Latest news with #Israeli-backed
Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Health
- Gulf Today
Israeli forces kill over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May: UN
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed 25 people across Gaza, according to local health officials. Desperation is mounting in the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. A breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting and contributed to chaos and violence around aid deliveries. Men walk carrying sacks of flour in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. AFP Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid - without providing evidence of widespread diversion - and blames UN agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. The military says it has only fired warning shots near aid sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, rejected what it said were "false and exaggerated statistics' from the United Nations. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, said Tuesday that 101 people, including 80 children, have died in recent days from starvation. The deaths could not be independently verified, but UN officials and major international aid groups say the conditions for starvation exist in Gaza. During hunger crises, people can die from malnutrition or from common illnesses or injuries that the body is not strong enough to fight. Israel eased a 2½-month blockade in May, allowing a trickle of aid in through the longstanding UN-run system and the newly created GHF. Aid groups say it's not nearly enough. Dozens of Palestinians lined up Tuesday outside a charity kitchen in Gaza City, hoping for a bowl of watery tomato soup. The lucky ones got small chunks of eggplant. As supplies ran out, people holding pots pushed and shoved to get to the front. Smoke rises after an explosion in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, on Tuesday. Reuters Nadia Mdoukh, a pregnant woman who was displaced from her home and lives in a tent with her husband and three children, said she worries about being shoved or trampled on, and about heat stroke as daytime temperatures hover above 90 F (32 C). "I do it for my children," she said. "This is famine - there is no bread or flour.' The UN World Food Program says Gaza's hunger crisis has reached "new and astonishing levels of desperation.' Ross Smith, the agency's director for emergencies, told reporters Monday that nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and a third of Gaza's population is going without food for multiple days in a row. MedGlobal, a charity working in Gaza, said five children as young as 3 months had died from starvation in the past three days. "This is a deliberate and human-made disaster," said Joseph Belliveau, its executive director. "Those children died because there is not enough food in Gaza and not enough medicines, including IV fluids and therapeutic formula, to revive them.' Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians, including aid seekers, killed in Israeli attacks, according to medics, at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, on Tuesday. Reuters The charity said food is in such short supply that its own staff members suffer dizziness and headaches. Of the 1,054 people killed while trying to get food since late May, 766 were killed while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the UN human rights office. The others were killed when gunfire erupted around UN convoys or aid sites. Thameen al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the UN rights office, says its figures come from "multiple reliable sources on the ground,' including medics, humanitarian and human rights organizations. He said the numbers were still being verified according to the office's strict methodology. Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces regularly fire toward crowds of thousands of people heading to the GHF sites. The military says it has only fired warning shots, and GHF says its armed contractors have only fired into the air on a few occasions to try to prevent stampedes. A joint statement from 28 Western-aligned countries on Monday condemned the "the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians.' Demonstrators hold signs, during a protest demanding an end to the war in Gaza and the release of all hostages, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Tuesday. Reuters "The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,' read the statement, which was signed by the United Kingdom, France and other countries friendly to Israel. "The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.' Israel and the United States rejected the statement, blaming Hamas for prolonging the war by not accepting Israeli terms for a ceasefire and the release of hostages abducted in the fighter-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the fighting. Hamas has said it will release the remaining hostages only in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will keep fighting until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed. Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people Tuesday across Gaza, according to local health officials. One strike hit tents sheltering displaced people in the built-up seaside Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The Israeli military said that it wasn't aware of such a strike by its forces. Israeli activists gather at HaBima Square for a protest march towards the Israeli defence ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday denouncing the ongoing food shortage and forced displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. AFP The dead included three women and three children, the hospital director, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, told The Associated Press. Thirty-eight other Palestinians were wounded, he said. An overnight strike that hit crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks in Gaza City killed eight, hospitals said. At least 118 were wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. "A bag of flour covered in blood and death," said Mohammed Issam, who was in the crowd and said some people were run over by trucks in the chaos. "How long will this humiliation continue?' The Israeli military had no immediate comment on that strike. Israel blames the deaths of Palestinian civilians on Hamas, because the fighters operate in densely populated areas. Israel renewed its offensive in March with a surprise bombardment after ending an earlier ceasefire. Talks on another truce have dragged on for weeks despite pressure from US President Donald Trump. Hamas-led fighters abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack, and killed around 1,200 people. Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive. Associated Press
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
U.N. body says Israeli forces killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May, as hunger worsens
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the UN human rights office said Tuesday. Israeli strikes killed 25 people across Gaza, according to local health officials. Desperation is mounting in the territory of more than 2 million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. A breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting and contributed to chaos and violence around aid deliveries. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid — without providing evidence of widespread diversion — and blames UN agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. The military says it has only fired warning shots near aid sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, rejected what it said were 'false and exaggerated statistics' from the United Nations. Gaza's Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, said Tuesday that 101 people, including 80 children, have died in recent days from starvation. During hunger crises, people often die from a combination of malnutrition, illness and deprivation. Israel eased a 2½ month blockade in May, allowing a trickle of aid in through the long-standing UN-run system and the newly created GHF. Aid groups say it's not nearly enough. 'I do it for my children' Dozens of Palestinians lined up on Tuesday outside a charity kitchen in Gaza City, hoping for a bowl of watery tomato soup. The lucky ones got small chunks of eggplant. As supplies ran out, people holding pots pushed and shoved to get to the front. Nadia Mdoukh, a pregnant woman who was displaced from her home and lives in a tent with her husband and three children, said that she worries about being shoved or trampled on, and about heat stroke as daytime temperatures hover above 90 F (32 C). 'I do it for my children," she said. 'This is famine — there is no bread or flour.' The UN World Food Programme says Gaza's hunger crisis has reached 'new and astonishing levels of desperation'. Ross Smith, the agency's director for emergencies, told reporters Monday that nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and a third of Gaza's population isn't eating for multiple days in a row. MedGlobal, a charity working in Gaza, said that five children as young as three months had died from starvation in the past three days. 'This is a deliberate and human-made disaster," said Joseph Belliveau, its executive director. "Those children died because there is not enough food in Gaza and not enough medicines, including IV fluids and therapeutic formula, to revive them.' The charity said that food is in such short supply that its own staff suffer dizziness and headaches. Aid delivery model criticised Of the 1,054 people killed while trying to get food since late May, 766 were killed while heading to sites run by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the UN human rights office. The others were killed when gunfire erupted around UN convoys or aid sites. Thameen al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the UN rights office, says its figures come from 'multiple reliable sources on the ground,' including medics, humanitarian and human rights organisations. He said the numbers were still being verified according to the office's strict methodology. Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces regularly fire toward crowds of thousands of people heading to the GHF sites. The military says it has only fired warning shots, and GHF says its armed contractors have only fired into the air on a few occasions to try to prevent stampedes. A joint statement from 28 Western-aligned countries on Monday condemned the 'the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians'. 'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,' read the statement, which was signed by the United Kingdom, France and other countries friendly to Israel. 'The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.' Israel and the United States rejected the statement, blaming Hamas for prolonging the war by not accepting Israeli terms for a ceasefire and the release of hostages abducted in the militant-led attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, which triggered the fighting. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will keep fighting until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed. Strikes on tents sheltering the displaced Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people across Gaza on Tuesday, according to local health officials. One strike hit tents sheltering displaced people in the built-up seaside Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The Israeli military said that it wasn't aware of such a strike by its forces. The dead included three women and three children, hospital director Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya told The Associated Press. Thirty-eight other Palestinians were wounded, he said. An overnight strike that hit crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks in Gaza City killed eight, hospitals said. At least 118 were wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. 'A bag of flour covered in blood and death," said Mohammed Issam, who was in the crowd and said some people were run over by trucks in the chaos. "How long will this humiliation continue?' The Israeli military had no immediate comment on that strike. Israel blames the deaths of Palestinian civilians on Hamas, because the militants operate in densely populated areas. Israel renewed its offensive in March with a surprise bombardment after ending an earlier ceasefire. Talks on another truce have dragged on for weeks despite pressure from US President Donald Trump. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct 7 attack, and killed around 1,200 people. Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
Days of Palestine
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Gaza Authorities Condemn GHF After Ex-Contractor Exposes Violent Food Distribution Practices
Gaza — Authorities in Gaza have denounced what they called 'shocking confessions' by a former employee of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), after the ex-security contractor described the use of pepper spray, stun grenades, and live fire against unarmed Palestinians at aid distribution sites. The revelations came during an interview aired by Israel's Channel 12, in which the American worker said that GHF security teams, comprised of foreign contractors, had regularly used force against desperate civilians who posed no threat while trying to obtain food. In response, the Gaza Government Media Office issued a sharply worded statement calling the remarks 'irrefutable evidence of the criminal and inhumane nature of this organisation,' accusing GHF of operating under a 'security and military agenda' disguised as humanitarian aid. 'A Tool of Extortion, Not Relief' 'The GHF does not represent any form of humanitarian or relief work,' the statement read. 'It is a tool of extortion, an assault on dignity, a direct violation of international humanitarian law, and a blatant breach of the most basic human rights.' The office further accused the foundation of playing a security role in areas of forced displacement, implying that its true function is militarised crowd control rather than food delivery. 'This is a fake humanitarian cover for a deeply political and violent project,' it added. GHF Denies Allegations Following the report, GHF officials denied the claims, with Israeli media quoting the organisation as rejecting the ex-contractor's allegations. The group maintains that it is composed of professionals in security, logistics, and humanitarian coordination, and insists that incidents at aid points are being 'politicised' by those trying to undermine its operations. However, human rights groups and international monitors have long raised red flags about the GHF's presence in Gaza. Some have described its US- and Israeli-backed structure as bypassing established humanitarian channels such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Hunger, Violence, and Control The GHF came under scrutiny amid reports that dozens of Palestinians had been killed trying to access food near its distribution hubs, particularly in northern Gaza, where famine-like conditions have taken hold. The United Nations and Doctors Without Borders have both described the hubs as 'death traps', saying civilians are being subjected to danger rather than relief. The GHF is also known to work with Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), a private US mercenary firm staffed by former CIA officials and partially funded by American private equity. Its contractors have been active in guarding aid sites and coordinating distribution with Israeli military oversight. Critics argue that the foundation's model militarises humanitarian aid, using force to control civilian crowds rather than ensuring equitable access to food, water, and medicine. Calls for Accountability The Gaza Government Media Office called on international humanitarian bodies and rights organisations to investigate the GHF's role in what it called 'a broader scheme of collective punishment and forced displacement.' With over 200,000 Palestinian casualties reported since October 2023, widespread starvation, and near-total destruction of civil infrastructure, Gaza officials say efforts like those of the GHF serve only to mask the reality of a military occupation masquerading as aid. 'The world must not remain silent,' the statement concluded. 'These testimonies must trigger action, not just outrage.' Shortlink for this post:
Nahar Net
12 hours ago
- Health
- Nahar Net
UN says Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May
by Naharnet Newsdesk 23 July 2025, 11:29 More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed 25 people across Gaza, according to local health officials. Desperation is mounting in the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. A breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting and contributed to chaos and violence around aid deliveries. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid — without providing evidence of widespread diversion — and blames U.N. agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. The military says it has only fired warning shots near aid sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, rejected what it said were "false and exaggerated statistics" from the United Nations. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, said Tuesday that 101 people, including 80 children, have died in recent days from starvation. The deaths could not be independently verified, but U.N. officials and major international aid groups say the conditions for starvation exist in Gaza. During hunger crises, people can die from malnutrition or from common illnesses or injuries that the body is not strong enough to fight. Israel eased a 2½-month blockade in May, allowing a trickle of aid in through the longstanding U.N.-run system and the newly created GHF. Aid groups say it's not nearly enough. 'I do it for my children' Dozens of Palestinians lined up Tuesday outside a charity kitchen in Gaza City, hoping for a bowl of watery tomato soup. The lucky ones got small chunks of eggplant. As supplies ran out, people holding pots pushed and shoved to get to the front. Nadia Mdoukh, a pregnant woman who was displaced from her home and lives in a tent with her husband and three children, said she worries about being shoved or trampled on, and about heat stroke as daytime temperatures hover above 90 F (32 C). "I do it for my children," she said. "This is famine — there is no bread or flour." The U.N. World Food Program says Gaza's hunger crisis has reached "new and astonishing levels of desperation." Ross Smith, the agency's director for emergencies, told reporters Monday that nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and a third of Gaza's population is going without food for multiple days in a row. MedGlobal, a charity working in Gaza, said five children as young as 3 months had died from starvation in the past three days. "This is a deliberate and human-made disaster," said Joseph Belliveau, its executive director. "Those children died because there is not enough food in Gaza and not enough medicines, including IV fluids and therapeutic formula, to revive them." The charity said food is in such short supply that its own staff members suffer dizziness and headaches. Aid delivery model criticized Of the 1,054 people killed while trying to get food since late May, 766 were killed while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the U.N. human rights office. The others were killed when gunfire erupted around U.N. convoys or aid sites. Thameen al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the U.N. rights office, says its figures come from "multiple reliable sources on the ground," including medics, humanitarian and human rights organizations. He said the numbers were still being verified according to the office's strict methodology. Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces regularly fire toward crowds of thousands of people heading to the GHF sites. The military says it has only fired warning shots, and GHF says its armed contractors have only fired into the air on a few occasions to try to prevent stampedes. A joint statement from 28 Western-aligned countries on Monday condemned the "the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians." "The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity," read the statement, which was signed by the United Kingdom, France and other countries friendly to Israel. "The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable." Israel and the United States rejected the statement, blaming Hamas for prolonging the war by not accepting Israeli terms for a ceasefire and the release of hostages abducted in the militant-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the fighting. Hamas has said it will release the remaining hostages only in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will keep fighting until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed. Strikes on tents sheltering the displaced Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people Tuesday across Gaza, according to local health officials. One strike hit tents sheltering displaced people in the built-up seaside Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The Israeli military said that it wasn't aware of such a strike by its forces. The dead included three women and three children, the hospital director, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, told The Associated Press. Thirty-eight other Palestinians were wounded, he said. An overnight strike that hit crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks in Gaza City killed eight, hospitals said. At least 118 were wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. "A bag of flour covered in blood and death," said Mohammed Issam, who was in the crowd and said some people were run over by trucks in the chaos. "How long will this humiliation continue?" The Israeli military had no immediate comment on that strike. Israel blames the deaths of Palestinian civilians on Hamas, because the militants operate in densely populated areas. Israel renewed its offensive in March with a surprise bombardment after ending an earlier ceasefire. Talks on another truce have dragged on for weeks despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack, and killed around 1,200 people. Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
Jordan News
13 hours ago
- Health
- Jordan News
Over 100 Organizations Warn of 'Mass Famine' in Gaza - Jordan News
Over 100 Organizations Warn of 'Mass Famine' in Gaza More than 100 non-governmental organizations issued a warning on Wednesday about the looming threat of a mass famine in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, now suffering under more than 21 months of ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, the United States announced that envoy Steve Weikoff would travel to Europe for talks aimed at finalizing a humanitarian aid 'corridor' into the territory. اضافة اعلان Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave, devastated by the continued Israeli aggression. In late May, Israel partially eased the comprehensive blockade it had imposed in early March, which had caused severe shortages of food, medicine, and other essential supplies. On Tuesday, Al-Shifa Medical Complex announced that 21 children had died within 72 hours due to malnutrition and famine, as Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe reaches unprecedented levels. The United Nations has warned that 'famine is knocking on every door.' On Wednesday, the NGOs—including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Amnesty International, Oxfam International, and various branches of Doctors of the World and Caritas—stated: 'As mass famine spreads across Gaza, our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away.' In a joint statement, the organizations called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the full opening of all border crossings, and the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The statement came a day after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights accused the Israeli military of killing more than 1,000 people at aid distribution points in Gaza since the end of May. Most of those killed were near sites run by the Gaza Relief Foundation, a U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization with opaque funding sources. The Gaza Relief Foundation, run by the United States with Israeli support, places blame on Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. Israel, in turn, claims it regularly allows large quantities of aid through, but NGOs report severe restrictions still in place. The humanitarian organizations stated: 'Just outside Gaza—in warehouses—and even within Gaza itself, tons of food, drinking water, medical supplies, shelter materials, and fuel remain unused due to the lack of access granted to humanitarian agencies.' 'Malnutrition Is Worsening' UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Tuesday that the horrors in Gaza due to the war between Israel and Hamas—especially in terms of death toll and destruction—are 'unprecedented in modern history.' In a UN Security Council meeting, Guterres stated: 'The horror unfolding in Gaza—with levels of death and destruction unmatched in recent history—is plain to see. Malnutrition is worsening, and famine is at every doorstep.' In Gaza City, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, confirmed Tuesday that '21 children died in the past 72 hours due to malnutrition and starvation.' At Nasser Hospital in the south, AFP images showed parents weeping over the body of their 14-year-old son Abdel Jawad Al-Ghalban, who died of hunger. In this context, the United States announced Tuesday that envoy Steve Weikoff would travel to Europe for talks aimed at finalizing a humanitarian corridor into Gaza. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Weikoff would travel to an unspecified European destination this week for discussions related to Gaza. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that Weikoff hopes to push forward a new ceasefire proposal and humanitarian corridor plan that 'both sides have, in fact, agreed to.' No Progress in Negotiations After more than 21 months of war, Israel continues its daily bombardment of Gaza, which has been under Hamas governance since 2007. In Al-Shati refugee camp (north), which shelters thousands of displaced persons, Umm Rami Abu Karsh, a displaced woman, said: 'I lost my husband, my son is injured, I'm starving, and my house has been destroyed.' The most recent indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have failed to produce a ceasefire. Israel insists on the release of captives held in Gaza, the elimination of Hamas, and full military control of the territory, while Hamas demands Israeli withdrawal, the entry of massive aid, and an end to the war. Since October 7, 2023, Israel—the occupying power—has waged what many describe as a genocidal war on Gaza, involving killings, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, in defiance of international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt its operations. This war has resulted in over 201,000 deaths and injuries, most of them women and children, more than 9,000 missing persons, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine claiming more lives by the day. — (Agencies)
