Latest news with #JohnnieMoore
Vox
a day ago
- Politics
- Vox
The spin master in charge of feeding Gaza
The desperate plight of starving Gazans has captured the world's attention. Children are dying of malnutrition. Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to receive aid. The United Nations World Food Program has found that one-third of Gaza's roughly 2.1 million residents are not eating for multiple days in a row. More than 100 international aid organizations — including Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam — signed a letter last week saying that 'restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under [Israel's] total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death.' And more than 30 countries, including Israel's allies, issued a joint statement earlier this month condemning 'the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.' So who is overseeing this disaster? A public relations professional, the Rev. Johnnie Moore, with little experience in humanitarian aid. Moore is the executive chair of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private group backed by Israel and the US. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been controversial since it took over aid distribution in Gaza in May. Its first executive director, Jake Wood, resigned after a few weeks and complained of Israeli interference in their operations. The UN had set up 400 distribution sites in Gaza, but the GHF reduced that to four. The shortage of distribution sites has meant that Gazans walk long distances for food, and often leave empty-handed. Violence has also been prevalent at the aid distribution sites. American contractors armed with live ammunition and stun grenades guard the food alongside Israeli forces, who have opened fire on crowds awaiting aid. Israel denies responsibility and blames Hamas for the violence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that there is 'no starvation' in Gaza. Today, Explained co-host Sean Ramewaram spoke with Arno Rosenfeld, enterprise reporter at The Forward, the largest Jewish news outlet in the United States, about Moore's background and how he's navigating the crisis. Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. There's much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify. Tell us more about the guy who's in charge of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Johnnie Moore. Johnnie Moore is an evangelical leader with a long history in Republican politics. He graduated from Liberty University and then worked in communications for them for a number of years. That's the university founded by Jerry Falwell, a big evangelical mecca in the country. And then he went from that into PR. He was running a boutique PR firm that got acquired recently by a larger firm, and they do work for both Marriott Hotels and also Focus on the Family. It's not exclusively conservative religious causes, but it includes that. And then he's had various roles in the government. So he was an evangelical adviser to President Trump during his first campaign. He prayed with Trump in the White House… Prayed with Trump! Didn't know Trump was a big prayer. Well, he's surrounded himself with these leaders. And Liberty was a big part of burnishing his conservative evangelical bona fides during that first race. So he has a long history there. And Moore held various posts in the government. He was on the committee that the US has to promote religious freedom around the world. So he's traveled around the world to defend the religious liberty of Muslims in China and different groups in different countries in the Middle East. He was involved in some of the diplomatic work with Saudi Arabia with Trump. He met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a number of years ago. So Moore has had long ties to the Trump administration, and now he is in this new role as a humanitarian. Everything makes sense up until '... and now he's in this new role as a humanitarian.' Because, as you're saying here, he's basically a PR guy. How does he go from PR flack in the Trump administration to in charge of maybe one of the most consequential humanitarian missions on the planet? The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a very strange entity, but the most direct answer to your question is that Moore has a long history of supporting Israel, of traveling to Israel. He's deep into the world of Christian Zionism. Of course, a lot of Israel's strongest supporters in the United States are evangelical Christians. And so he comes out of that world and has these ties. And I think for a variety of reasons, when they were looking for someone to take over this organization after the executive director stepped down in May after only a few weeks on the job, they brought Moore in to burnish its reputation. He's been on a big media tour. So he's leaning into his PR expertise in this new role. What's he saying on his big media tour? His argument is basically that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is the victim of conspiracy theories promoted by the United Nations, which wants to hoard all of the aid and the glory for delivering food for themselves. He's also claiming that Hamas is on their own PR tour and has snookered all of these reporters around the world into repeating lies about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. So, basically, GHF is doing great work. They're doing the most Christian thing possible, in his words, feeding people. And unfortunately, the entire international aid community at the behest of the UN and perhaps also Hamas just has it in for them. It's very unfair, but they're not going to let that stop them from doing the Lord's work. What does he have to say about all the dead Palestinians? The dead Palestinians as a result of starvation or as a result of being shot while trying to get food from his organization? The second one. His argument is, again: It's very tragic. They never want anyone to lose their lives. He said that they complain often to the IDF when the IDF shoots at people queuing for aid. He said the IDF has taken responsibility for those incidents. He said Hamas has also attacked GHF employees and Palestinians trying to get aid from GHF, and that Hamas has not taken responsibility for that. He said that more people are being killed trying to get UN and World Food Programme aid than have been killed trying to get his organization's aid. It depends a little bit how you parse the statistics. I don't think that's true, but that's what he's been saying in these public appearances. Is he convincing anyone? One of the things that's important to understand about his role and what the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is intended to do is that there is a segment of Israel supporters in the United States that live in a little bit of an alternate reality. And I think his job is to convince those people that Israel and the United States are not responsible for Palestinian civilians starving in Gaza. So, for example, the piece that I wrote was about him addressing the American Jewish Congress. And his argument to them was basically: Yes, there is a humanitarian crisis. We are doing everything in our power. The United States and Israel are doing the right thing. Unfortunately, all these other aid groups are just letting food rot. He's a charismatic guy. He's good at talking to these audiences. So I do think it's a convincing message for that audience. It's just a very specific audience. Does it tell us something, though, that this is the kind of person that was put at the top of this operation, that it wasn't someone with deep experience in aid, but instead someone who would fight the PR war around the effort? It's another good question because Cindy McCain, John McCain's widow, runs the World Food Programme. So it's not totally unprecedented to have people who have a public profile and political connections in these figurehead roles atop humanitarian organizations. But Cindy McCain, after a lot of pressure, has become increasingly critical of the Israeli government. That's what people thought might happen with GHF. It's not just that Moore has these political connections or that he doesn't have deep expertise in humanitarian aid, but his job is to defend the United States and Israel, which is incredibly unusual. It's not anything that I've seen an aid organization do in the past. Certainly sometimes they speak out politically here or there, but they're not typically primarily promoting what almost seems like a political agenda. And that's a lot of what we've seen Johnnie Moore do, even as he insists the politics are the worst possible thing for humanitarian aid and he doesn't want anything to do with them. A lot of Israel supporters in the United States are liberal. They do care about civilians in Gaza, and they're very alarmed by what they're seeing in the news about starvation in Gaza. And so I think those people desperately want to be reassured that Israel, the Jewish state that they support, is not responsible for mass starvation and civilian suffering in Gaza. And he's presented a very compelling narrative to them. That's a lot of the role that he's playing right now. And I think that he's playing it well.
The Age
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Trucks start moving towards border crossing as Israel airdrops aid on Gaza
The Israeli military 'emphasises that combat operations have not ceased' in Gaza against Hamas, and it asserted there is 'no starvation' in the territory, where most of the population of over 2 million has been displaced into a shrinking area with little infrastructure. The majority of people rely on aid. Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it. The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. Israel has also accused Hamas of stealing aid, however The New York Times reported on Sunday (AEST) that the Israeli military had never found any proof of it systemically doing so. The Times quoted two senior Israeli military officials and two other Israelis involved in the matter. Witness accounts from Gaza have been grim. Some health workers are so weakened by hunger that they put themselves on IV drips to keep treating the badly malnourished. Parents have shown their limp and emaciated children. Wounded men have described desperate dashes for aid under gunfire. It wasn't clear what role the recently created and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — meant as an alternate to the United Nations aid system — might play. GHF chair Johnnie Moore in a statement said the group stood ready to assist. Some aid leaders say the air drops will not be enough, however, to meet the needs of Gaza's population and could prove dangerous. The head of UN Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini, said air drops were 'expensive, inefficient, and can even kill starving civilians' if they do not go to plan. Australians on seized vessel Meanwhile, an activist vessel on which two Australians were on board was also seized by Israeli forces off the coast of Gaza on Sunday morning (AEST). The Handala set off from Italy last week for Gaza with food and other humanitarian aid supplies but was 'violently intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters about forty nautical miles from Gaza', the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said a statement. 'At 11.43 Palestine time, the Occupation cut the cameras on board Handala and we have lost all communication with our ship,' it said in a statement. 'The unarmed boat was carrying life-saving supplies when it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized. The interception occurred in international waters outside Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, in violation of international maritime law.' Livestreamed footage from the boat showed Israeli military personnel on board and crew members sitting down with their hands up. Australians Robert Martin and Tania 'Tan' Safi are among the 21 human rights activists from 12 countries on the boat. Its seizure was confirmed by Israel's foreign ministry, which said it had been intercepted to prevent it 'illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza'. 'The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,' the foreign ministry said. 'All passengers are safe.' Safi posted on social media earlier on Sunday. 'Just in case this is my last post for a while, know that I'm OK. Know that Palestinian children in Gaza are not,' she said. Loading In a later video message, she said: 'I've been abducted and taken against my will by the Israeli military. 'I appeal to everyone to put pressure on the Australian government to sanction Israel, to stop their participation in Israel's war crimes, and to demand my release as well as the release of everyone aboard the Handala as soon as possible.' Another ship on which Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was on board was stopped near Gaza last month and Thunberg was deported by Israel. The Handala was carrying aid including baby formula, diapers, food, and medicine. At least 53 killed Israeli airstrikes and gunshots killed at least 53 people in Gaza overnight and into Saturday, most of them shot dead while seeking aid, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service. Deadly Israeli gunfire was reported twice close to the Zikim crossing with Israel in the north. In the first incident, at least a dozen people waiting for aid trucks were killed, said staff at Shifa hospital, where bodies were taken. Israel's military said it fired warning shots to distance a crowd 'in response to an immediate threat.' A witness, Sherif Abu Aisha, said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from aid trucks, but as they got close, they realised it was Israel's tanks. That's when the army started firing, he told The Associated Press. He said his uncle was among those killed. 'We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed,' he said. On Saturday evening, Israeli forces killed at least 11 people and wounded 120 others when they fired towards crowds who tried to get food from an entering UN convoy, Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa hospital, told the AP. 'We are expecting the numbers to surge in the next few hours,' he said. There was no immediate military comment. AP video showed a group of weary Palestinian men carrying a body along with sacks of flour. They said he was hit by a truck but had no details. 'You die to fetch some food for your children,' said one man, Fayez Abu Riyala, thin and sweating. In the southern city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces shot dead at least nine people trying to get aid entering through the Morag corridor, according to the hospital's morgue records. There was no immediate military comment. Loading Elsewhere, those killed in strikes included four people in an apartment building in Gaza City and at least eight, including four children, in the crowded tent camp of Muwasi in Khan Younis, hospitals said. Turning to airdrops The airdrops were requested by neighbouring Jordan, and a Jordanian official said they mainly will drop food and milk formula. The United Arab Emirates said airdrops would start 'immediately.' Britain said it plans to work with partners to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance. While Israel's army has said it allows aid into the enclave with no limit on the trucks that can enter, the UN says it is hampered by military restrictions on its movements and criminal looting. The Hamas-run police had provided security for aid delivery, but it has been unable to operate after being targeted by airstrikes. Israel on Saturday said more than 250 trucks carrying aid from the UN and other organisations entered Gaza this week. About 600 trucks entered per day during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. Israel faces growing international pressure. More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticising Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. More than 1000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near the new aid sites run by the GHF, an American contractor, the UN human rights office says. The charities and rights groups said their own staff struggled to get enough food. Inside Gaza, children with no preexisting conditions have begun to starve to death. 'We only want enough food to end our hunger,' said Wael Shaaban at a charity kitchen in Gaza City as he tried to feed his family of six. Stalled ceasefire talks Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas were at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday his government was considering 'alternative options' to talks. A Hamas official, however, said negotiations were expected to resume next week and called the delegations' recall a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which mediate alongside the United States, said talks would resume but did not say when. 'Our loved ones do not have time for another round of negotiations, and they will not survive another partial deal,' said Zahiro Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Munder, one of 50 still in Gaza from Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Mor spoke at a weekly rally in Tel Aviv. Loading More than 59,700 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 ministry operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
NBC News
4 days ago
- General
- NBC News
Israel's military says airdrops of aid will begin in Gaza as hunger grows
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel's military announced that airdrops of aid would begin Saturday night in Gaza, and humanitarian corridors will be established for United Nations convoys, after increasing accounts of starvation-related deaths. The statement late Saturday followed months of experts' warnings of famine amid Israeli restrictions on aid. International criticism, including by close allies, has grown as several hundred Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach food distribution sites. The military statement did not say where the airdrops or humanitarian corridors would be. It also said the military is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas. Israel's foreign ministry said late Saturday that the humanitarian pauses would start Sunday in 'civilian centers' along with humanitarian corridors. The military 'emphasizes that combat operations have not ceased' in Gaza against Hamas, and it asserted there is 'no starvation' in the territory, where most of the population of over 2 million has been displaced into a shrinking area with little infrastructure. The majority of people rely on aid. Later, the Israeli military released video footage of what it said were airdrops in coordination with international organizations and led by COGAT, the Israeli defense agency in charge of aid coordination in the Palestinian territory. It said the drop included seven packages of aid containing flour, sugar and canned food. Witness accounts from Gaza have been grim. Some health workers are so weakened by hunger that they put themselves on IV drips to keep treating the badly malnourished. Parents have shown their limp and emaciated children. Wounded men have described desperate dashes for aid under gunfire. The military statement said airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations. It was not clear where they would be carried out. And it wasn't clear what role the recently created and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — meant as an alternate to the U.N. aid system — might play. GHF chair Johnnie Moore in a statement said the group stood ready to assist. Israeli airstrikes and gunshots kille d at least 61 people in Gaza overnight and into Saturday, most of them shot dead while seeking aid, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service. The airdrops were requested by neighboring Jordan, and a Jordanian official said they mainly will drop food and milk formula. The United Arab Emirates said airdrops would start 'immediately.' Britain said it plans to work with partners to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance. But the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that airdrops are 'expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians' and won't reverse the increasing starvation or prevent aid diversion. While Israel's army has said it allows aid into the enclave with no limit on the trucks that can enter, the U.N. says it is hampered by military restrictions on its movements and criminal looting. The Hamas-run police had provided security for aid delivery, but it has been unable to operate after being targeted by airstrikes. Israel on Saturday said over 250 trucks carrying aid from the U.N. and other organizations entered Gaza this week. About 600 trucks entered per day during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. Israel faces growing international pressure. More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near the new aid sites run by the GHF, an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office says. The charities and rights groups said their own staff struggled to get enough food. Inside Gaza, children with no preexisting conditions have begun to starve to death. 'We only want enough food to end our hunger,' said Wael Shaaban at a charity kitchen in Gaza City as he tried to feed his family of six. Meanwhile, an activist boat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition trying to reach Gaza with aid, the Handala, livestreamed video showing Israeli forces boarding around midnight. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X that the navy stopped a vessel it identified as the Navarn from entering Palestinian territorial waters off the Gaza coast. It said the vessel was safely making its way to Israeli shores and all the passengers were safe. 'Unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts,' the ministry said.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Health
- Business Standard
Israeli military says Gaza aid airdrops to begin as hunger grows
Israel's military announced that airdrops of aid would begin Saturday night in Gaza, and humanitarian corridors will be established for United Nations convoys, after increasing accounts of starvation-related deaths. The statement late Saturday followed months of experts' warnings of famine amid Israeli restrictions on aid. International criticism, including by close allies, has grown as several hundred Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach food distribution sites. The military statement did not say where the airdrops or humanitarian corridors would be. It also said the military is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas. Israel's foreign ministry said late Saturday the humanitarian pauses would start Sunday in civilian centres along with humanitarian corridors. The military emphasizes that combat operations have not ceased in Gaza against Hamas, and it asserted there is no starvation in the territory, where most of the population of over 2 million has been displaced into a shrinking area with little infrastructure. The majority of people rely on aid. Witness accounts from Gaza have been grim. Some health workers are so weakened by hunger that they put themselves on IV drips to keep treating the badly malnourished. Parents have shown their limp and emaciated children. Wounded men have described desperate dashes for aid under gunfire. The military statement said airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations. It was not clear where they would be carried out. And it wasn't clear what role the recently created and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation meant as an alternate to the U.N. aid system might play. GHF chair Johnnie Moore in a statement said the group stood ready to assist. Israeli airstrikes and gunshots killed at least 53 people in Gaza overnight and into Saturday, most of them shot dead while seeking aid, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service. Deadly Israeli gunfire was reported twice close to the Zikim crossing with Israel in the north. In the first incident, at least a dozen people waiting for aid trucks were killed, said staff at Shifa hospital, where bodies were taken. Israel's military said it fired warning shots to distance a crowd in response to an immediate threat." A witness, Sherif Abu Aisha, said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from aid trucks, but as they got close, they realized it was Israel's tanks. That's when the army started firing, he told The Associated Press. He said his uncle was among those killed. We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed, he said. On Saturday evening, Israeli forces killed at least 11 people and wounded 120 others when they fired toward crowds who tried to get food from an entering U.N. convoy, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa hospital, told the AP. We are expecting the numbers to surge in the next few hours, he said. There was no immediate military comment. AP video showed a group of weary Palestinian men carrying a body along with sacks of flour. They said he was hit by a truck but had no details. You die to fetch some food for your children, said one man, Fayez Abu Riyala, thin and sweating. In the southern city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces shot dead at least nine people trying to get aid entering through the Morag corridor, according to the hospital's morgue records. There was no immediate military comment. Elsewhere, those killed in strikes included four people in an apartment building in Gaza City and at least eight, including four children, in the crowded tent camp of Muwasi in Khan Younis, hospitals said. The airdrops were requested by neighboring Jordan, and a Jordanian official said they mainly will drop food and milk formula. The United Arab Emirates said airdrops would start immediately. Britain said it plans to work with partners to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance. But the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that airdrops are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians and won't reverse the increasing starvation or prevent aid diversion. While Israel's army has said it allows aid into the enclave with no limit on the trucks that can enter, the U.N. says it is hampered by military restrictions on its movements and criminal looting. The Hamas-run police had provided security for aid delivery, but it has been unable to operate after being targeted by airstrikes. Israel on Saturday said over 250 trucks carrying aid from the U.N. and other organizations entered Gaza this week. About 600 trucks entered per day during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. Israel faces growing international pressure. More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near the new aid sites run by the GHF, an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office says. The charities and rights groups said their own staff struggled to get enough food. Inside Gaza, children with no preexisting conditions have begun to starve to death. We only want enough food to end our hunger, said Wael Shaaban at a charity kitchen in Gaza City as he tried to feed his family of six. Meanwhile, an activist boat trying to reach Gaza with aid, the Handala, livestreamed video showing Israeli forces boarding around midnight. There was no immediate Israeli comment.
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First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Israel announces Gaza aid airdrops, corridors amid international pressure after starvation crisis
Israel announced aid airdrops and UN corridors in Gaza amid growing famine fears and global pressure. The move follows reports of over 50 Palestinians killed while trying to reach food. read more Palestinians gather as they carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, amid a hunger crisis, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 20, 2025. File Image/Reuters Israel's military announced that airdrops of humanitarian aid over Gaza would begin Saturday night, along with new corridors for United Nations convoys, following growing reports of starvation-related deaths in the territory. The announcement came after months of warnings from experts about famine conditions due to Israeli restrictions on aid access. In a statement released late Saturday, the Israeli military said it would also implement 'humanitarian pauses' in densely populated areas, but stressed that combat operations against Hamas would continue. Israel's foreign ministry added that the pauses would begin Sunday in 'civilian centres' alongside the aid corridors. However, the military maintained there is 'no starvation' in Gaza, where over two million people—mostly displaced—are heavily dependent on aid to survive. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The exact locations for the planned airdrops and humanitarian corridors were not specified. The military said the effort would be coordinated with international aid organizations. The newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by Israel, may also play a role. GHF chair Johnnie Moore said the group is ready to assist. The move follows intensifying global criticism—including from Israel's allies—after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in recent weeks while attempting to access food. Witness accounts from Gaza paint a grim picture: health workers too weak from hunger to function, children dying from malnutrition, and people risking their lives under fire in desperate attempts to reach food aid. On Saturday, at least 53 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire, many of them while seeking aid, according to Gaza's health officials and ambulance services. In two incidents near the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on crowds waiting for aid trucks. At least a dozen were killed in one of the incidents, according to staff at Gaza's Shifa hospital. The military claimed it fired warning shots in response to an 'immediate threat.' A witness, Sherif Abu Aisha, described how people mistook an incoming light for aid trucks, only to discover it was Israeli tanks. 'We went because there is no food … and nothing was distributed,' he said, adding that his uncle was among the dead. Later that evening, Israeli troops reportedly fired at another crowd gathered around a U.N. aid convoy, killing at least 11 and injuring 120, according to Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa hospital. The death toll was expected to rise. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD AP footage from the scene showed men carrying a body and sacks of flour. 'You die to fetch some food for your children,' said one man, Fayez Abu Riyala, visibly exhausted and sweating. In southern Gaza's Khan Younis, Israeli forces reportedly shot and killed nine people trying to access aid via the Morag corridor. There was no immediate military comment. Elsewhere, Israeli airstrikes killed four people in a Gaza City apartment and eight—including four children—in a tent camp in Muwasi, according to hospitals. The aid airdrops were requested by Jordan and are expected to include food and baby formula. The UAE said its airdrops would begin 'immediately,' while the UK announced plans to support airdrops and evacuate children needing medical care. However, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warned that airdrops are 'expensive, inefficient, and can even kill starving civilians,' and will not address the root of the starvation crisis or prevent aid from being diverted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While the Israeli army claims it is not limiting the number of trucks entering Gaza, the UN says military restrictions and lawlessness on the ground are hampering delivery. Hamas police, once responsible for securing aid convoys, have been largely wiped out by airstrikes. According to Israel, more than 250 aid trucks entered Gaza this week. That's far below the approximately 600 trucks that crossed daily during a ceasefire that ended in March. International pressure on Israel continues to build. Over 25 Western-aligned nations and more than 100 aid and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, criticizing the blockade and Israel's new aid delivery model. The UN human rights office says more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach aid since May—many near the newly established GHF distribution sites. Even aid workers are struggling to secure food. Inside Gaza, malnourished children with no prior health issues have started dying from hunger. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'All we want is enough food to stop starving,' said Wael Shaaban at a charity kitchen in Gaza City, where he was trying to feed his family of six. Meanwhile, an activist boat named Handala attempting to deliver aid to Gaza livestreamed video of Israeli forces boarding it around midnight. Israeli authorities have not commented on the incident.
