Latest news with #MuhammadShehada
Sky News
4 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Israel-Gaza latest: Netanyahu reportedly accepts US Gaza ceasefire plan - but Hamas 'disappointed'
Criminals looting aid with 'active or passive IDF protection,' says Gazan analyst Criminals looting aid intended for Gaza are doing so with "active or passive" Israeli military protection, according to a Gazan analyst. Gangs of looters are operating in areas under the IDF's full control, says Muhammad Shehada, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Looting occurs in front of Israeli tanks and military vehicles, he tells Sky News presenter Gareth Barlow. "The criminals and drug dealers that are looting the vast majority of aid are operating with either active or passive IDF protection," he adds. Israel allows in a fifth of what Gaza needs for basic human survival on a daily basis, he goes on to say. Shehada says the "engineered policy of starvation" incentivises theft because a single bag of wheat flour costs $500. "Israel is using the 'Hamas looting' talking point as merely a pretext to externalise blame for its deliberate starvation policy in Gaza," he says. As well as organised looting by criminals, there have been separate cases of desperate Gazans rushing to get aid and overwhelming distribution points. Two Palestinians died during a break-in at a UN warehouse last night (see 6.29 post). For context: Israel has repeatedly cited security reasons for halting and slowing the flow of aid into Gaza. But international condemnation of its handling of the humanitarian crisis has been growing, with the UK, France and Canada strongly criticising Benjamin Netanyahu's government last week. Netanyahu hit back, accusing the three nations of siding with Hamas.
Middle East Eye
5 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
‘Dehumanisation by design': US-Israeli Gaza aid operation descends into chaos
A controversial US-Israeli aid distribution scheme descended into chaos, as gunfire rang out while hungry and exhausted residents of Gaza rushed to get food after being forced to stand outside an aid facility. According to journalists and eyewitnesses, the breakdown of order resulted from delays in security checks on the recipients, Middle East Eye reported for an earlier article. The Israeli military denied firing on the crowds, but the Associated Press reported tank and gunfire at the distribution site, possibly due to warning shots fired by American mercenaries securing the facility. Initially, there were no official reports of deaths or injuries. However, according to Arabic media, three were killed and 46 were wounded when the Israeli army fired into the crowds of people rushing to retrieve food packages. The Israeli-American "aid" concentration camp collapses on its 1st day of operation US mercenaries ran away & abandoned their positions as thousands of starved Gazans stormed the complex after being crowded like animals in a fenced cage all day, waiting for food IDF opened fire… — Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) May 27, 2025 The Gaza government media office said: 'Today's events are clear evidence of the occupation's failure to manage the humanitarian crisis it has deliberately created. Establishing ghettos for distributing limited aid is a deliberate policy aimed at sustaining starvation and dismantling society.' 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 organisation, established in February, has come under fierce criticism from United Nations officials, who had said its aid distribution plans, initiated by Israel and only involving private companies, would foster the displacement of Palestinians and more violence. Many online criticised the aid distribution and the way it was handled on Tuesday. The choice Trump and Israel have imposed on the people in Gaza is die from starvation or be killed trying to get food. This is what famine and holocaust look like. — Ali (@MerruX) May 27, 2025 As American mercenaries fled the scene, thousands of starving Palestinians overran the caged checkpoint, creating chaos in the area. The "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation", designed to supplant Hamas rule, began operations today. Starving Palestinians overran the caged checkpoint and took all supplies as American mercenaries fled the scene. The scam failed, at least for today. — Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) May 27, 2025 In the meantime, the head of the aid organisation, which said last week it was ready to start delivering food into Gaza, resigned on Monday, saying he did not believe it was possible for the organisation to operate independently or adhere to strict humanitarian principles. Many on social media were outraged by Israel's treatment of Palestinians, calling the aid distribution scheme 'evil and barbaric'. The way #Israel is treating the Palestinians in #Gaza starving and looking for food in their thousands is nothing short of barbaric and evil. It looks like the 'company' set up to distribute the tiny amounts of food has failed big way. The aid should be taken into Gaza in large… — Professor Kamel Hawwash بروفيسور كامل إسحق الحواش (@kamelhawwash) May 27, 2025 UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the images of thousands of starving Palestinians in Gaza running for aid as they were met with Israeli gunfire were "heartbreaking". 'We and our partners have a detailed, principled, operationally sound plan supported by member states to get aid to a desperate population,' Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday. On social media, many shared an image of Palestinians stuck behind fences with the hope of getting aid. 'History won't forget who watched and did nothing,' said one person on social media. Starving Gazans packed behind fences for a scrap of aid. This isn't relief—it's humiliation and dehumanization by design. History won't forget who watched and did nothing. — Etan Nechin (@Etanetan23) May 27, 2025 According to a political analyst from Gaza, Muhammad Shehada, the contents of the aid packs were almost entirely Israeli products, and he said Israel is 'profiting from' this aid scheme. 🚨Israel is profiting big time from its genocide: the meager aid packs a few Gazans received today were almost entirely Israeli products with visible Hebrew writing on So this shell Israeli-American mercenary group is helping Israel make some money from starving Gaza to death! — Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) May 27, 2025 Over the last 80 days of Israel's blockade, hunger-related deaths among Palestinians have climbed to 58. In the same period, another 242 people, primarily children and elderly individuals, have lost their lives due to the lack of food and medical care. Since early March, Israel has effectively halted nearly all aid from reaching Gaza, pushing almost the entire population of 2.1 million Palestinians to the edge of famine, with no access to essential medicine or fuel. This worsening crisis has triggered growing international condemnation, even drawing rare and sharp criticism from Israel's key western allies, such as the UK, Canada, France and Germany. On Sunday, a four-year-old boy died in Gaza City from severe malnutrition caused by Israel's total blockade of the strip.
Al Jazeera
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel capitalises as Gaza fatigue sets in
One might think that images of starving children, as political leaders withhold aid and openly call for ethnic cleansing, would be topping news agendas everywhere. In the case of Gaza, the failure of many in the international media to meet the moment has made them part of the story. Lead contributors: Chris Doyle – Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Muhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, ECFR Sarah Leah Whitson – Director, DAWN As India and Pakistan go toe-to-toe in their most intense fighting for decades, a flood of disinformation is fuelling the sense of panic on both sides. Meenakshi Ravi reports. If you are dealing with something personal and painful – a broken marriage or a family dispute – you might turn to a friend. For something as serious as sexual assault, it might go to trial. But in Ghana, more and more people are turning somewhere else: live radio. The so-called 'justice-style' shows promise swift, public resolutions. But they are also controversial, with critics accusing them of turning private pain into primetime theatre. Featuring: George Sarpong – Executive secretary, National Media Commission Menenaba – Ghanaian writer Oheneni Adazoa – Host, Sompa Nkomo Show Zakaria Tanko Musah – Lecturer in media law and ethics, Journalism Institute
CNN
04-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Gaza protesters: Hamas does not represent us
As protests against Hamas intensify in northern Gaza, Israel threatens to hold onto territory until all hostages are released. Becky Anderson speaks with Gaza researcher, writer and human rights activist Muhammad Shehada about the escalating unrest, and Israel's reaction to the anti-Hamas demonstrations.
