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Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland to oversee medical evacuations of sick and injured children from Gaza
Ireland will oversee two or three more medical evacuations of sick and injured children from Gaza as part of its promise to treat 30 paediatric patients from the war-torn territory. The Department of Health expects 18 more Palestinian children to be airlifted with parents or carers in the autumn to receive urgent medical care following two successful evacuations from Gaza through Egypt, and on to Ireland, last December and May. The department said: 'We anticipate that a further two or three medical evacuations will be carried out over the coming months to ensure we deliver on our commitment to receive and treat 30 paediatric patients and provide support to their families here in Ireland. 'To date, we have had two successful medical evacuations with 12 paediatric patients medically evacuated with 12 mothers/carers and 21 family members accompanying the patient.' Ireland is among 10 EU countries to accept medical evacuations from Gaza. Turkey has accepted nearly half of all patients from the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The World Health Organisation said in a statement this week up to 14,800 people in Gaza are estimated to require urgent medical evacuation for multiple reasons, ranging from cancer and other chronic diseases to conflict-related injuries. They added: 'This number has been steadily rising in recent weeks.' Relatives of Palestinians, who lost loved ones following Israeli attacks on various parts of residential areas, mourn after they are being brought to the morgue of the al-Shifa Hospital for their funeral process in Gaza City, Gaza on June 17, 2025 (Image: Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images) Ireland is among 16 countries in the European region, which cover 53 states, that have accepted 919 patients from Gaza since October 2023. A WHO/Europe spokesperson said: 'Turkey has so far accepted the lion's share, taking in 433 patients, followed by Italy (187) and Uzbekistan (100). 'Our records show Ireland has accepted 14 patients thus far, though we are aware of the intention to receive more patients.' They added that WHO continues to advocate for increased evacuations. They said: 'But it depends on EU Member States and other host countries accepting more patients, and ongoing logistical and security challenges to ensure the safe movement and transportation of patients. 'WHO has put in place the necessary logistical arrangements within Gaza to increase the number of medical evacuations should there be an increase in offers from receiving countries and security clearance from the Israeli government. 'WHO regional director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, has been strongly advocating for member states to scale up medical evacuations in line with humanitarian and health principles.' Hamdi Al-Najjar is visited by his brother, Ali Al-Najjar, and two nieces, Samah Al-Najjar (L) and Sahar Al-Najjar (R), while in the intensive care unit at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, after an Israeli airstrike hit his home (Image: Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images) The Department of Health in Ireland said it is 'not aware of any request made by the WHO or other agencies for Ireland to take more patients than originally agreed'. They said the Ministry of Health in Gaza has the primary role of selecting patients for medical evacuation overseas. The statement added: 'WHO is present on the ground in Gaza and is coordinating evacuations of patients through Egypt and other third countries to EU participating Member States. 'Ireland opts into this response on a case-by-case basis for each child who requires treatment, subject to the available capacity. 'The patients to be selected for treatment in Ireland must be minors, ie under 17 years of age. 'In line with these procedures, the health service in Ireland assesses requests for medical evacuation from the WHO-approved list and, where suitable, makes offers of medical evacuation to Ireland, subject to release of required documentation by the health services in Egypt. 'The offers are then required to be accepted by the patients/carers before medical evacuation.' (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images) The Irish Red Cross, contracted by the Department of Health, provides accommodation and wraparound caseworker support to families brought to Ireland under the Gaza medical evacuation programme. Working alongside Children's Health Ireland, they help families access healthcare, social services, schools, and English classes. They have also recruited Arabic-speaking caseworkers to assist with daily needs, including private hospital transport. Six Gazan families whose children are medically stable will relocate from Dublin to the North West. This follows months of consultation, while families of children who require ongoing specialist treatment will remain in Dublin. According to the Red Cross, the CHI coordination team has worked closely with hospitals to ensure continuity of care while providing transport for specialist appointments in Dublin. The new accommodation is designed to keep families together while placing them close to medical, educational and community services – including halal food outlets and places of worship – all within walking distance. A Department of Health spokesperson said: 'Ireland has already carried out two successful medical evacuations of 12 paediatric patients out of the commitment of up to 30 paediatric patients from Gaza. Two of the accompanying adult family members of these children were also on the WHO-approved list, bringing Ireland's total to 14 patients on the WHO list.' Palestinians walk during the evacuation of the Jabalia refugee camp and the Sheikh Radwan and Abu Iskandar neighborhoods in the northern Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territories between Israel and Hamas (Image: Mahmoud Issa/Quds Net News via ZUMA Press Wire) They added: 'The current focus of the Department and all relevant authorities is to prepare for the next medical evacuation of paediatric patients from Gaza and accompanying family members through Egypt. We know from experience of two previous medical evacuations that preparation and planning is critical to the success of these complex medical evacuations.' In relation to the number of medical evacuations carried out by Ireland, they said: 'Over 220 patients and over 500 companions have been evacuated under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to 11 Member States (Belgium, Germany, Greece, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania and Slovakia) and three UCPM Participating States (Albania, Norway, Türkiye) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and Egyptian, Israeli and Jordanian authorities. Three countries have evacuated over 30 patients, four have evacuated between 10 and 30 patients, including Ireland, and four countries have evacuated between one and nine patients under the UCPM mechanism.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Examiner
26-07-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
A week in hell: 'There are no safe zones in Gaza, only graveyards waiting for names'
If you've ever had a child who's had a night terror, you'll understand the trauma of watching your kid dissolve into an abyss from which you, their protector, are unable to rescue them. The only solace as a parent is the realisation - one that only comes with experience - that the night terror will pass. The violence within them will leave, and miraculously, they will return to a deep sleep, later waking with no recollection of what disturbed them. For over 21 months we have watched as the worst kind of terror has been visited upon children in Gaza. The terror of bombs falling on their heads while they lie asleep. The terror of their tents being incinerated. The terror of abandonment. Of being orphaned and maimed and dismembered. And now, the terror of forced starvation. A slow and insidious terror that reduces their frail little bodies to skeletons and their eyes to empty fishbowls. Their stomachs to vats of bile. Palestinians gather to receive hot meals distributed by a charity organization in Gaza City on Wednesday. For over 21 months we have watched as the worst kind of terror has been visited upon children in Gaza. Photo: Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images Unlike the night-terror which wakes our children, the only logical conclusion to the terror Palestinian children face is death. That they face that death while millions of tonnes of food and aid lie rotting in the summer sun just miles from where they starve is a stain on humanity no political posturing will ever scrub off. The sick irony is that, even if that aid was allowed in today, the bodies of these tiny children have been so starved and exposed to disease that a sudden re-feeding could do more harm than good. The physiological and physiological trauma they have been exposed to will affect them for however long they live. Based on the evidence presented to us every day this week, that may not be very long. The last seven days have been amongst the most devastating for the people of Gaza. Israeli airstrikes have increased, along with demolitions of the last urban areas by the IDF. The number of people killed while queuing for what little aid is available passed 1,000. This has been seven days from hell from which Gaza - and our collective consciences - may never recover. July 17 Gaza Health Ministry reports 94 Palestinian bodies arriving in hospitals within 24 hours, bringing the estimated death toll to about 58,667 since October 2023. Last month, the Lancet medical journal concluded that the actual Gaza death toll was likely being under-reported by as much as 41%. Amongst the dead were five civilians killed at the Holy Family Church, a site frequently mentioned by the late Pope Francis in his prayers. The damaged facade of the Holy Family Church a day after it was hit in an Israeli strike in Gaza City last week which killed three in the besieged Palestinian territory's only Catholic church. Photo: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images Media reports that a kilo of rice is costing as much as $40, and a kilo of sugar $100. Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported that they had enough food for the entire population of Gaza for three months stockpiled outside the Strip, but Israel continued to deny its entry. The agency said: The suffering in Gaza is manmade and must be stopped. Israel's government responded to starvation allegations by claiming 'it is Hamas that is causing the suffering,' not Israel. In response, the WHO and UN reported over 1,000 Palestinian deaths in attempts to access food since May. As ceasefire talks continued in Doha, the Bogota Summit concluded in Columbia with 30 countries announcing they had taken steps to 'end Israel's era of impunity'. Palestine's ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour called it a 'turning point', while Brazil joined South Africa's case at the ICJ on charges of genocide. July 18 According to local health officials, 15 Palestinians — three of them children — died of starvation within 24 hours, including a six-week-old infant. WHO statistics report 21 children under five have died this year from malnutrition as starvation rates surge amid almost non-existent aid delivery thanks to Israeli denial of access. Media and humanitarian agencies operating in Gaza report that they are suffering the same food deprivation, with journalists dangerously weakened and nearly unable to report. Hamas reiterated that no interim truce would be possible without addressing a broader permanent ceasefire; they previously offered to release all hostages if an overall deal is reached. Genocide scholar Omer Bartov publicly described the situation as genocide in a New York Times op ed, saying 'systematic infrastructure destruction, forced population shifts…and rhetoric by Israeli leaders' meets legal criteria. July 19 Israeli military forces targeted and destroyed 90 installations across Gaza, including civilian infrastructure in the north and Gaza City. Deadly aid-line shootings continue; At least 36 people were shot and killed by Israeli fire while walking toward an aid distribution site near Khan Younis, with witnesses saying no warning was given. Death continues to fall from the sky as well as being fired from the ground - an Israeli strike hit an apartment in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing nine, including an infant and a child, while another strike in Az Zawayda killed the local police chief of Nuseirat and 11 of his relatives. Starvation deaths mount, with health officials confirming a 15-person spike in over 24 hours, among them three children. A Palestinian girl looks on as others clear debris from a makeshift displacement tent camp which was hit by Israeli strikes last week at the UNRWA-run Abou Helou school for girls in the central Gaza Strip. Photo: Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images The UN's World Food Programme warned Gaza is on the brink of 'catastrophic hunger', with aid access severely restricted, despite it being immediately available for distribution. WHO confirms a deadly surge of malnutrition: 21 children under five have died in 2025 as aid routes remain practically non-functional. Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders for central Gaza (southwest Deir al Balah), an area where many displaced Palestinians—and, yes, possibly hostages—are sheltering. Aid agencies reiterate their warnings of hundreds at imminent risk of death by starvation. July 20 Sixty-seven Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces while waiting for UN aid trucks in northern Gaza, with another six killed near a southern distribution point, totalling at least 73 deaths in a single day. The UN World Food Programme condemned the slaughter, decrying it as unacceptable and warning that such incidents endanger its staff and innocent civilians, as well as threatening ceasefire negotiations. Israel defended the actions of its soldiers, claiming them to be under 'immediate threat.' Countless eye-witness testimony and video footage contradict the claim. Israeli activists take part in a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, last week against the war in the Gaza Strip, Israel's measures regarding food distribution and the forced displacement of Palestinians. Photo: AP/Ohad Zwigenberg As another aid-line massacre unfolded, the IDF issued new evacuation directives for central Gaza areas, particularly Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. These orders exacerbated the plight of already displaced residents, aggravating the humanitarian crisis amid exports of famine and violence. Al Jazeera reported a four-year-old girl died of malnutrition on this date, underscoring the starvation crisis among Gaza's most vulnerable. WHO and aid groups describe malnutrition and hunger as reaching 'hellish' levels, with hospitals overwhelmed, children dying, and rates of severe malnutrition surging to unprecedented levels. All of this as daily temperatures reach over 35 degrees Celsius on the ground. Only a fraction of the required 600 aid trucks enters Gaza daily — only 28 arrive on the 20th — leaving over two million residents, including journalists, facing starvation. July 21 The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 134 Palestinian bodies arriving in Gaza hospitals in the previous 24 hours. Israeli forces launched a fresh offensive in central Gaza, deploying tanks into Deir al-Balah, shelling homes and mosques—killing at least three civilians. Airstrikes targeted Hudaydah Port (in Yemen), claiming Houthi militant infrastructure, and IDF downed a drone inbound to Israel — indicating broader regional tensions. Fifteen Palestinians, including a six-week-old infant, reportedly died of starvation in the last 24 hours — bringing the total starvation-linked deaths to at least 101, with 80 of them children. Reuters highlighted that over 800 people have been killed attempting to access food, often from shootings by Israeli soldiers at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution centres in the previous six weeks. Israeli tanks entered Deir al-Balah despite numerous UN facilities there. WHO reported its staff residence and main warehouse were struck three times, resulting in fire damage and the detention of four staff members (one is still in custody). Men ride in the back of a tricycle cart along Salaheddin road in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip last week. Photo: Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images A coalition of 25 nations, including Ireland, the UK, France and Canada, condemned "inhumane killing of civilians" — particularly near food sites — and demanded an immediate end to the conflict. A separate bloc of 28 countries (including Ireland) signed a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire and recognition that civilian suffering in aid queues has reached unprecedented levels. A statement from 111 humanitarian organizations declared mass starvation sweeping Gaza, highlighting that vital food, water, and medical supplies are being held just outside by absurd Israeli restrictions. WHO and aid groups reported a catastrophic collapse of food aid systems, with severe malnutrition becoming widespread: hospitals being overwhelmed with children dying en masse. The daily grim reality of life in Gaza — infants denigrated to starvation, thousands killed seeking food, and relentless military pressure — continues to be livestreamed by Palestinians. July 22 Newspaper front pages are dominated by a photograph of a starving Palestinian child, Muhammad, who is about 18 months old. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) announced it had completely exhausted its aid supplies - 'our last tent, our last food parcel – gone' and warned that some of its own staff are now starving amid crippling Israeli interference with humanitarian deliveries. The UN estimates that only 28 trucks per day are entering Gaza — well below the 600 needed — leaving 2.2 million people, including NGOs and journalists, facing acute deprivation. 'Six -week-old Yousef's lifeless body lay limp on a hospital table in Gaza city,' reported Reuters, 'his skin over protruding ribs.' The little boy was one of 15 people to starve to death over a 36-hour period." Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, a 18-month-old child faces life-threatening malnutrition as the humanitarian situation worsens due to ongoing Israeli attacks and blockade. Having dropped from nine to six kilograms, he struggles to survive in a tent in Gaza City, where milk, food, and other basic necessities are lacking. Photo: Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu via Getty Images Further videos and reports expose aid distribution zones — run by the US-linked Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — as 'death traps', with militarised settings and live fire resulting in over 1,000 deaths since May. UN officials from WFP and UNRWA confirm systematic killings of people simply trying to reach food — fuelling global outrage and accusations of inhumane instrumentation of mass starvation. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said Gaza is enduring man-made mass starvation, citing an Israeli blockade that leaves essential aid just outside its borders. All the while, UNRWA, WHO, and other NGOs on the ground report operational staff collapsing from hunger and exhaustion while on duty — underscoring the disintegration of humanitarian work. Over 100 aid organisations, including MSF, Save the Children, and Oxfam, once again warn that Gaza is facing 'mass starvation' and call for open crossings and unobstructed aid access. July 23 A coalition of 111 aid and rights organizations — including MSF, Oxfam, Save the Children, and the Norwegian Refugee Council — issued a joint appeal, calling for unrestricted access, open border crossings, and the removal of military-controlled aid systems. They again warn that staff are now collapsing from hunger while distributing food. Gaza's Health Ministry reported at least 10 additional starvation deaths in the past 24 hours (bringing the total to 111), including four children, and highlighted the few remaining health facilities as being grossly overwhelmed. Asked for comment, a White House official says Hamas is to blame for the deaths. Residential bombardments continued: an Israeli air raid killed the Al Shaer family (including a journalist and her five children) while they slept. The same day, Israeli forces targeted 120 "terror infrastructure" sites, resulting in over 100 civilian deaths. July 24 Gaza health officials reported two more deaths from famine and malnutrition within 24 hours, bringing the total to at least 113 starvation-linked fatalities, including many children. The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed these figures, highlighting the tragic daily increase. Israeli forces conducted fresh air and ground operations across central and southern Gaza, resulting in at least 41 Palestinian civilian deaths since dawn until now. Hamas has submitted a new response to mediator-proposed ceasefire and hostage-release terms. Israel has deemed parts of the deal 'workable' but remains publicly dubious while the proposal undergoes review. A joint media statement from BBC, AFP, AP, Reuters, and others warned that journalists in Gaza are facing starvation, with many unable to eat or work. They urged Israeli authorities to facilitate their movement and food access. Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Photo: AP/Jehad Alshrafi The statement marks another depressing departure: media that had heretofore failed to be editorially critical of Israel finally - after likely 100,000 deaths in 21 months - chose to speak out. And even then, their words have so far been greeted by even more killings. The WHO's Tedros once again emphasised 'man-made mass starvation' in Gaza due to the effective blockade, with 10% of the population malnourished and over 5,100 children admitted to malnutrition programmes this month. Philippe Lazzarini of UNRWA described Gazans as 'walking corpses' and noted 6,000 aid trucks are sitting unused outside Gaza due to Israeli restrictions. In Ireland, Simon Harris issued a press release saying: 'The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths of despair and misery. Mass starvation is now spreading across the population. People are dying every day from lack of food and medicines. Children are starving before our eyes. Hundreds have been killed while trying to collect what little food is available. 'Ireland calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Israel must lift its blockade and allow the full resumption of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza. 'All hostages must be released by Hamas and returned to their families. UN and other humanitarian organisations must be allowed to do their work.' It came weeks after Aljazeera reported that 'Ireland was the largest buyer of Israeli integrated circuits in 2024, importing some $3bn billion worth of electronic integrated circuits and micro-assemblies.' The same report listed Ireland as second only to the United States as the biggest importers of Israeli products last year, globally. There is no normal We scarcely needed reminding, but if the last seven days taught us anything, it is that there is no normal in Gaza anymore. Only starvation, dust, the smell of blood and the terror of children. Water comes from rusted pipes; food, if it arrives at all, from the sky, wrapped in plastic and desperation. Burst bags of flour inseparable from the sand. Airdrops that feed one while food queues are a death sentence. And everywhere, children who no longer cry — because their bodies have forgotten how. The world knows what's happening. The figures are public, the footage relentless. UN officials say famine is being used as a weapon. Aid workers collapse from exhaustion and hunger. Journalists — the last witnesses — say they cannot report the truth because they are too hungry to hold a camera. Israel, for its part, says it's 'pursuing military objectives.' But buildings don't bleed, and babies are not Hamas. There are no safe zones in Gaza, only graveyards waiting for names. What is happening in Gaza is not a 'conflict'. It is not a 'military operation'. It is not 'complicated'. It is a genocide, slow only because starvation takes longer than a bomb. Read More UN agency says staff fainting from hunger as starvation spreads in Gaza
Vox
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Vox
Is anyone going to stop a looming death spiral in Gaza?
covers politics Vox. She first joined Vox in 2019, and her work has also appeared in Politico, Washington Monthly, and the New Republic. Palestinians carrying pans gather to receive hot meals, distributed by a charity organization in Gaza City, where residents are struggling to access food due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and attacks on July 23, 2025. Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images Gaza is on the brink of a mass starvation crisis, and once it starts, it will be difficult if not impossible to stop. The Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip has faced various levels of food insecurity throughout the war that Israel has waged on the territory since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, fluctuating with the amount of aid Israel has allowed to enter the enclave via checkpoints it controls. In March 2024, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — the primary organization tracking food insecurity worldwide — issued a warning that every resident of Gaza was at risk of crisis levels of food insecurity, and half were at risk of famine. (Crisis levels are reached when a population has 'food consumption gaps alongside acute malnutrition' or is 'only just able to meet their food needs, resorting to crisis coping strategies like selling off essential livelihood assets.' Famine is the most serious form of hunger, involving a complete lack of access to food and resulting starvation and death.) A famine was never officially declared, and food access peaked during the negotiated ceasefire reached in January. In March, Israel cut off all shipments into the Gaza Strip, including food aid, when the ceasefire expired. Israel justified it as a tactical strategy to get Hamas to release more Israeli hostages as part of continuing negotiations. The flow of humanitarian aid has since slowed to a trickle under the purview of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private group backed by the US and Israeli governments. It began operating in May, and is the sole entity that has been allowed to deliver food. Almost one-third of the 2.1 million people remaining in Gaza are not eating for multiple days in a row, according to the United Nations World Food Programme. Israel has also made it treacherous for hungry Gazans to even access food from the GHF. The UN estimates that the Israeli military has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get aid in Gaza since May. There are four GHF distribution centers throughout Gaza, three of which are in areas where the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders, and they are often only open for short periods of time, sometimes spurring crowds to rush to get provisions. After enduring more than 21 months in a war zone with inadequate nutrition, the population of Gaza is worn down, and humanitarian groups say that imminent famine will likely cause many to die — not just from hunger, but also from preventable disease that their bodies can no longer fight off. To understand how Gaza got to this point and what happens next, I spoke with Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, an organization that advocates for humanitarian assistance and protection for displaced people. Our conversation below has been edited for length and clarity. How has access to food in Gaza changed throughout the course of the war? What happened from really almost the start of the war through all of last year was a population that was hovering right at the edge of a starvation emergency, but never quite dipping fully into it. The Israeli government had been hugely restricting aid through January and February of 2024. The warning of potential famine came out in early March [2024], and then they subsequently allowed a great deal more aid in in April, and the situation improved. Some of the concessions that the Israelis then made in late March into April, and somewhat beyond that, really did make a meaningful difference. And then the Rafah offensive started in May, and things worsened again after that. The period of the ceasefire [beginning in January 2025] was the best period for aid access since the war began. For six weeks, hundreds of aid trucks were coming in every day. There was relative freedom of movement and freedom of operation for aid organizations who previously had been heavily, heavily constricted by [Israel Defense Forces] operations and permission structures. There was always just enough that would be allowed in to prevent the kind of full-blown famine outcomes that I think we're now beginning to see. Why is the population of Gaza now on the brink of starvation? If you fully cut someone off [from food] when they are otherwise in good health, it's going to take longer for them to deteriorate. If they have spent a year-plus being one step removed from starvation, then they're much more vulnerable. Another shock to their system has the risk to be much, much more damaging. I think that's what we're now seeing, when Israel withdrew from the ceasefire in March and imposed a total, complete, hermetic blockade on Gaza. There was, for a while, enough residual aid that had been brought in during the population could stretch that out and and make do for a while before the deprivation really started to bite again. I would argue what we're seeing is still effectively an extension of that blockade, because the primary aid that Israel has been allowing in is through this Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is not a meaningful factor in terms of the hunger situation in Gaza. The amounts they've been letting in are vanishingly small. This Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is distributing modest amounts of very poor quality aid to, as far as we can tell, a pretty limited number of people: the ones who happen to be able to get to their sites, which is not most of the population. The cost of a bag of flour has gone up from 50 shekels during the ceasefire earlier this year to over 1,700 now. What happens if famine sets in now? When you have a population that is that stressed, whose health has deteriorated that much, or is [already] in such an advanced state of population-level food deprivation and malnutrition, then things can turn bad very rapidly, because there is nothing to stand in the way of starvation. We have seen this kind of a trajectory in other settings before. Once people's coping mechanisms are exhausted, once their food and financial reserves are exhausted, once their bodies are in a very weakened state due to sustained malnutrition over a long period of time, then it doesn't take much to kill someone. It is very hard for your body to fight off disease or survive an injury, or even just survive. In most famines, we see mortality coming from a mix of both outright starvation and opportunistic infections. So people's bodies are greatly weakened, and they can't fight off diseases that would otherwise be very survivable. There is nothing coming on the horizon to improve that situation unless the Israeli government allows the mainstream professional humanitarian community to actually do their fucking jobs, and that is the one thing they will not allow. Famines have a momentum, and the longer that they are allowed to deepen, the harder they are to reverse. You need your standard food aid package distributed at scale. But you also need specialized, fortified food products, because people are in such an advanced state of malnutrition. You need advanced therapeutic malnutrition treatment, because a lot more people are now going to be coming into an advanced state of malnutrition that requires inpatient malnutrition treatment. You need clean water because the food that's being distributed has to be prepared with water. You need fuel so that people can cook the foods. You need medical treatment because many people who die in a famine die of disease, rather than outright starvation. And you need to improve sanitation, because if people do not have good sanitation, that's what allows the spread of waterborne diseases. None of that's possible right now. Why in your view has the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation been so ineffective? A core principle of humanitarian aid delivery is you want to get the aid as close to where the population is as possible. Gaza Humanitarian Foundation inverts that: They make the people come to the aid, rather than bringing the aid to the people. And they make people come to the aid through a deeply insecure territory, past IDF forces, who have been consistently trigger-happy anytime they see a crowd of Palestinians nearby. I and others warned very early on that this was likely to produce massacres, that this model was a recipe for disaster. Another core principle of humanitarian aid is that you must not provide aid in a way that increases the risk to the population. There's a very strongly ingrained ethos of 'do no harm.' This is a 'do harm' ethos, if anything. You're creating a situation where, in order to access aid, you compel people to cross a military perimeter where they are routinely shot at. That is not humanitarianism. Some advocates have suggested that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. Do you agree with that? That's indisputable. It's explicit. They want Hamas to relent, and they see the starvation of the population as a pressure point there. Do you think the US is complicit in that? I think the US is certainly complicit in that. I think even the Biden administration bears a degree of complicity in that, because they put somewhat more pressure on the Israeli government than the Trump administration has. But fundamentally, they tolerated the situation that brought Gaza to this point. They tolerated a year-plus of starvation tactics being used, deprivation and illegal blockade tactics being used, and obstruction of aid, including aid provided by the US government. Rather than taking that on with the Netanyahu government, they did gimmick after gimmick. They did air drops. They did that ridiculous pier operation. It wasn't until nearly the very end of the administration that they sent the formal letter to the Israeli government demanding concrete progress. And then, of course, there was no meaningful progress.
Vox
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Vox
The dire state of Gaza negotiations, briefly explained
Palestinians carrying pots and pans are seen on July 23, 2025, in Gaza City, where residents are struggling to access food due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and attacks. Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is stepping back from ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, even as a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza adds to the urgency of reaching an agreement. What's the latest? The latest round of talks was cut short on Thursday after US and Israeli negotiating teams were recalled from Doha, Qatar. On Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters that 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal' and would be 'hunted down.' What are the sticking points? The specifics are unclear, but US envoy Steve Witkoff accused Hamas of not 'acting in good faith' in negotiations. Previously, Hamas's desire for assurances about a permanent end to the conflict has been an issue for Israel. How have earlier negotiations gone? In January, shortly before Trump took office, Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire, which included the release of Israeli hostages and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza. The deal unraveled two months later, in March, and conditions in Gaza have only grown worse since then. The Logoff The email you need to stay informed about Trump — without letting the news take over your life. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. What's happening in Gaza right now? Gaza is home to more than 2 million Palestinians living in the most dire circumstances imaginable; the World Food Program said this week that a third of the population has been unable to eat for multiple days in a row, and children are dying of starvation. More than 1,000 Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli troops while attempting to access food aid in recent months, according to the UN. What's the big picture? If the Trump administration so chose, there's almost certainly more the US could do to incentivize Israel to reach a ceasefire deal, or at least allow more aid to be distributed in a way that doesn't further endanger Palestinian lives. But the collapse of negotiations this week suggests no such effort is coming, even as Gaza totters on the brink of famine. And with that, it's time to log off… Hi readers — this was a bleak way to end the week, and it can be hard to know what to put here that doesn't feel grossly inadequate. But let's end with some straightforwardly good (and fluffy) conservation news.
Express Tribune
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Israel bombs Gaza City after issuing new evacuation orders
The school was destroyed in the attack along with tents sheltering displaced Palestinians [Khames Alrefi/Anadolu] Listen to article Israel carried out dozens of air strikes on Gaza on Monday, targeting Gaza City and its eastern districts, after ordering fresh evacuations, which have raised concerns of a renewed offensive. At least 27 Palestinians were killed across the enclave, including 10 people seeking food aid who were struck while gathering near a distribution warehouse in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood, according to Gaza health officials. Al-Ahli Hospital confirmed the deaths and said others were wounded in the blast. People collect their belongings from the rubble at Yafa School after the Israeli attack. Photo: Anadolu Agency Two more Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed near an aid distribution point in southern Rafah, medical staff at Nasser Medical Complex told Al Jazeera. Among the buildings hit was the Yafa School in the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City, which was destroyed in a direct strike. The school had also been sheltering displaced families, according to local sources. Read: Turkey spy chief talks Gaza truce with Hamas leader Yafa School is located in the Tuffah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City. Photo: Anadolu Agency Israel intensified its assault on northern Gaza after issuing forced evacuation orders. Photo: Anadolu Agency Ceasefire in Gaza Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is visiting Washington, DC on Monday, is expected to face pressure to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Gaza Strip, according to reports in the Israeli press. The Times of Israel cited sources as saying that the remaining sticking points in achieving a ceasefire include the Palestinian group Hamas's demand for a permanent end to the war, as opposed to Israel's efforts to secure a temporary ceasefire that leaves open the option for it to resume fighting. Read more: Israeli soldiers ordered to shoot at unarmed aid seekers in Gaza: report They also said that Hamas is demanding a return to old mechanisms for distributing humanitarian aid or the establishment of a new system to replace the current one managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a proposition backed by Arab mediators. Israel says GHF, an Israeli and US-backed private mechanism, is essential in preventing the diversion of aid by Hamas, but it has forced Gazans to walk long distances in order to pick up food while also crossing Israeli army lines, coming under deadly fire on a near-daily basis, the Times of Israel reported. Israel's Haaretz newspaper, citing senior White House officials, reported that senior officials from US President Donald Trump's team will pressure Dermer to reach an agreement on 'ending the attacks on Gaza and returning the remaining prisoners'. It was also reported that US officials would tell Dermer that Israel's insistence on 'eliminating Hamas' would be left for the future. Moreover, Egypt's foreign minister said Sunday evening that his country is working on a new Gaza deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some Israeli hostages and the rapid entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave. 'We're working toward a durable solution and a permanent ceasefire,' Badr Abdelatty said in a televised interview with the local OnTV television. He said the proposal is a joint effort by Egypt, Qatar and the US and represents 'a first step' toward a sustainable ceasefire. 'What's on the table now is a 60-day truce in exchange for the release of a number of Israeli hostages and the swift delivery of aid to Gaza, including medical supplies,' he added. This move, the top diplomat said, 'would create momentum to move toward a lasting ceasefire, eventually leading to the implementation of the Jan. 19 agreement'. 'There is an American vision and understanding of the importance of including guarantees in any upcoming agreement to ensure the sustainability of a ceasefire,' he said. Egypt, Qatar and the US brokered on January 19 a three-phased ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The agreement was intended to ultimately bring an end to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.
