Latest news with #Middle East
Malay Mail
18 minutes ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Trump envoy to visit Gaza as global anger mounts over aid access and killings
JERUSALEM, Aug 1 — President Donald Trump's envoy met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday ahead of a visit to inspect aid distribution in Gaza, as a deadly food crisis drove mounting international pressure for a ceasefire. Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in months of stalled negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, met Netanyahu shortly after his arrival, the Israeli leader's office said. On Friday, he is to visit Gaza, the White House announced. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Witkoff, who visited Gaza in January, would inspect 'distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground'. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also met Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and afterwards declared: 'The humanitarian disaster in Gaza is beyond imagination. 'Here, the Israeli government must act quickly, safely and effectively to provide humanitarian and medical aid to prevent mass starvation from becoming a reality,' he said. 'I have the impression that this has been understood today.' In an example of the deadly problems facing aid efforts in Gaza, the territory's civil defence agency said that at least 58 Palestinians were killed late Wednesday when Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd attempting to block an aid convoy. Hostage video The armed wing of Palestinian group Islamic Jihad meanwhile released a video showing German-Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski. In the six-minute video, Braslavski, speaking in Hebrew, is seen watching recent news footage of the crisis in Gaza. He identifies himself and pleads with the Israeli government to secure his release. Braslavski was a security guard at the Nova music festival, one of the sites targeted by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters in the October 2023 attack that sparked the Gaza war. 'They managed to break Rom. Even the strongest person has a breaking point,' his family said in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel. 'Rom is an example of all the hostages. They must all be brought home now.' Hungry crowd The Israeli military said troops had fired 'warning shots' as Gazans gathered around the aid trucks. An AFP correspondent saw stacks of bullet-riddled corpses in Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital. Jameel Ashour, who lost a relative in the shooting, told AFP at the overflowing morgue that Israeli troops opened fire after 'people saw thieves stealing and dropping food and the hungry crowd rushed in hopes of getting some'. Witkoff has been the top US representative in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas but talks in Doha broke down last week and Israel and the United States recalled their delegations. Israel is under mounting international pressure to agree a ceasefire and allow the world to flood Gaza with food, with Canada and Portugal the latest Western governments to announce plans to recognise a Palestinian state. International pressure Trump criticised Canada's decision and, in a post on his Truth Social network, placed the blame for the crisis squarely on Palestinian militant group Hamas. 'The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!' declared Trump, one of Israel's staunchest international supporters. Earlier this week, however, the US president contradicted Netanyahu's insistence that reports of hunger in Gaza were exaggerated, warning that the territory faces 'real starvation'. UN-backed experts have reported 'famine is now unfolding' in Gaza, with images of sick and emaciated children drawing international outrage. The US State Department said it would deny visas to officials from the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank — the core of any future Palestinian state. 'This is what death looks like' The October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures. Of the 251 people seized, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 declared dead by the Israeli military. The Israeli offensive, nearing its 23rd month, has killed at least 60,249 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry. This week UN aid agencies said deaths from starvation had begun. The civil defence agency said Israeli attacks across Gaza on Thursday killed at least 32 people. 'Enough!' cried Najah Aish Umm Fadi, who lost relatives in a strike on a camp for the displaced in central Gaza. 'We put up with being hungry, but now the death of children who had just been born?' Further north, Amir Zaqot told AFP after getting his hands on some of the aid parachuted from planes, that 'this is what death looks like. People are fighting each other with knives.' 'If the crossings were opened... food could reach us. But this is nonsense,' Zaqot said of the airdrops. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP cannot independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence and other parties. — AFP
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran's Khamenei accuses West of using nuclear demands as an excuse for confrontation
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News that Tehran cannot give up on its uranium enrichment program which was severely damaged during the Israel-Iran war last month. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Western demands over Tehran's nuclear program are an excuse to confront the Islamic Republic, a day after US President Donald Trump warned about renewed strikes if Iran restarts nuclear work. "Nuclear programme, enrichment, human rights are all excuses ... What they are after is your religion and knowledge," Khamenei said. Iran pushes to continue enriching uranium Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News that Tehran cannot give up on its uranium enrichment program, which was severely damaged during the Israel-Iran war last month. "It is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe. But obviously we cannot give up (on) enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride," the foreign minister told the Fox News show "Special Report with Bret Baier" on Monday. The foreign minister said the damage to the nuclear facilities in Iran after US and Israeli strikes was serious and was being evaluated further. Araghchi also said Khamenei was in "good health" and that Tehran was open to talks with Washington but that those will not be direct "for the time being." Solve the daily Crossword
Sky News
27 minutes ago
- Politics
- Sky News
US officials to make 'highly unusual' visit to Gaza - amid warnings of 'politically manmade' famine
Two senior US officials will visit Gaza later today, amid growing concerns about the scale of the humanitarian crisis. Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will inspect a food distribution site - and report back to the president immediately. Our US correspondent David Blevins says the visit "is not unprecedented but is highly unusual ... due to obvious security concerns and political sensitivities". He added: "I think it reflects the growing concern there is here in the United States about the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe." Aid workers on the ground have warned that a "politically manmade famine" is taking place in the territory. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, told The World With Yalda Hakim that "more and more people will continue to die" unless there is urgent change. Donald Trump has expressed frustration at the lack of aid reaching Palestinians and has repeatedly blamed Hamas - but US government analysis has found no evidence that the militant group is systemically stealing supplies. He told reporters yesterday: "It's terrible what's occurring there. People are very hungry, you know. "The United States gave $60m ... for food. And, it's a shame because ... I don't see the results of it. Part of the problem is Hamas is taking the money and they're taking the food." 8:07 On Thursday, Mr Witkoff arrived in Israel and held discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - the first meeting between the pair since both Israel and the US withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar a week ago. At the time, he claimed that Hamas "shows a lack of desire" to reach a truce. Under heavy international pressure, Israel has paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food - although the volume of supplies remains far lower than what aid organisations say is needed. While more aid trucks have entered Gaza, nearly all the lorries are stripped of their cargo by crowds of Palestinians desperate for food, or looted by armed gangs. The alternative food distribution system run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has also been marred by violence. Doctor Tom Adamkiewicz, a paediatrician working at Nasser Hospital in Gaza, told Sky News that the majority of the hospital's patients have signs of malnutrition - and "many children are passing out literally during the day and injuring themselves". 3:41 Separately, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul also arrived in Israel on Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the occupied West Bank. Germany, traditionally a staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical. Mr Wadephul warned that Israel is "increasingly finding itself in a minority position". But he stopped short of moving towards recognising a Palestinian state, something his allies France, the UK and Canada have vowed to do in September if certain conditions are met. Meanwhile, Sweden's prime minister has called on the EU to "freeze" its trade agreement with Israel - with Ulf Kristersson describing the situation in Gaza as "utterly deplorable". After visiting Gaza, Mr Witkoff will travel to Russia. He has held extensive talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin in the past. The US president has given his Russian counterpart until 8 August to reach a deal to halt the fighting in Ukraine, or else he will impose economic sanctions.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Palestinian newborns starving in Gaza as infant formula runs out
Palestinian mothers in the Gaza Strip are desperately trying to feed their newborns as Israel's punishing blockade on the besieged enclave has led to dire shortages of infant formula, with some resorting to filling bottles with water and whatever food they can find. Dr Kahlil Daqran told Al Jazeera on Thursday that as supplies of formula run out, many mothers are often too malnourished to breastfeed their infants. 'In the Gaza Strip, we have thousands of children being starved because there is no milk for children under the age of two,' Daqran said. 'These children, their mothers also have malnutrition because there is no food, so the mothers cannot produce milk. Now, our children are being fed either water or ground hard legumes, and this is harmful for children in Gaza.' Azhar Imad, 31, said she has mixed tahini with water in hopes of feeding four-month-old Joury. But she said she fears the mixture will make her baby sick. 'I am using this paste instead of milk, but she won't drink it. All these can cause illnesses,' Imad said. 'Sometimes, I give her water in the bottle; there's nothing available. I make her caraway and herbs, any kind of herbs.'Israel's blockade on Gaza, which has been under Israeli military bombardment since October 2023, has led to critical shortages of food, water, medicine and other humanitarian supplies. Local hospitals said on Thursday that at least two more deaths from Israel's forced starvation were reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of hunger-related fatalities since Israel's war began to 159, including 90 children. The United Nations has warned that Palestinian children are especially vulnerable as hunger grips the coastal territory, and UN officials have repeatedly called on Israel to allow an uninterrupted flow of aid supplies. Israel has blamed the UN for the starvation crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip, saying the global body had failed to pick up supplies. UN officials, and several nations, have rejected that claim as false and stressed that Israel has refused to offer safe routes for humanitarian agencies to transport aid into Gaza. Airdrops of humanitarian supplies, carried out in recent days, have also done little to address the widespread hunger crisis. Experts denounced the effort as dangerous, costly and ineffective. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Thursday that the UN and its partners 'continue to seize every opportunity to collect supplies from the Israeli-controlled crossings and replenish those platforms with new supplies'. 'Our colleagues say that, despite Israeli announcements regarding the designation of convoy routes as secure, trucks continue to face long delays that expose drivers, aid workers, and crowds to danger,' Haq said. 'The long waits are because a single route has been made available for our teams exiting Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem crossing] inside Gaza, and Israeli ground forces have set up an ad hoc checkpoint on that route.'As starvation continues to grip Gaza, more Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while seeking aid at distribution sites operated by the controversial Israeli- and United States-backed GHF. A source at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital told Al Jazeera that at least 23 people were killed after Israeli forces opened fire at them on Thursday morning as they waited for aid near Netzarim junction in central Gaza. The deadly incident came just hours before the White House announced that US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee are expected to enter Gaza on Friday to inspect the aid distribution sites. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the US officials also would meet with Palestinians to 'hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground'. Reporting from the Jordan capital, Amman, Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh explained that the trip comes amid growing concern in Washington that US contractors may be found liable for the deaths of more than 1,000 Palestinians killed while trying to reach GHF sites since May. 'There is a lot of pressure and insistence in Israel that those sites must continue to operate even if Israel allows more aid into Gaza,' Odeh said. 'This organisation was set up to bypass the United Nations, and Israel is not ready to let it go despite the resistance from the international community to engage with it in any way because it is accused of violating humanitarian principles.' Hamas said in a statement released via its Telegram channel late on Thursday that it is ready to 'immediately' engage in negotiations to end the war in Gaza 'once aid reaches those who deserve it and the humanitarian crisis and famine in Gaza are ended'.Meanwhile, in Gaza, countless families continue to face a desperate search for food. Nehma Hamouda said she has struggled to keep her three-month-old granddaughter, Muntaha, alive amid the shortage of infant formula. Muntaha's mother was shot by Israeli soldiers when she was pregnant. She gave birth to her daughter prematurely but died weeks later. 'I resort to tea for the girl,' said Hamouda, explaining that her granddaughter cannot process solid foods yet. 'She's not eating, and there's no sugar. Where can I get her sugar? I give her a bit [of anise], and she drinks a bit,' she said. 'At times, when we get lentil soup from the soup kitchen, I strain the water, and I try to feed her. What can I do?' Solve the daily Crossword
Sky News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Two senior US officials to make rare visit to Gaza later today
Two senior US officials will visit Gaza later today, amid growing concerns about the scale of the humanitarian crisis. Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will inspect a food distribution site - and report back to the president immediately. Our US correspondent David Blevins says the visit "is not unprecedented but is highly unusual ... due to obvious security concerns and political sensitivities". He added: "I think it reflects the growing concern there is here in the United States about the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe." Aid workers on the ground have warned that a "politically manmade famine" is taking place in the territory. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, told The World With Yalda Hakim that "more and more people will continue to die" unless there is urgent change. Donald Trump has expressed frustration at the lack of aid reaching Palestinians and has repeatedly blamed Hamas - but US government analysis has found no evidence that the militant group is systemically stealing supplies. He told reporters yesterday: "It's terrible what's occurring there. People are very hungry, you know. "The United States gave $60m ... for food. And, it's a shame because ... I don't see the results of it. Part of the problem is Hamas is taking the money and they're taking the food." 8:07 On Thursday, Mr Witkoff arrived in Israel and held discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - the first meeting between the pair since both Israel and the US withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar a week ago. At the time, he claimed that Hamas "shows a lack of desire" to reach a truce. Under heavy international pressure, Israel has paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food - although the volume of supplies remains far lower than what aid organisations say is needed. While more aid trucks have entered Gaza, nearly all the lorries are stripped of their cargo by crowds of Palestinians desperate for food, or looted by armed gangs. The alternative food distribution system run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has also been marred by violence. Doctor Tom Adamkiewicz, a paediatrician working at Nasser Hospital in Gaza, told Sky News that the majority of the hospital's patients have signs of malnutrition - and "many children are passing out literally during the day and injuring themselves". 3:41 Separately, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul also arrived in Israel on Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the occupied West Bank. Germany, traditionally a staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical. Mr Wadephul warned that Israel is "increasingly finding itself in a minority position". But he stopped short of moving towards recognising a Palestinian state, something his allies France, the UK and Canada have vowed to do in September if certain conditions are met. Meanwhile, Sweden's prime minister has called on the EU to "freeze" its trade agreement with Israel - with Ulf Kristersson describing the situation in Gaza as "utterly deplorable". After visiting Gaza, Mr Witkoff will travel to Russia. He has held extensive talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin in the past. The US president has given his Russian counterpart until 8 August to reach a deal to halt the fighting in Ukraine, or else he will impose economic sanctions.
