Latest news with #JorgeMoreiradaSilva
Malaysia Sun
23-07-2025
- Health
- Malaysia Sun
UN humanitarians warn last lifelines collapsing in Gaza
Amid the continuing hostilities, UN aid depots were destroyed, relief workers' residences and the hungry seeking food were fired on, and some starving people were reportedly collapsing in the streets. UNITED NATIONS, July 22 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians on Tuesday warned about the situation in Gaza, describing it as "the collapse of the last lifelines keeping people alive." They reported that amid the continuing hostilities, UN aid depots were destroyed, relief workers' residences and the hungry seeking food were fired on, and some starving people were reportedly collapsing in the streets. Local health authorities reported that in just the past 24 hours, more than a dozen children and adults died from hunger. Hospitals have received people with severe exhaustion caused by a lack of food, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "This is on top of continued reports of people being shot, killed or injured while simply trying to find food -- food that is only being allowed into Gaza in quantities that are far too small," OCHA said. The office said local authorities report that hospitals are overwhelmed, and some facilities reported a shortage of intravenous fluids. Due to a lack of fuel, the Nasser Medical Complex and the oxygen unit supplying hospitals in southern Gaza are at risk of shutting down. UN facilities in Deir al-Balah were struck even though their locations were shared with relevant parties to the conflict, said the humanitarians. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the agency's operations were compromised by the destruction of a warehouse, located within the evacuation zone, and an attack on a facility sheltering staff and their families. The attack fits a broader pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities, said the WHO, and in a statement, the agency strongly condemned the attack and demanded continuous protection of its staff and the immediate release of the detained staff member. Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), reported that the UNOPS premises in Deir al-Balah were also hit, causing structural damage, cutting off power from both their generator and solar panels, and leaving the site with no running water. He said it is the same location that was hit by tank fire in March, which killed a UNOPS staffer. OCHA said the teams tracking population movements were affected and unable to report on the families displaced from Deir al-Balah. Some have been newly displaced, while others came under heavy bombardment and faced communication blackouts due to cable damage. According to the office, 88 percent of Gaza is either subject to displacement orders or located within Israeli militarized zones. The remaining 12 percent is already overcrowded and underserved. The UN hub for humanitarian operations remains in Deir al-Balah, with staff spread across dozens of premises, all of which have shared coordinates with relevant parties to the conflict, said OCHA.
Sky News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
IDF admits responsibility for deadly attack on UN building last month
The Israeli military has admitted its troops were behind the deadly shelling of a UN guest house in Gaza last month, after previously denying responsibility. On 19 March, the building in Deir al Balah belonging to the UN's Office for Project Services (UNOPS) was attacked, killing a Bulgarian UN staff member and injuring six other international workers. The picture below shows the damage sustained by the building, with a large hole in one wall. The UN said the building was fired on by an Israeli tank, an allegation that the Israeli military previously denied. In a statement today, 24 April, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) admitted that one of its tanks had struck the building and said it had passed preliminary findings to UN representatives. "The building was struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility," the statement says. "We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the family." At the time of the attack, however, UNOPS chief Jorge Moreira da Silva said that Israel knew the location of the building and who was working there. "This was not an accident," he said. Sky News understands that the IDF had been previously informed that the building belonged to the UN, and that this is being investigated by the IDF. The admission of responsibility comes as Israel is under increasing pressure over the deaths of aid workers in Gaza. Sky News reported last month that attacks on aid workers had risen to the highest level in almost a year. 2:43 Israel has faced particular criticism over its troops' killing of 15 unarmed aid workers on 23 March, and the subsequent decision to bury their bodies in a mass grave. The IDF said that its investigation into the attack on the UN guest house is still ongoing, and that the full results would be presented to the UN. The UN has been approached for comment. The IDF declined to comment when approached by Sky News. 19:54
Egypt Today
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
2 French nationals ‘seriously wounded' in Israeli airstrikes on UN buildings in Gaza
CAIRO – 21 March 2025: France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs reported on Friday that two French nationals employed by the United Nations were 'seriously wounded' in Israeli airstrikes on several buildings housing UN personnel in Gaza. The ministry expressed France's distress and condemned the attack, while praising the 'enormous courage' of humanitarian workers in assisting civilian populations in Gaza and across the world, risking their lives. An Israeli airstrike on a UN headquarters in central Gaza City on Wednesday killed a foreign national and injured five other foreign UN workers, according to the Gaza health ministry. The victims were transferred to Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital in Central Gaza's Deir Al-Balah. This attack is part of an extensive military strikes launched by Israeli forces early Tuesday in Gaza, shattering a ceasefire that had lasted nearly two months and paused a war that has claimed over 49,600 Palestinian lives since 2023. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services, stated, 'Israel knew that this was a UN premises, that people were living, staying and working there, it is a compound. It is a very well-known place." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation, noting that at least 280 UN workers have been killed since the war began in Gaza.
Dubai Eye
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
After airstrikes, Israel says it has launched new ground operation in Gaza
The Israeli military said on Wednesday its forces resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as a second day of airstrikes killed at least 48 Palestinians, according to local health workers. The renewed ground operations came a day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023, shattering a ceasefire that has largely held since January. The Israeli military said its operations extended Israel's control over the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza, and were a "focused" manoeuvre aimed at creating a partial buffer zone between the north and the south of the enclave. Hamas said the ground operation and the incursion into the Netzarim Corridor were a "new and dangerous violation" of the two-month-old ceasefire agreement. In a statement, the group reaffirmed its commitment to the deal and called on mediators to "assume their responsibilities". The United Nations said a strike killed a foreign staffer and wounded five workers at a UN site in central Gaza City on Wednesday. Gaza's health ministry attributed the strike to Israel, but Israel denied this, saying it hit a Hamas site where it detected preparations for firing into Israeli territory. Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the UN Office for Project Services, said: "Israel knew that this was UN premises, that people were living, staying and working there, it is a compound. It is a very well-known place." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation and condemned all attacks on UN personnel. In a statement he said the strike brought to at least 280 the number of UN colleagues killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. In Sofia, the foreign ministry said a Bulgarian working for the UN died on Wednesday in Gaza, citing preliminary information. Israel, which has vowed to eradicate Hamas, said on Tuesday that its latest onslaught in Gaza was "just the beginning". Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching the truce, which had offered a respite for Gaza's 2.3 million residents after 17 months of war reduced the enclave to rubble and forced most of its population to evacuate multiple times. The Israeli campaign has killed more than 49,000 people in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say, and caused a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, fuel and water. Israel has accused Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas denies this and accuses Israel of indiscriminate bombings.
Egypt Today
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Israeli forces resume Gaza ground operations after airstrikes shattered ceasefire, killed hundreds
A file photo of Israeli soldiers in Gaza - WAFA CAIRO – 20 March 2025: The Israeli military announced on Wednesday the resumption of ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, extending to the Netzarim Corridor that bisects Gaza. The renewed operations follow waves of Israeli airstrikes that have battered Gaza over the past 48 hours, killing Hamas officials alongside hundreds of individuals across the enclave, the majority of whom are women and children. According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 436 people have been killed, including 183 children and 94 women, raising the total death toll since the start of the Israeli war in October 2023 to over 49,500. On Wednesday, Israeli attacks also struck a UN site in central Gaza City, killing a foreign staff member and injuring five other foreign workers, according to the ministry. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services, stated, 'Israel knew that this was a UN premises, that people were living, staying and working there, it is a compound. It is a very well-known place." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation, noting that at least 280 UN workers have been killed since the war began in Gaza. DIVIDING GAZA The Israeli army indicated that the new ground operations aim to establish a partial buffer zone between the northern and southern parts of Gaza. Hamas condemned these moves, holding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fully responsible for the repercussions of the ground incursion into the Netzarim Corridor. The Palestinian movement warned that this action constitutes 'a new and dangerous violation of the signed ceasefire agreement.' On Tuesday, Israel shattered a ceasefire with Hamas that had been in place since January 19, resuming airstrikes and interrupting ongoing negotiations regarding the future of the agreement. Under the first phase of the agreement, which expired on March 1, Hamas released 30 living captives and the bodies of eight of the deceased in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas expressed readiness to free all remaining captives in one go if Israel agrees to end the war, as stipulated by the second phase of the agreement, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US. However, Israel has avoided transitioning to this phase, opting instead to call for an extension of the expired first phase to facilitate the release of additional captives in exchange for continued delivery of aid into Gaza without the obligation to end the war. Hamas stated it will not release more captives except under the second phase, leading Israel to cut humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which is facing alarming levels of hunger, as well as to cut off power supply to the enclave. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a "last warning" to Gaza on Wednesday, demanding the return of the remaining hostages or facing 'total destruction and devastation.' Hamas still holds 59 captives in Gaza, including at least 22 believed to be alive. In remarks on Tuesday evening, Netanyahu asserted that Israeli forces will strike Hamas with "increasing force," stating that future ceasefire talks, facilitated by mediators, will "only take place under fire." Hamas said the recent Israeli strikes have overturned the ceasefire agreement, blaming Washington for the 'massacres and killings of women and children in Gaza' due to the US's 'unlimited political and military support' for the Israeli government. The US State Department blamed the resumption of war in Gaza on Hamas, highlighting a US-crafted 'bridge' proposal for a ceasefire extension in exchange for the return of captives. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a Fox News interview that Israel consulted President Donald Trump's administration before launching the airstrikes on Gaza. 'As President Trump has made clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, and all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,' she remarked.
