Latest news with #Israeli-held
Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israel's Gaza aid model is 'distraction from atrocities', UNRWA chief says
FILE PHOTO: Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), is welcomed by Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan May 27, 2025. KAZUHIRO NOGI/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, speaks during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (not pictured), at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan May 27, 2025. KAZUHIRO NOGI/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo TOKYO - The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said on Wednesday Israel's model for providing aid to Gaza was wasteful and a "distraction from atrocities", criticising a chaotic distribution by a U.S.-backed foundation this week. On Tuesday, thousands of Palestinians rushed an aid distribution site set up in the Israeli-held southern Gaza city of Rafah operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), with desperation for food overcoming wariness about biometric and other checks Israel said it would employ. "The model of aid distribution proposed by Israel does not align with core humanitarian principles," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told reporters at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. "We have seen yesterday the shocking images of hungry people pushing against fences, desperate for food. It was chaotic, undignified and unsafe," Lazzarini said. "I believe it is a waste of resources and a distraction from atrocities," he added, referring to civilian deaths during Israel's air and ground war in the small coastal enclave. Israel says its military operations target only Hamas-led militants and accuses them of using civilians for cover, which they deny. As a trickle of aid has resumed, Israeli forces - now in control of wide areas of Gaza - have kept up their offensive, killing 3,901 Palestinians since a short ceasefire collapsed in mid-March, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The GHF, backed by Israel and its close ally, the United States, said it had distributed about 8,000 food boxes, equivalent to 462,000 meals, since Israel eased an 11-week-old blockade of the war-shattered Palestinian enclave last week. The United Nations and other international aid groups have boycotted the foundation, which they say undermines the principle that humanitarian aid should be distributed independently of the parties to a conflict, based on need. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce dismissed criticism of the aid program as "complaints about style". Israel says one advantage of the new aid system is the opportunity to screen recipients at designated sites to exclude anyone found to be connected with Hamas. Israel, at war with Hamas since October 2023, accuses Hamas of stealing supplies and using them to entrench its position. Hamas denies this. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Israel's Gaza aid model is 'distraction from atrocities', UNRWA chief says
By John Geddie TOKYO (Reuters) -The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said on Wednesday Israel's model for providing aid to Gaza was wasteful and a "distraction from atrocities", criticising a chaotic distribution by a U.S.-backed foundation this week. On Tuesday, thousands of Palestinians rushed an aid distribution site set up in the Israeli-held southern Gaza city of Rafah operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), with desperation for food overcoming wariness about biometric and other checks Israel said it would employ. "The model of aid distribution proposed by Israel does not align with core humanitarian principles," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told reporters at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. "We have seen yesterday the shocking images of hungry people pushing against fences, desperate for food. It was chaotic, undignified and unsafe," Lazzarini said. "I believe it is a waste of resources and a distraction from atrocities," he added, referring to civilian deaths during Israel's air and ground war in the small coastal enclave. Israel says its military operations target only Hamas-led militants and accuses them of using civilians for cover, which they deny. As a trickle of aid has resumed, Israeli forces - now in control of wide areas of Gaza - have kept up their offensive, killing 3,901 Palestinians since a short ceasefire collapsed in mid-March, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The GHF, backed by Israel and its close ally, the United States, said it had distributed about 8,000 food boxes, equivalent to 462,000 meals, since Israel eased an 11-week-old blockade of the war-shattered Palestinian enclave last week. The United Nations and other international aid groups have boycotted the foundation, which they say undermines the principle that humanitarian aid should be distributed independently of the parties to a conflict, based on need. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce dismissed criticism of the aid program as "complaints about style". Israel says one advantage of the new aid system is the opportunity to screen recipients at designated sites to exclude anyone found to be connected with Hamas. Israel, at war with Hamas since October 2023, accuses Hamas of stealing supplies and using them to entrench its position. Hamas denies this.
NZ Herald
12-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Hamas says it will release US hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza
Administration officials did not respond to requests for comment about its contacts with Hamas or the expected release. In a social media post late Sunday, Vice-President JD Vance said: 'Pray that Hamas follows through and Edan gets to come home.' He credited Witkoff, who is also negotiating an end to the Ukraine-Russia war and nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, with 'another triumph'. The pending release comes as Trump prepares to travel this week to the Persian Gulf. But he has pointedly not included Israel on his itinerary amid widespread reports that he has grown increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu's plans to continue and expand the war with Gaza that Trump vowed he would end in short order after assuming the presidency. Alexander, 21, a dual US-Israeli citizen and a member of the Israel Defense Forces, was among around 250 hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, attack inside southern Israel in which more than 1200 people, mostly Israelis, were killed. Since then, 145 have been freed or released during two brief ceasefires in exchange for Israeli-held Palestinian prisoners. Eighty-two have been killed, with up to 24 thought to still be alive, including Alexander. The fate of the hostages has been an increasingly contentious one inside Israel, where large demonstrations, many led by families of released hostages and those still held, have demanded that Netanyahu bring an end to the war lest those remaining be killed as expanded military operations begin. Netanyahu has said that while rescuing the hostages remains his goal, Hamas must be destroyed inside Gaza. Negotiations have recently come to a standstill over Hamas' insistence that any ceasefire include a US-backed Israeli pledge to permanently end the war, and Israel's refusal. Israel has said that all hostages must be immediately released. Since the collapse of the most recent ceasefire in March, negotiated by the United States, with Qatar and Egypt as mediators, Israel has resumed attacks in Gaza with increasing intensity. For the past two months, it has imposed a blockade on the entry of food, water, fuel and other humanitarian aid into the enclave, claiming the previous aid shipments were stolen by Hamas, a charge that humanitarian organisations have disputed. The United Nations has said that many of Gaza's more than 2 million people are on the verge of starvation. In a statement on Monday, Trump said that the people in Gaza 'are starving and we are going to help them get some food'. The administration has endorsed, and credited as a Trump initiative, an Israeli-backed plan to deliver aid to vetted Palestinians in IDF-designated zones in southern Gaza. The United Nations and most of the humanitarian agencies operating inside Gaza have refused to participate on grounds that it is inadequate, unworkable and violates their neutrality and international law. The Hamas statement released on Sunday by Khalil al-Hayya, the head of the group's negotiating team, said that during contacts with the United States in recent days, 'the movement has expressed a high degree of positivity, and the release of Israeli soldier Edan Alexander … will be among the steps taken toward achieving a ceasefire, reopening the crossings, and allowing aid and relief to reach our people in the Gaza Strip'. It 'affirms' readiness by Hamas to 'immediately begin intensive negotiations and exert serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war, exchange prisoners by mutual consent, and ensure the administration' of Gaza 'by an independent and professional body'.
Euronews
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
US-backed group seeks to take over Gaza aid distribution, reports say
A group of US security contractors, former military officers and humanitarian aid officials is proposing to take over the distribution of aid to Gaza based on plans similar to ones designed by Israel. According to a proposal from the newly created group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), obtained by AP, the idea is to implement a new aid distribution system supplanting the current one run by the UN and other international aid agencies. The 14-page proposal circulated this week among aid groups and UN officials lays out plans similar to those Israel has been discussing privately with international aid groups for weeks. Under the new group's proposal, Palestinians would receive pre-packaged rations, potable water, hygiene kits, blankets and other supplies at four distribution hubs under the protection of private security contractors. The group said it wants to partner with the UN and international aid groups in handing out their supplies. A US official confirmed the authenticity of the proposal and said David Beasley, the former director of the UN World Food Program, is the lead choice to run GHF. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been made public, said the proposal could still be revised, and Beasley's role is not confirmed. Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine and all other supplies from entering Gaza for 10 weeks, worsening a humanitarian crisis for the 2.3 million Palestinians living in the enclave. Officials say the aim of the blockade is to force Hamas militants to release the 59 hostages they still hold in Gaza. Israel has also said it won't allow aid back into the Strip until a system is in place that gives it control over distribution. A UN official said last week that Israel's plans would "weaponise aid" by placing restrictions on who is eligible to receive it. Israel accuses Hamas and other militants of siphoning off large amounts of aid for personal gain and to strengthen their units. The UN and aid workers deny there is a significant diversion. According to the document, GHF would initially set up four distribution sites, each serving 300,000 people. That would cover about half of Gaza's population. The system would be scaled up to meet the needs of 2 million people. But the proposal does not provide a timeframe, and aid workers warn that food is rapidly running out in Gaza under Israel's blockade. The GHF proposal said subcontractors would use armoured vehicles to transport supplies from the Gaza border to distribution sites, where they would also provide security. It did not specify who would provide security but said it could include personnel who previously worked in the Netzarim Corridor, an Israeli-held zone cutting off northern Gaza. A private logistics and operations company, Safe Reach Solutions, has operated in the corridor. GHF said people would receive assistance based on need, with no eligibility requirements. Aid workers say Israel has said it intends to vet aid recipients and screen them using facial recognition. Aid workers have criticised the plans, saying the proposal could not possibly meet the needs of Gaza's large population and that they would forcibly displace large numbers of Palestinians by forcing them to move nearer to the aid hubs. Throughout the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the UN and other humanitarian groups have been carrying out a massive aid delivery programme. They have trucked in supplies and distributed them across the territory, going as close as possible to where Palestinians were located. What has chiefly hampered the system, aid workers have said, are Israeli military operations and restrictions on movement, as well as the low amount of aid allowed to enter even before the blockade. Convoys have also been attacked by criminal groups stealing aid, and Palestinians have sometimes taken supplies from trucks. Aid workers have cast doubt on whether GHF would meet humanitarian requirements for neutrality and independence. Shaina Low, communications adviser for Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the main organisations in Gaza, said aid groups are concerned the plan will be used "to advance military and political goals." By forcing the population to relocate around aid hubs, the system would "depopulate entire parts of Gaza" and could be used to potentially expel the population, she said. "They are framing (the plan) to fix the problem that doesn't really exist," she said, referring to Israel's claims that it must prevent Hamas from stealing aid. The use of private security companies has also alarmed humanitarian workers. While it's common for private security firms to operate in conflict zones, they have to respect humanitarian law and, at minimum, be fully vetted and monitored, said Jamie Williamson, executive director of the International Code of Conduct Association. Tamara Alrifai, communications director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which has led the aid effort in Gaza, said the plan was logistically unworkable. She said the foundation does not appear able to match the current infrastructure needed to distribute food and address other humanitarian needs. Russia will return the oldest and most famous launch pad in the Baikonur Cosmodrome, also known as 'Gagarin's Start,' to Kazakhstan, handing it over by 1 June. Kazakhstan plans to turn the world's first crewed space launch site — which was decommissioned back in 2019 — into a museum. 'The Gagarin's Start was decommissioned due to its unsuitability for launching the new Soyuz-2 rockets, which are now launched from the 31st platform of the cosmodrome,' said the spokesperson for the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry. To fund the site's modernisation, Russia and Kazakhstan partnered with the United Arab Emirates and signed a trilateral agreement in 2021. However, the project stalled amid shifting geopolitical dynamics. Russia's war in Ukraine forced countries to reevaluate their partnership and the use of Soyuz-2 rockets. In the meantime, Russia turned its attention to its own launching sites of Plesetsk and Vostochny, shifting commercial launches to one of them. While it still leases Baikonur from Kazakhstan until 2050, it has presented Kazakhstan with a list of 234 facilities it no longer needs, to be struck from the lease agreement. According to authorities, 53 have already been accepted by the Kazakh side. 'The Russian side will continue to use the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the future. A total of nine launches were planned for 2025, of which two were completed,' the ministry said. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan continues to develop its own Baiterek space complex, though progress has been slow. Experts warn that delays, coupled with the waning relevance of Baikonur, could result in outdated infrastructure and missed economic opportunities. The Gagarin's Start, also known as Baikonur Site 1 or Site 1/5, holds deep historical significance. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into space from this pad. The Earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was also launched from this pad. After mulling over an upgrade, Russia's space agency Roscosmos initially proposed turning the launch pad into a museum, citing the importance of preserving the site as a global heritage site. Soon to be in charge of the project, Kazakhstan hopes to increase Baikonur's tourism potential by opening it to the public. 'Given the historical significance of the Gagarin's Start and for the purpose of developing tourism at the Baikonur complex, the Kazakh side, in collaboration with the Russian side, plans to create a museum complex dedicated to the history of space exploration,' said the statement by the Kazakh ministry. The future museum will showcase rockets, space equipment and other artefacts from Baikonur's 70-year history. Both sides will also work on including the launch pad in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Currently, visiting Baikonur requires a special permit issued two months in advance, limiting broader access. The ministry said it was working on reducing the time needed to obtain the access permit and develop a digital pass. Officials hope the museum project will boost the region's domestic and international tourism.
Al Manar
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
Israeli 'Buffer Zone' in South Lebanon is Much More than Five Occupation Posts
After the Israeli enemy completed its withdrawal from South Lebanon on February 18. 2025. in accordance with the ceasefire agreement in addition to the extended withdrawal timeline, it kept occupation forces in five locations in South Lebanon. The Israeli enemy claimed that the five positions are aimed at securing the Zionist settlements close to the borders with Lebanon. However, the Israeli circles considered that the five posts may be a source of fear for the Zionists because of the expected Hezbollah attacks. Zionist Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israeli occupation forces were 'staying indefinitely' in a buffer zone on the border with Lebanon, adding their deployment there was 'situation-dependent.' Katz use of 'buffer zone' does not match with mere five occupation posts. Thus, Al-Manar reporter Ali Shoeib inspected the border area in order to uncover the aspects of the Zionist remarks. Al-Manar reporter identified swathes of Lebanese territories off the Zionist settlements of Misgav Am, Margaliot and Al-Metula controlled by the enemy through placing earthen barriers and constructing or scraping roads. The reporter located Hounin valley, outskirts of Adaisseh and Kfarkila, and west of Hamames Hills in Khiam barrens. It is worth noting that there are residential buildings in some of the Israeli-held territories. Accordingly, Katz remarks about the 'buffer zone' is much more than mere five posts. It is a major aggression that requires a Lebanese official move to liberate the occupied territories.
