid depletion of remaining fuel stocks jeopardizes efforts to maintain Gaza's lifelines. UNITED NATIONS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Alongside hunger, gunfire and bombardment, civilians in Gaza now face another deadly hazard: burning plastic waste just for cooking, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday. "Shelling and bombing across the (Gaza) Strip continue to have a devastating impact on civilians, reportedly killing and injuring scores of people, many of whom were seeking aid," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Partners report that in the absence of fuel, cooking gas and electricity, people are burning plastic waste." OCHA said that when such fires occur in makeshift shelters or tents, poor ventilation poses tremendous safety and health risks to vulnerable family members, including children and older individuals. The office said Israeli authorities continue to restrict the delivery of fuel into and throughout the strip, effectively choking off life-saving services for deprived and starving individuals. The rapid depletion of remaining fuel stocks jeopardizes efforts to maintain Gaza's lifelines. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that on Tuesday, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah received a mass casualty influx of 149 cases. "All responsive patients reporting they were wounded while on their way to an aid distribution site," the ICRC said. "Sixteen people were declared dead on arrival, and three more died of their wounds shortly after. The vast majority of patients reportedly suffered gunshot injuries." The casualties among food-seeking Gazans usually occur at distribution centers of the non-UN, U.S.-operated and Israeli-approved militarized Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The ICRC said it has had to activate its mass casualty procedures 20 times since May 27, adding, "The scale and frequency of these incidents is an alarming testament to the intolerable dangers civilians face as they attempt to access assistance." The UN Population Fund reported that 80 percent of critical care units, including those used for childbirth, risk shutting down when there is a daily average of 130 births in Gaza. Fuel for Gaza is a matter of life and death. The humanitarian office said that community kitchens were able to prepare more than 200,000 meals every day this week. However, compared with the over 1 million meals distributed daily at the end of April, it represents a reduction of about 80 percent, a trickle offered to people on the brink of famine. OCHA said that to address the massive deprivation in Gaza meaningfully, the Israeli authorities must allow higher volumes of supplies and more varied types of food, as well as cooking gas, fuel and shelter items, into the strip. "To facilitate the orderly distribution of aid, supplies must be channeled daily through multiple crossings and land routes simultaneously, thereby ensuring people that the flow of essential support is steady, sufficient and reliable," the office said. OCHA said the world body and its partners attempted to coordinate 15 humanitarian movements inside Gaza on Tuesday, but only four were fully facilitated by the Israeli authorities. Seven other attempts were denied outright, preventing teams from trucking water, retrieving broken trucks or repairing roads. The office said that another three missions were initially approved but then impeded on the ground,although one was ultimately accomplished on Wednesday. Another mission had to be canceled by the organizers. OCHA said tens of thousands of students were unable to sit for this year's general secondary examination this week due to insecurity, displacement orders and internet connectivity challenges across Gaza. Last year, about 39,000 high school students in Gaza were reportedly unable to sit for the exam.
