Latest news with #Israeli-designed
Boston Globe
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
UN condemns Israel's new aid program in Gaza, after chaotic start
Israel had barred humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for more than two months, causing widespread hunger, before allowing shipments of food, fuel and other goods to begin flowing in last week. But desperately needed relief -- either from the old U.N.-run system or the new Israeli-designed one -- has yet to reach many people in Gaza. On Wednesday night, large crowds of Palestinians broke into a warehouse belonging to the U.N. World Food Program, the agency said in a statement. 'Initial reports indicate two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident,' it said in a statement. Advertisement The episodes raised further questions over Israel's latest attempt to overhaul the provision of aid to those in Gaza, in what Israeli leaders call an attempt to sideline Hamas. The U.N. and many other humanitarian groups have boycotted the initiative, which has also drawn anger from many of Israel's Western backers. Advertisement Israel has also been threatening a major ground invasion, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised will be a decisive blow against Hamas. But the Palestinian armed group has refused to surrender despite well more than a year and a half of devastating bombardment and ground combat, fighting a dogged war of attrition and recruiting thousands of new fighters to its ranks. Jonathan Whittall, a senior U.N. humanitarian official, said dozens of people had reportedly been injured in the chaotic fray Tuesday. He called the Israeli attempt to seize control of the humanitarian aid for Palestinians part of 'an assault on their human dignity.' 'Yesterday, we saw tens of thousands of desperate people -- under fire -- storming a militarized distribution point established on the rubble of their homes,' Whittall told reporters in a news briefing Wednesday. The new aid operation, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it had set up two distribution hubs so far and provided thousands of aid parcels without incident Wednesday. But European diplomats further criticized both the program and Israel's offensive. The foundation denied that any civilians or aid workers had been hurt in the process on either day. 'The disproportionate use of force and the deaths of civilians cannot be tolerated,' said Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, adding that aid 'must never be politicized or militarized.' Under the new Israeli-designed system, four aid sites in southern Gaza are being secured by Israeli soldiers and overseen by private U.S. contractors. Previously, the United Nations largely coordinated the distribution of aid in the enclave, but Israeli officials have been eager to bypass the world body, accusing it of anti-Israel bias and of failing to prevent Hamas from hoarding supplies. Advertisement U.N. officials have boycotted the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, saying that it fundamentally violates humanitarian principles. They say Israel's vision would replace hundreds of U.N. distribution sites with just four, requiring many Palestinians to travel miles and pass through a cordon of Israeli troops to obtain aid. As of Wednesday, two distribution hubs were operational and more than 14,000 parcels of aid had been distributed. That sharply contrasted with the chaos that erupted Tuesday, when thousands of Palestinians hoping to receive food had arrived at one of the hubs in what remains of the southern city of Rafah. Pushing and shoving, some later burst through the site's narrow fences, leading Israeli soldiers to fire warning shots, according to the Israeli military. Jalal al-Homs, a displaced Palestinian in Khan Younis, witnessed the crowds and Israeli gunfire Tuesday when he sought to receive aid from the hub in Rafah's Tel al-Sultan neighborhood. He ultimately left hours later without getting a box of food for his family, with whom he is living in a tent. On Wednesday, al-Homs, 35, said he had tried again to head for one of the aid hubs. As he approached, he said he saw crowds milling about, all hoping for food. Afraid the situation could again unravel, he went back home, he said. 'There's no organization,' al-Homs said in a phone call. 'I was scared that today would be the same as yesterday, which was disastrous.' Netanyahu sought to characterize the scramble in a Tuesday night speech as a brief loss of control in the otherwise successful launch of the new initiative. Advertisement Israel blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza for more than two months, causing widespread hunger among Palestinians. Israeli officials charged that much of the food, fuel and medicine flowing through the mainline U.N.-coordinated system had fallen under the control of Hamas. Whittall said there was 'no evidence' that large amounts of U.N.-coordinated aid had been diverted by Hamas. He said the main obstacle to distributing aid was armed gangs in Gaza, many of whom were stealing aid 'under the watch of Israeli forces.' 'It doesn't have to be this way. We need our existing system to be enabled,' he added. The Trump administration has been pressing to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that would begin with a two-month initial truce. On Wednesday, Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, said that the White House was readying a fresh proposal, adding that he 'had some very good feelings about getting to a long-term ceasefire.' This article originally appeared in
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
‘Stop The 21st Century Atrocity' In Gaza, Fletcher Urges UN Security Council
13 May 2025 Mr. Fletcher began his remarks by asking the international community to reflect on what it will tell future generations about action taken 'to stop the 21st century atrocity to which we bear daily witness in Gaza.' He wondered, for example, if 'we will use those empty words: 'We did all we could,'' and urged the Council to act decisively to prevent genocide from happening. Shrinking spaces, overwhelmed hospitals In addition to the aid blockade, civilians in Gaza have again been forcibly displaced and confined into ever-shrinking spaces, he said, as 70 per cent of the territory is either within Israeli-militarized zones or under displacement orders. Furthermore, the few remaining hospitals are overwhelmed, medics cannot stem the trauma and the spread of disease. ' I can tell you from having visited what's left of Gaza's medical system that death on this scale has a sound and a smell that does not leave you,' he said. 'As one hospital worker described it, 'children scream as we peel burnt fabric from their skin.'' We can save lives Mr. Fletcher stressed that the UN and partners are desperate to resume humanitarian aid across Gaza, and the recent ceasefire showed that they can deliver. Meanwhile, lifesaving supplies are waiting to enter the enclave. 'We can save hundreds of thousands of survivors. We have rigorous mechanisms to ensure our aid gets to civilians, and not to Hamas,' he insisted. 'But Israel denies us access, placing the objective of depopulating Gaza before the lives of civilians,' he said. 'It is bad enough that the blockade continues. How do you react when Israeli Ministers boast about it? Or when attacks on humanitarian workers and violations of the UN's privileges and immunities continue, along with restrictions on international and non-governmental organizations.' Reject 'cynical' US-Israeli aid alternative Mr. Fletcher recalled that Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law, and as the occupying power must agree to aid and facilitate it. 'For anyone still pretending to be in any doubt, the Israeli-designed distribution modality is not the answer,' he stated, noting that among other things, the plan 'makes starvation a bargaining chip.' ' It is cynical sideshow. A deliberate distraction. A fig leaf for further violence and displacement,' he told ambassadors. 'If any of that still matters, have no part in it.' He also addressed the increasing violence in the West Bank, where the situation is the worst in decades, with entire communities destroyed and refugee camps depopulated. Insist on accountability Mr. Fletcher noted that international humanitarian workers have been the only international civilian presence in Gaza over the past 19 months, and they have briefed the Council on what they witness daily. ' We have described the deliberate obstruction of aid operations and the systematic dismantling of Palestinian life, and that which sustains it, in Gaza,' he said. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is now considering whether a genocide is taking place there and 'will weigh the testimony we have shared. But it will be too late,' he warned. He said the ICJ has recognized the urgency and indicated clear provisional measures that should have been acted on – but Israel has failed to do so. Moreover, previous reviews of the UN's conduct in cases of large-scale violations of international human rights and humanitarian law have pointed to the collective failure to speak to the scale of violations while they were being committed. 'For those killed and those whose voices are silenced: what more evidence do you need now?' he asked. ' Will you act – decisively - to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead, 'we did all we could?' '. He told the Council that the degradation of international law is corrosive and infectious, and it is undermining decades of progress on civilian protection. ' Humanity, the law, and reason must prevail,' he said. 'This Council must prevail. Demand this ends. Stop arming it. Insist on accountability.' Fear future judgement Mr. Fletcher called for Israel to stop killing and injuring civilians, and to lift the brutal blockade so that humanitarians can save lives. He urged Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups to release all hostages immediately and unconditionally, and to stop putting civilians at risk during military operations. 'And for those who will not survive what we fear is coming - in plain sight - it will be no consolation to know that future generations will hold us in this chamber to account. But they will,' he said. 'And, if we have not seriously done 'all we could', we should fear that judgement.'
Straits Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
UN aid chief slams Israel's Gaza aid plan as ‘cynical sideshow'
Israeli tanks and APCs stand near the border between Israel and the Gaza strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border May 13, 2025 REUTERS/Amir Cohen UNITED NATIONS - United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday said an Israeli plan aid distribution in the Gaza Strip was a "cynical sideshow, a deliberate distraction, a fig leaf for further violence and displacement" of Palestinians in the enclave. He told the U.N. Security Council that no food, medicine, water or tents have entered the war-torn Palestinian enclave for more than 10 weeks. "We can save hundreds of thousands of survivors. We have rigorous mechanisms to ensure our aid gets to civilians and not to Hamas, but Israel denies us access, placing the objective of depopulating Gaza before the lives of civilians," said Fletcher. No aid has been delivered to Gaza since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militant group Hamas releases all remaining hostages. At the end of last month the U.N. World Food Programme said it had run out of food stocks in Gaza, and U.S. President Donald Trump said that he pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow the delivery of food and medicine. Fletcher said the U.N. has met more than a dozen times with Israeli authorities to discuss their proposed aid distribution model "to find a way to make it possible," stressing the minimum conditions needed for U.N. involvement. Those included the ability to deliver aid to all those in need wherever they are. "The Israeli-designed distribution modality is not the answer," he told the 15-member council. "It forces further displacement. It exposes thousands of people to harm ... It restricts aid to only one part of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet. It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip," Fletcher said. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, met with U.N. agencies and international aid groups in early April and proposed "a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism." "The mechanism is designed to support aid organizations, enhance oversight and accountability, and ensure that assistance reaches the civilian population in need, rather than being diverted and stolen by Hamas," COGAT posted on X on April 3. The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 52,700 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN aid chief slams Israel's Gaza aid plan as 'cynical sideshow'
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday said an Israeli plan aid distribution in the Gaza Strip was a "cynical sideshow, a deliberate distraction, a fig leaf for further violence and displacement" of Palestinians in the enclave. He told the U.N. Security Council that no food, medicine, water or tents have entered the war-torn Palestinian enclave for more than 10 weeks. "We can save hundreds of thousands of survivors. We have rigorous mechanisms to ensure our aid gets to civilians and not to Hamas, but Israel denies us access, placing the objective of depopulating Gaza before the lives of civilians," said Fletcher. No aid has been delivered to Gaza since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militant group Hamas releases all remaining hostages. At the end of last month the U.N. World Food Programme said it had run out of food stocks in Gaza, and U.S. President Donald Trump said that he pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow the delivery of food and medicine. Fletcher said the U.N. has met more than a dozen times with Israeli authorities to discuss their proposed aid distribution model "to find a way to make it possible," stressing the minimum conditions needed for U.N. involvement. Those included the ability to deliver aid to all those in need wherever they are. "The Israeli-designed distribution modality is not the answer," he told the 15-member council. "It forces further displacement. It exposes thousands of people to harm ... It restricts aid to only one part of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet. It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip," Fletcher said. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, met with U.N. agencies and international aid groups in early April and proposed "a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism." "The mechanism is designed to support aid organizations, enhance oversight and accountability, and ensure that assistance reaches the civilian population in need, rather than being diverted and stolen by Hamas," COGAT posted on X on April 3. The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 52,700 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
Straits Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
UN aid chief slams Israel's Gaza aid plan as 'cynical sideshow'
Israeli tanks and APCs stand near the border between Israel and the Gaza strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border May 13, 2025 REUTERS/Amir Cohen UNITED NATIONS - United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday said an Israeli plan aid distribution in the Gaza Strip was a "cynical sideshow, a deliberate distraction, a fig leaf for further violence and displacement" of Palestinians in the enclave. He told the U.N. Security Council that no food, medicine, water or tents have entered the war-torn Palestinian enclave for more than 10 weeks. "We can save hundreds of thousands of survivors. We have rigorous mechanisms to ensure our aid gets to civilians and not to Hamas, but Israel denies us access, placing the objective of depopulating Gaza before the lives of civilians," said Fletcher. No aid has been delivered to Gaza since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militant group Hamas releases all remaining hostages. At the end of last month the U.N. World Food Programme said it had run out of food stocks in Gaza, and U.S. President Donald Trump said that he pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow the delivery of food and medicine. Fletcher said the U.N. has met more than a dozen times with Israeli authorities to discuss their proposed aid distribution model "to find a way to make it possible," stressing the minimum conditions needed for U.N. involvement. Those included the ability to deliver aid to all those in need wherever they are. "The Israeli-designed distribution modality is not the answer," he told the 15-member council. "It forces further displacement. It exposes thousands of people to harm ... It restricts aid to only one part of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet. It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip," Fletcher said. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, met with U.N. agencies and international aid groups in early April and proposed "a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism." "The mechanism is designed to support aid organizations, enhance oversight and accountability, and ensure that assistance reaches the civilian population in need, rather than being diverted and stolen by Hamas," COGAT posted on X on April 3. The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 52,700 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
