Latest news with #Lazzarini
Middle East Eye
7 hours ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Israel kills 27 Palestinians in latest mass killing of aid seekers
Israeli forces killed 27 Palestinians on Tuesday as they attempted to reach a US aid distribution site in Rafah, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Crowds had gathered early in the al-Alam area, west of Rafah, seeking basic food supplies from the scandal-plagued Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), amid worsening, famine-like conditions in the Gaza Strip. Israeli artillery and warplanes then targeted civilians, eyewitnesses told Wafa news agency. The killings mark the latest in a string of Israeli attacks on Palestinians seeking aid at newly established GHF-run distribution points. At least 102 Palestinians have been killed and over 490 wounded in similar attacks over the past eight days since the initiative's launch, according to the Gaza-based Government Media Office. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "The so-called 'aid' distribution centres, situated in exposed and perilous red zones controlled by the occupying forces, have become bloodbaths. Starving civilians are lured there due to the crippling famine and tight siege," the office said in a statement. "They are then deliberately and coldly shot, a scene that exposes the true malice of the operation and its real objectives." The office described these actions as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, calling for immediate global action and an investigation into the latest Israeli assaults. "The continuation of these crimes, amid shameful international silence, is a stain on humanity and proves that the occupation continues to perpetrate the most heinous forms of genocide under the world's gaze, without deterrence or accountability," the statement concluded. 'Death trap' Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), on Monday called the new Israeli-US aid initiative a "humiliating system" that has put civilians at risk, with relief distribution becoming a "death trap". Lazzarini indicated that the new scheme requires hunger-stricken Palestinians to walk long - and often dangerous - distances to reach aid centres which are often limited to just three or four areas. "Aid deliveries and distribution must be at scale and safe. In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including Unrwa. The State of Israel must lift the siege and allow the UN safe and unhindered access to bring in aid and distribute it safely. Israel kills 32 starving Palestinians in latest US aid point 'massacre' Read More » "With competing narratives and disinformation campaigns in full gear, international media must be allowed into Gaza to independently report on the ongoing atrocities including this morning's heinous crime." Since launching operations last Tuesday, GHF has said - without providing evidence - that it handed out tens of thousands of food boxes to Palestinians, a fraction of what aid agencies say is needed to address the mass starvation unfolding in the Strip. The new aid system, which limits food distribution to a small number of hubs guarded by American security contractors, seeks to wrest distribution away from aid groups led by the United Nations. The UN and other major humanitarian organisations have repeatedly criticised the mechanism, with warnings that these actions could constitute crimes against humanity.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Lifting Of Israeli Blockade ‘the Only Way To Avert Mass Starvation' In Gaza: UNRWA Chief
Philippe Lazzarini posted on social media saying that aid distribution 'has become a death trap,' citing reports from international medical staff on the ground and local health authorities who reported at least 31 deaths and more than 150 injured as civilians were lining up to receive aid from the Israel and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – which bypasses existing aid agencies. 'Humiliating system' 'A distribution point by the Israeli-American plan was put far south in Rafah,' Mr. Lazzarini said on X. 'This humiliating system has forced thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles to an area that's all but pulverized due to heavy bombardment by the Israeli army.' He said aid delivery and distribution 'must be at scale and safe. In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including UNRWA.' The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – which uses private contractors and involves Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to secure its sites – has strongly denied that civilians were fired on, accusing Hamas militants of misinformation. Disputed events The IDF said on social media that reports of them firing towards residents receiving aid from the foundation were false: 'Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site.' The IDF posted video which it said showed gunmen shooting at civilians collecting aid, adding that 'Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza.' Medical staff at Nasser hospital in nearby Khan Younis told media outlets that around 79 people were admitted on Sunday, mostly with gunshot wounds, along with the bodies of some of those killed. Journalists on the scene posted video footage of bodies being carried on carts along with wounded arrivals. 'Lift the siege' UNRWA chief Lazzarini called on Israel to lift the three-month old aid blockade and allow safe and unhindered access. 'This is the only way to avert mass starvation including among one million children.' Highlighting the difficulties of clearly establishing facts on the ground due to Israel's ban on international media from entering the Gaza Strip, the UNRWA chief said that amid competing narratives and 'disinformation campaigns in full gear,' the ban on eyewitness reporting must be lifted immediately.
Days of Palestine
3 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
UNRWA: Ending Famine in Gaza Is Not Impossible
DaysofPal- The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, affirmed that famine in the Gaza Strip can be stopped. 'It requires political will, and we are not asking for the impossible,' he said. In a post on his account on the platform 'X' on Saturday, Lazzarini stated: 'The aid currently reaching Gaza mocks the scale of the collective tragedy unfolding before our eyes.' Describing the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, he said: '900 aid trucks have entered Gaza over the past two weeks—barely over 10 percent of the daily needs of Palestinians in the Strip.' He added, 'We are not asking for the impossible. Let the United Nations do its job—helping those in need in Gaza and preserving their dignity.' Lazzarini emphasized that ending the famine in Gaza requires political will. He noted that during the previous ceasefire in the Strip, the United Nations was able to bring in 600 to 800 aid trucks per day, which at the time prevented a man-made famine. Through a deliberate policy, the Israeli occupation has subjected 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza to starvation by closing border crossings to humanitarian aid—especially food—since March 2. Shortlink for this post:
Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
UNRWA chief: Limited Gaza aid a ‘mockery' as starvation deepens
GAZA — The Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has sharply criticized the limited delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, calling it a 'mockery' of the worsening humanitarian disaster in the territory. 'There are reports that 900 trucks were sent in the past two weeks. That's just over 10 per cent of the daily needs of people in Gaza,' Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on Saturday, posted on X. 'The aid that's being sent now makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding under our watch.' Lazzarini stressed that the humanitarian system is being paralyzed by politics while Gaza's 2.4 million residents face starvation and relentless bombardment. 'We are not asking for the impossible. Allow the UN including UNRWA and humanitarian partners to do our work: assist people in need and preserve their dignity,' he urged. He recalled that during the last ceasefire, aid organizations were able to deliver between 600 and 800 trucks daily, which helped avert famine at the time. 'The current mass starvation can be stopped. It takes political will,' he said. Since March 2, Israel has maintained a near-total blockade of Gaza, sealing all border crossings and halting the flow of food, fuel, and medicine. Israel's ongoing military offensive, which began in October 2023, has killed nearly 54,400 Palestinians — most of them women and children — according to Gaza health authorities. International aid groups have warned of a looming famine and the collapse of basic health infrastructure across the enclave. Israel is facing increasing international scrutiny over its actions in Gaza. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. Separately, Israel is also the subject of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. — Agencies
Egypt Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
UNRWA: Gaza aid does not match scale of humanitarian disaster
Gaza under Israeli aggression - file RAMALLAH/NEW YORK - 31 May 2025: The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini stated that the amount of aid being sent to Gaza does not match the scale of the humanitarian disaster the region is experiencing. In statements carried by the Palestinian news agency (WAFA) on Saturday, Lazzarini said that famine in Gaza can be stopped if there is a political will. What we are asking for is not impossible. He called for helping the United Nations fulfill its role in delivering aid to those in need and protecting their dignity.
