Latest news with #JanEgeland
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Norwegian aid chief slams Israel's Gaza war as ‘destruction of a civilization'
LONDON: Israel's military operation in Gaza is no longer a war against militants but has become a 'destruction of a civilization,' a top aid official said, warning that time is running out to prevent a 'biblical famine' in the besieged enclave. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said Israel's continued bombardment and restrictions on aid access have left Gaza's civilian population, particularly women and children, to suffer the consequences of a conflict they had no part in. 'What I see is that, as a military conflict, it was all over a long time ago,' Egeland told anchor Bianna Golodryga. 'This is not targeted anti-terrorist warfare, it's the destruction of a civilization now.' The veteran humanitarian said there are no justifications for the war on Gaza, which has killed more than 60,000 people and pushed the enclave's population of 2.2 million to the brink of famine. 'Hamas has a million sins on their conscience … but those dying (and) bleeding have nothing to do with Hamas. These are women and children. They had nothing to do with Oct. 7,' he said, calling for an immediate ceasefire and an urgent and large-scale opening of Gaza's border crossings to allow full access for aid groups. Egeland's remarks come amid growing international pressure on Israel to ease restrictions and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, as malnutrition-related deaths continue to rise. During a Saudi-French conference on Tuesday, UN experts confirmed that large areas of the enclave are now experiencing full-scale famine. Israel has responded with efforts to increase aid deliveries including a temporary pause in military operations, partial openings of humanitarian corridors, and aid airdrops. Egeland, however, said such efforts are not enough 'to avert a biblical famine on our watch,' criticizing the air drops and temporary corridors for offering little relief to a starving population. While he welcomed the shifting stances of US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other Western leaders who finally recognized the widespread starvation gripping the Palestinian territory, Egeland emphasized that the solution to avert the crisis ultimately rests with them. 'It is Israel and the Western powers that provide the arms to all of this that have to change this. They have the fingerprint all over this catastrophe really. We can change it. It's still possible.' Despite the mounting death toll and near-total collapse of humanitarian infrastructure, Egeland said the international community still has a chance to avert the worst — but only if it acts immediately and decisively. 'It has to be a massive ramp up. And time is running out,' he warned. On Monday, in a meeting with Starmer, Trump acknowledged that there is 'real starvation' in Gaza. The British prime minister announced the following day that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes significant steps to end the 'appalling situation' in Gaza and meets other conditions. Egeland said Western leaders were finally acknowledging warnings that aid agencies had been raising for months. 'These capitals have known so, because we told them for many months, I'm glad it's — there is a wakeup call now. It is very late,' he said. Addressing the humanitarian catastrophe, the NRC chief noted the collapse of the food and health sectors, saying that people were dying from preventable disease and lack of water and sanitation. He said his NGO has been finding it impossible to provide the basic services of water, sanitation and shelter due to the total depletion of fuel and continued restrictions. The organization, he noted, is 'still denied access for our water and sanitation hygiene items, our food and our tents.' The aid chief paid tribute to the resilience of his Palestinian colleagues in Gaza, describing them as 'real heroes' who have endured repeated displacement, hunger, and profound personal loss while continuing their humanitarian work. 'If there is anyone I would give the Nobel Peace Prize to, I would give it to my colleagues on the ground, Palestinian, in Gaza, the single mothers who are also aid workers. 'But they're really broken now, after all of these months of starvation, all of these months of having their homes destroyed.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
A ‘destruction of civilization': Top aid official on Israel's campaign in Gaza
Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, talks to Bianna Golodryga about the the deepening hunger crisis in Gaza.
Asharq Al-Awsat
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
No Aid Supplies Left and Staff Starving in Gaza, Says Norwegian Refugee Council
The Norwegian Refugee Council told Reuters on Tuesday its aid stocks are completely depleted in Gaza, with some of its staff now starving, and the organization accused Israel of paralyzing its work. "Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left," Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council told Reuters in an interview via video link from Oslo. The council's comments echo those made earlier on Tuesday by the head of the Palestinian refugee agency, who said UNRWA's staff were fainting on the job from hunger and exhaustion. The NRC says that for the last 145 days, it has not been able to get hundreds of truckloads of tents, water, sanitation, food and education materials into Gaza. COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, and Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has denied accusations that it is preventing aid from reaching Gaza, and has accused Palestinian group Hamas of stealing food, which Hamas denies. "Hundreds of truckloads have been sitting in warehouses or in Egypt or elsewhere, and costing our Western European donors a lot of money, but they are blocked from coming in... That's why we are so angry. Because our job is to help," Egeland said. "Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyze our work," he added. The NRC has 64 Palestinian and two international staff on the ground in Gaza. On Sunday the NRC had to move 33 of its staff out of Deir al Balah following Israeli evacuation warnings. The NRC said its supplies of safe drinking water are also running out, due to dwindling supplies of fuel to run desalination plants. The water has reached 100,000 people in central and northern parts of Gaza in recent weeks An Israeli official told Reuters there is about a half a million liters of fuel that the UN has been given approval to bring in. "They're bringing in fuel and collecting, but they can bring in and they can collect more, and we are having discussions with them," the official said. The official also said that there are about 700 trucks of unpacked aid on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing which have not been distributed.
Daily Maverick
23-07-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
No aid supplies left, staff starves in Gaza, Norwegian Refugee Council says
By Olivia Le Poidevin 'Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left,' Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council, told Reuters in an interview via video link from Oslo. The council, which has 64 Palestinian and two international staff on the ground in Gaza, echoed comments on Tuesday by the head of the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA who said its staff were fainting on the job from hunger and exhaustion. The NRC said that for the last 145 days, it has not been able to get tents, water, sanitation supplies, food and education materials into Gaza, where Israel has been at war against Palestinian group Hamas since October 2023 and the United Nations has warned of a worsening hunger crisis. 'Hundreds of truckloads have been sitting in warehouses or in Egypt or elsewhere, and costing our Western European donors a lot of money, but they are blocked from coming in… That's why we are so angry. Because our job is to help,' Egeland said. 'Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyse our work,' he added. COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, said in a statement that Israel does not restrict aid trucks entering Gaza, but international organisations face challenges in collecting the trucks on the Gaza side of border crossings. Israel is working with the groups to improve the system, COGAT said, adding that more than 4,500 aid trucks carrying food for the U.N. and international organizations have entered the enclave in the last two months. Many truckloads were still waiting to be picked up. COGAT said 950 shipments were on the Gaza sides of 'the Kerem Shalom Crossing in the southern side of the Strip, and the Zikim Crossing in the northern part, pending collection and distribution.' COGAT has accused Hamas of stealing food, which Hamas denies. The NRC said its supplies of safe drinking water were running out due to dwindling fuel to run desalination plants. The water has reached 100,000 people in central and northern parts of Gaza in recent weeks An Israeli official told Reuters that the U.N. has been given approval to bring in half a million liters of fuel. 'They're bringing in fuel and collecting, but they can bring in and they can collect more, and we are having discussions with them,' the official said.
AsiaOne
23-07-2025
- General
- AsiaOne
No aid supplies left, staff starves in Gaza, Norwegian Refugee Council says, World News
GENEVA — The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), one of the largest independent aid organisations in Gaza, told Reuters on Tuesday (July 22) its supplies were exhausted and some of its staff starving, and the group accused Israel of paralysing its work. "Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left," Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council, told Reuters in an interview via video link from Oslo. The council, which has 64 Palestinian and two international staff on the ground in Gaza, echoed comments on Tuesday by the head of the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA who said its staff were fainting on the job from hunger and exhaustion. The NRC said that for the last 145 days, it has not been able to get tents, water, sanitation supplies, food and education materials into Gaza, where Israel has been at war against Palestinian group Hamas since October 2023 and the United Nations has warned of a worsening hunger crisis. "Hundreds of truckloads have been sitting in warehouses or in Egypt or elsewhere, and costing our Western European donors a lot of money, but they are blocked from coming in… That's why we are so angry. Because our job is to help," Egeland said. "Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyse our work," he added. Cogat, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, said in a statement that Israel does not restrict aid trucks entering Gaza, but international organisations face challenges in collecting the trucks on the Gaza side of border crossings. Israel is working with the groups to improve the system, Cogat said, adding that more than 4,500 aid trucks carrying food for the UN and international organisations have entered the enclave in the last two months. Many truckloads were still waiting to be picked up. Cogat said 950 shipments were on the Gaza sides of "the Kerem Shalom Crossing in the southern side of the Strip, and the Zikim Crossing in the northern part, pending collection and distribution". Cogat has accused Hamas of stealing food, which Hamas denies. The NRC said its supplies of safe drinking water were running out due to dwindling fuel to run desalination plants. The water has reached 100,000 people in central and northern parts of Gaza in recent weeks An Israeli official told Reuters that the UN has been given approval to bring in half a million liters of fuel. "They're bringing in fuel and collecting, but they can bring in and they can collect more, and we are having discussions with them," the official said. [[nid:719739]]
