Latest news with #Israeli-blockaded
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Three Israeli soldiers killed in combat in northern Gaza, army says
Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Tuesday. The soldiers' deaths were announced hours after Hamas' armed wing said on Monday its fighters were engaging in 'fierce clashes' with Israeli forces in the north of the territory. Israel began its offensive in Gaza after Hamas militants burst through the border from Israeli-blockaded Gaza, attacking Israelis in homes, cars and at an all-night music festival. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 251 people taken as hostages into Gaza. An additional four were already held by Hamas. Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Much of the population now lives in shelters in makeshift camps.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Three Israeli soldiers killed in combat in northern Gaza, army says
Three Israeli soldiers killed in combat in northern Gaza, army says Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Tuesday. The soldiers' deaths were announced hours after Hamas' armed wing said on Monday its fighters were engaging in "fierce clashes" with Israeli forces in the north of the territory. Israel began its offensive in Gaza after Hamas militants burst through the border from Israeli-blockaded Gaza, attacking Israelis in homes, cars and at an all-night music festival. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 251 people taken as hostages into Gaza. An additional four were already held by Hamas. Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Much of the population now lives in shelters in makeshift camps. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Euronews
14-05-2025
- Health
- Euronews
At least 60 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, medical officials say
At least 60 people, including 22 children, were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza overnight between Tuesday and early Wednesday, according to medical officials at local hospitals in the Strip. Israel declined to comment on the attacks but said it had issued evacuation warnings to Jabaliya late Tuesday night, citing the presence of Hamas infrastructure such as rocket launchers. The strikes came a day after the release of an Israeli-American hostage in a deal brokered between Hamas and the US. The release was part of efforts to re-establish a ceasefire, reopen crossings into the Israeli-blockaded territory and resume the delivery of aid. However, on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF would continue operations in Gaza 'with full force' in the coming days. He warned there was 'no way' Israel would halt its war on Hamas in the Strip, even if a deal is reached with Hamas to release more hostages. The Israeli military was only days away from entering Gaza 'with great strength to complete the mission (of) destroying Hamas," Netanyahu said. The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 57, of whom 22 are believed to be alive. A subsequent Israeli offensive has to date killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The Israeli military says 856 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.
Dubai Eye
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Gaza population faces critical risk of famine, global hunger monitor says
Half a million people in the Gaza Strip face starvation, a global hunger monitor said on Monday, saying the Israeli-blockaded enclave still confronts a critical risk of famine with a high risk of one occurring by the end of September. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)'s latest report cited a significant deterioration in the situation since its last one in October, reflecting warnings from international agencies of an unfolding catastrophe in the small, densely populated Palestinian territory. It forecast that 2.1 million people across Gaza - roughly the entire population - would likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity by the end of September, with 469,500 of them projected to likely hit "catastrophic" levels. Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip since early March when it resumed its devastating military campaign against Hamas following the collapse of a ceasefire deal, during which thousands of aid trucks entered the enclave. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said on Monday the IPC had "constantly talked about famine; famine has never happened because of Israel's efforts to get more aid in". Mencer reiterated Israel's accusation that Hamas had caused hunger by stealing aid meant for civilians, and had "engineered the humanitarian crisis". Hamas denies these accusations and has in turn accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. The IPC report said that Israeli plans for large-scale military operations in Gaza, along with aid agencies' "persistent inability" to deliver essential goods and services, meant that there was a "high risk" of famine in the projection period from May 11 to September 30. Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday called on the international community to help with a new plan to distribute aid directly to the people of Gaza and cut Hamas out of the process. The IPC report said the Israeli authorities' plan for delivering aid was "estimated to be highly insufficient to meet the population's essential needs for food, water, shelter and medicine". "Moreover, the proposed distribution mechanisms are likely to create significant access barriers for large segments of the population," it said. "Immediate action is essential to prevent further deaths, starvation and acute malnutrition, and a descent into famine." For famine to be declared, at least 20 per cent of the population must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or from malnutrition and disease. The report projected that nearly 71,000 cases of acute malnutrition, including 14,100 severe cases, among children aged 6 to 59 months were expected to occur between April 2025 and March 2026. IPC reports are produced with contributions from UN agencies, NGOs and other organisations. DETERIORATION The report "really demonstrates that the situation in Gaza has deteriorated quite dramatically in recent months," said Beth Bechdol, deputy director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "Since March 2, the comprehensive blockade... has really prevented the delivery of essential humanitarian and even commercial supplies," she told Reuters. "We can certainly assume that the types of numbers that we're seeing in this report... will only continue to escalate," she said. The report shows that there are "a very large number of people now facing starvation", she added. While noting that the two-month-long ceasefire had allowed for a temporary alleviation of acute food shortages and malnutrition, the IPC report said the ongoing blockade had reversed the situation.
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Gaza at critical risk of famine amid Israeli blockade
Half a million people in the Gaza Strip face starvation, a global hunger monitor said on Monday, saying the Israeli-blockaded enclave still confronts a critical risk of famine with a high risk of one occurring by the end of September. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)'s latest report cited a significant deterioration in the situation since its last one in October, reflecting warnings from international agencies of an unfolding catastrophe in the small, densely populated Palestinian territory. It forecast that 2.1 million people across Gaza - roughly the entire population - would likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity by the end of September, with 469,500 of them projected to likely hit "catastrophic" levels. Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip since early March when it resumed its devastating military campaign against militant group Hamas following the collapse of a ceasefire deal, during which thousands of aid trucks entered the enclave. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said on Monday the IPC had "constantly talked about famine; famine has never happened because of Israel's efforts to get more aid in." Mencer reiterated Israel's accusation that Hamas had caused hunger by stealing aid meant for civilians, and had "engineered the humanitarian crisis". Hamas denies these accusations and has in turn accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. The IPC report said that Israeli plans for large-scale military operations in Gaza, along with aid agencies' "persistent inability" to deliver essential goods and services, meant that there was a "high risk" of famine in the projection period from May 11 to September 30. Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday called on the international community to help with a new plan to distribute aid directly to the people of Gaza and cut Hamas out of the process. The IPC report said the Israeli authorities' plan for delivering aid was "estimated to be highly insufficient to meet the population's essential needs for food, water, shelter and medicine". "Moreover, the proposed distribution mechanisms are likely to create significant access barriers for large segments of the population," it said. "Immediate action is essential to prevent further deaths, starvation and acute malnutrition, and a descent into famine." For famine to be declared, at least 20% of the population must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or from malnutrition and disease. The report projected that nearly 71,000 cases of acute malnutrition, including 14,100 severe cases, among children aged 6 to 59 months were expected to occur between April 2025 and March 2026. IPC reports are produced with contributions from UN agencies, NGOs and other organisations. DETERIORATION The report "really demonstrates that the situation in Gaza has deteriorated quite dramatically in recent months," said Beth Bechdol, deputy director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "Since March 2, the comprehensive blockade ... has really prevented the delivery of essential humanitarian and even commercial supplies," she told Reuters. "We can certainly assume that the types of numbers that we're seeing in this report ... will only continue to escalate," she said. The report shows that there are "a very large number of people now facing starvation", she added. While noting that the two-month-long ceasefire had allowed for a temporary alleviation of acute food shortages and malnutrition, the IPC report said the ongoing blockade had reversed the situation. The key findings showed that 1.95 million people, or 93% of the population in the coastal enclave, are living through high levels of acute food insecurity, including 244,000 experiencing the most severe, or "catastrophic", levels. IPC's October analysis had said 133,000 people were in the "catastrophic" category. In Gaza City, Ghada Mohammad, a mother of five, said she had to pay around 1,000 shekels (NZ$473) to buy a 2-kg sack of flour, which would usually have cost 25 shekels before the war and during ceasefire periods in January and February. Speaking to Reuters via a messaging app, she cited dependence on canned food, unhealthy water, and bread made with insect-infested flour. "Do you know how it feels to be unable to have one meal with some chicken or vegetables or meat for several weeks?"
