Latest news with #Marco]Rubio
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
U.S. Responds to Gaza Aid Mission's Chaotic Start
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. government has defended the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) after the aid operation came under intense criticism from aid agencies following chaotic scenes of thousands of Palestinians scrambling for food, amid reports of Israeli gunfire and multiple casualties. The GHF, a U.S.-backed organization operating independently of the United Nations, has faced criticism from aid groups for its approach to aid distribution, which is designed to bypass Hamas in its war with Israel. "As President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Marco] Rubio have clearly said — we support bold, out-of-the-box efforts to make life better for Gazans. GHF is doing exactly that. And we're proud to back their incredible mission," a senior U.S. administration official told Newsweek. "The UN and other aid agencies were wrong to criticize. Aid is getting to the people in need, and through their secure distribution system, Israel is kept safe and Hamas empty handed." Why It Matters The incident at the debut of the operation underscores the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has intensified scrutiny over the methods and management of aid distribution months after Israel imposed a blockade on the strip in the absence of a ceasefire with Hamas. Palestinians carry boxes containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Palestinians carry boxes containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo What To Know The U.S. State Department accused Hamas of attempting to "stop the aid movement through Gaza to these distribution centers," spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a Tuesday press briefing. One video circulated on X captured hundreds of Palestinians surging through narrow, wired corridors toward the U.S.-backed aid distribution center in Gaza, reportedly after enduring prolonged waits under the scorching sun. لحظة انفجار جوع حقيقي تحت الحصار والنار .. اقتحم مئات الفلسطينيين مركز توزيع المساعدات التابع لمؤسسة "غزة الإنسانية " الأميركية، في مشهد لا يمكن فصله عن واقع الإبادة والجوع الذي ينهش القطاع منذ أكثر من 18 شهراً الناس لم تذهب مدفوعة بالفوضى، بل بدافع البقاء. لم تعد المساعدات… — الحـكـيم (@Hakeam_ps) May 27, 2025 The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Colonel Nadav Shoshani wrote on X that IDF troops "fired warning shots in the area outside the compound" to control the situation. A new area was built by the IDF in Gaza to ensure civilians receive aid, without Hamas' interference. The IDF continues to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza because our goal is clear: to defeat Hamas, not harm civilians. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 27, 2025 Three Palestinians were wounded by gunshots, according to The Associated Press. According to the Gaza-run health ministry later, three people were killed, 46 were injured and seven were missing. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations on Monday. Recently launched with U.S. and Israeli backing, it has drawn criticism from the U.N. and Palestinians on the grounds of its ties to Israeli security and fears it could aid in displacing Gazans to the south. المساعدات الانسانيه تصل مستحقيها دون سرقه او جمركه من حماس الارهابيه. — 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐚⚜️🌴 (@AD_GQ) May 27, 2025 Israel says U.N. agencies enable Hamas, while the U.N. accuses Israel of blocking life-saving assistance. What People Are Saying Senior U.S. administration official to Newsweek: "GHF is a threat to Hamas' longstanding system of looting the assistance intended for the people of Gaza. The UN and other aid agencies were wrong to criticize. Aid is getting to the people in need, and through their secure distribution system, Israel is kept safe and Hamas empty handed. Approximately 8,000 food boxes have been distributed so far. Each box feeds 5.5 people for 3.5 days, totaling 462,000 meals. The media should take a moment to reflect why the UN and certain aid groups spent the weekend trying to undermine such an important effort. These organizations echoed Hamas talking points rather than praising those who are delivering results." Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative told Al-Jazeera Mubasher Channel, in Arabic: "The Palestinian people thwarted an attempt to humiliate them in this brutal manner, which violates human dignity and the dignity of Palestinians. What happened today is a complete failure for the Israelis and for the United States, which stands with Israel in this matter." Hamas in Arabic statement, via Telegram: "The scenes of thousands of our people rushing into the center designated for implementing the occupation's mechanism for aid distribution, and the accompanying live fire directed at citizens who had gathered at the distribution center under the pressure of hunger and siege, leave no room for doubt that this suspicious mechanism has failed. It has turned into a trap that endangers civilian lives and is being exploited to impose security control over the Gaza Strip under the guise of aid." Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA: "It is a distraction from what is actually needed, which is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure environment within Gaza and faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border; [aid] needs to get in." What Happens Next As uncertainty on the ground looms over humanitarian assistance operations, Israel said hundreds of air trucks have been permission to enter and distribute food in Gaza.
TimesLIVE
16-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Trump senior Africa adviser 'discussed peace plan' with Rwanda, DRC leaders
DRC and Rwanda earlier this month submitted a proposal as part of a process meant to end the fighting in eastern DRC and attract billions of dollars of Western investment. Boulos said they worked on the drafts and came up with the current one. "We are awaiting the final feedback from both parties," Boulos said on Thursday. "As soon as we finalise this last round, as indicated before, secretary [of state Marco] Rubio is ready and prepared to host them here. So we hope this can be concluded as quickly as possible in the coming few weeks." Boulos said that there was no specific timeline for the foreign ministers to visit Washington. Earlier this month he told Reuters that Rubio would meet in Washington in mid-May with the Rwandan and DRC foreign ministers in an effort to agree on a final draft peace accord. The diplomacy comes amid an unprecedented advance by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern DRC that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more. The rebels seized Goma, eastern DRC's largest city, in late January and Bukavu, the area's second-largest, weeks later. The UN and Western governments say Rwanda has provided arms and troops to M23. Rwanda denies backing the group and says its military has acted in self-defense against DRC's army and a militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 genocide. Tshisekedi's government is engaged in separate talks with M23 facilitated by Qatar. Last month DRC and the rebels agreed to work towards peace, but sources in the two delegations have expressed frustration with the pace of negotiations.
Iraqi News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
US remains committed to a full ceasefire in Ukraine — State Department
INA- SOURCES The United States remains committed to a full and comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine, a representative of the US State Department told TASS on Sunday. "We remain committed to achieving a full and comprehensive ceasefire," the US State Department official said in response to a request to comment on Sunday's publication by Reuters, which suggests that the State Department would support extending the Easter truce declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The truce expired on Monday at 00:00 Moscow time (Sunday 09:00 p.m. GMT). According to the State Department, "it is a long past time" to stop the conflict in Ukraine. "As Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio told Foreign Minister [of Russia] Sergey Lavrov during their call on Thursday, he had encouraging discussions last week in Paris and peace is possible if all parties are committed," the State Department spokesman stressed. Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump posted on the social network Truth Social expressing hope that Russia and Ukraine would reach a deal in the coming week. On April 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, announced a halt to all military action until 00:00 Moscow time on April 21 (April 20, 09:00 p.m. GMT) and called on Kiev to do the same. The ceasefire came into effect on April 19 at 06:00 p.m. Moscow time (03:00 p.m. GMT). As Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on April 20, the President did not give any orders to extend the Easter ceasefire. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that the Ukrainian side had not observed the Easter truce, using American HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to carry out strikes.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump tries to slash State's funding
The Trump administration is eyeing deep cuts to the State Department — a plan that could run into trouble with some lawmakers. An internal memo making the rounds at State calls for about a 50% reduction in the department's budget in the next fiscal year, the Washington Post reported, and a State Department official confirmed that number to Semafor. Separately, the Trump administration plans to soon ask Congress to rescind $9.3 billion in funds it already approved for USAID — which has been rolled into State — and for public broadcasters, a White House official said. It's unclear how many Republicans might resist the State Department cuts, but Democrats are already pushing back. 'I intend to immediately and directly raise my serious concerns to Secretary [Marco] Rubio,' said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
