Latest news with #Muhanna
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Aid distribution resumes in Gaza, humanitarian group says
Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of graphic violence. Aid distribution through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites (GHF) resumed at two sites in Rafah, Gaza, on Thursday, the group said. One of the sites, which has been used by GHF previously, is now closed after distribution was finished for the day, the U.S.-backed group said. The second site is a new one that is located 1 kilometer away and will open at 2:15 p.m. local time, according to the GHF. Aid in Gaza was paused after several people died and were injured trying to reach the sites to obtain food, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, eyewitness reports on the ground and international aid organizations working in Gaza. Palestinians described harrowing scenes of bullets flying and people dying around them as they tried to get aid with a famine looming in Gaza. The U.S.- and Israel-backed GHF suspended distribution of aid in Gaza on Wednesday after a deadly shooting left at least 27 people dead and more than 90 others injured on Tuesday while people were trying to reach one of the distribution sites in southern Gaza, according to Gaza health officials, eyewitnesses on the ground in Gaza and the International Committee of the Red Cross working on the ground in Gaza. The GHF asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to "enhance its security measures beyond the perimeter," "develop clearer guidance" and "enhance IDF force training to support safety," a GHF source told ABC News on Wednesday. The newly established food distribution centers, constructed last month according to satellite imagery obtained and reviewed by ABC News, in southern Gaza have been overrun since they opened last week, with thousands of Palestinians in search of food and medicine following Israel's partial lifting of the 11-week blockade of aid, according to aid groups. The Israeli government imposed an 11-week blockade on all humanitarian aid entering Gaza on March 2, after the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended. The Israeli government said the blockade was put in place to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages being held in Gaza. One Palestinian who was injured trying to get flour at one of the sites said he was "surprised to find bullets hitting us," when he went in search of food. MORE: Gaza aid distribution paused for 24 hours after deadly shooting, overwhelming need "I went to get some flour -- only flour. Just a kilo or two of flour for our home. We were surprised to find bullets hitting us. Even lying on the ground bullets were still hitting us," Kamel Muhanna, a Palestinian who was injured while attempting to receive aid in Rafah, told ABC News. Muhanna described people dying around him while he was near the aid distribution site trying to get food. Those whose family members were with them collected their bodies, but those who did not remained on the ground, he said. "The bullet passed through the head of the young man in front of me and then hit me. There were like 100 in front of me and I still got hit," Muhanna said. "If the bullet hadn't killed the young man in front of me, it would have taken off my arm." Dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were injured in two events in the last week, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health and the International Committee of the Red Cross working on the ground in Gaza. MORE: British surgeon volunteering in Gaza hospital details 'dire situation' Nasser NaserAllah, a Palestinian who was being treated inside Nasser Hospital, told ABC News the aid "is like a trap." "If there wasn't aid, fewer people would have died," he said. "They killed women, children [there was] blood on the ground everywhere -- huge tragedies." The IDF acknowledged they "carried out warning fire approximately half a kilometer from the aid distribution center, targeting a few individuals who were approaching in a way that posed a security threat," in a video statement given in English by IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin. In a statement released on Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said they have responded to five incidents, four of which had occurred in the previous 96 hours. The majority of victims suffered gunshot wounds, and "all responsive patients said they were trying to reach an assistance distribution site," the ICRC said. The GHF said it closed the distribution sites Wednesday for "preparations and staging" to prepare for the large number of people it expects to arrive. "We did not expect 15,000 per hour," the GHF said in the statement. At the same time, the GHF said in a statement to media Tuesday they have distributed approximately 7 million meals in Gaza since they began operating last week. The GHF also said they distributed 21 truckloads of food, totaling 20,160 boxes providing approximately 1,159,200 meals to Palestinians on Tuesday morning. Established international aid groups operating inside Gaza -- including Amnesty International and the ICRC -- and the United Nations have criticized the U.S.-backed aid distribution plan, saying it is militarized and negates the neutrality of international humanitarian work. NaserAllah claimed that the situation goes beyond hunger. "People are living in famine," he said. Gaza's entire population is experiencing critical levels of hunger, according to a report released last month. Gaza's 2.1 million residents will face a "crisis" level of food insecurity -- or worse -- through the end of September, according to an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification partnership report. He also noted that people are forced to go to the aid distribution areas despite the risks. "A week ago, my cousin Ibn Hassoonah, went to the aid station. They shot him dead [but we still go] because of the severity of the hunger," he said. "If they don't die from bullets, they die from hunger."
5 days ago
- Health
Aid distribution resumes in Gaza, humanitarian group says
Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of graphic violence. Aid distribution through the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites (GHF) resumed at two sites in Rafah, Gaza, on Thursday, the group said. One of the sites, which has been used by GHF previously, is now closed after distribution was finished for the day, the U.S.-backed group said. The second site is a new one that is located 1 kilometer away and will open at 2:15 p.m. local time, according to the GHF. Aid in Gaza was paused after several people died and were injured trying to reach the sites to obtain food, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, eyewitness reports on the ground and international aid organizations working in Gaza. Palestinians described harrowing scenes of bullets flying and people dying around them as they tried to get aid with a famine looming in Gaza. The U.S.- and Israel -backed GHF suspended distribution of aid in Gaza on Wednesday after a deadly shooting left at least 27 people dead and more than 90 others injured on Tuesday while people were trying to reach one of the distribution sites in southern Gaza, according to Gaza health officials, eyewitnesses on the ground in Gaza and the International Committee of the Red Cross working on the ground in Gaza. The GHF asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to "enhance its security measures beyond the perimeter," "develop clearer guidance" and "enhance IDF force training to support safety," a GHF source told ABC News on Wednesday. The newly established food distribution centers, constructed last month according to satellite imagery obtained and reviewed by ABC News, in southern Gaza have been overrun since they opened last week, with thousands of Palestinians in search of food and medicine following Israel's partial lifting of the 11-week blockade of aid, according to aid groups. The Israeli government imposed an 11-week blockade on all humanitarian aid entering Gaza on March 2, after the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended. The Israeli government said the blockade was put in place to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages being held in Gaza. One Palestinian who was injured trying to get flour at one of the sites said he was "surprised to find bullets hitting us," when he went in search of food. "I went to get some flour -- only flour. Just a kilo or two of flour for our home. We were surprised to find bullets hitting us. Even lying on the ground bullets were still hitting us," Kamel Muhanna, a Palestinian who was injured while attempting to receive aid in Rafah, told ABC News. Muhanna described people dying around him while he was near the aid distribution site trying to get food. Those whose family members were with them collected their bodies, but those who did not remained on the ground, he said. "The bullet passed through the head of the young man in front of me and then hit me. There were like 100 in front of me and I still got hit," Muhanna said. "If the bullet hadn't killed the young man in front of me, it would have taken off my arm." Dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were injured in two events in the last week, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health and the International Committee of the Red Cross working on the ground in Gaza. Nasser NaserAllah, a Palestinian who was being treated inside Nasser Hospital, told ABC News the aid "is like a trap." "If there wasn't aid, fewer people would have died," he said. "They killed women, children [there was] blood on the ground everywhere -- huge tragedies." The IDF acknowledged they "carried out warning fire approximately half a kilometer from the aid distribution center, targeting a few individuals who were approaching in a way that posed a security threat," in a video statement given in English by IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin. In a statement released on Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said they have responded to five incidents, four of which had occurred in the previous 96 hours. The majority of victims suffered gunshot wounds, and "all responsive patients said they were trying to reach an assistance distribution site," the ICRC said. The GHF said it closed the distribution sites Wednesday for "preparations and staging" to prepare for the large number of people it expects to arrive. "We did not expect 15,000 per hour," the GHF said in the statement. At the same time, the GHF said in a statement to media Tuesday they have distributed approximately 7 million meals in Gaza since they began operating last week. The GHF also said they distributed 21 truckloads of food, totaling 20,160 boxes providing approximately 1,159,200 meals to Palestinians on Tuesday morning. Established international aid groups operating inside Gaza -- including Amnesty International and the ICRC -- and the United Nations have criticized the U.S.-backed aid distribution plan, saying it is militarized and negates the neutrality of international humanitarian work. NaserAllah claimed that the situation goes beyond hunger. "People are living in famine," he said. Gaza's entire population is experiencing critical levels of hunger, according to a report released last month. Gaza's 2.1 million residents will face a "crisis" level of food insecurity -- or worse -- through the end of September, according to an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification partnership report. He also noted that people are forced to go to the aid distribution areas despite the risks. "A week ago, my cousin Ibn Hassoonah, went to the aid station. They shot him dead [but we still go] because of the severity of the hunger," he said. "If they don't die from bullets, they die from hunger."
Saba Yemen
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Red Cross: Humanitarian situation in Gaza is on verge of total collapse
Gaza - Saba: Hisham Muhanna, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza, confirmed that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is on the verge of total collapse due to the continued closure, the complete ban on the entry of aid, and the resumption of Israeli military operations. In an exclusive interview with the Palestinian Safa News Agency on Wednesday, Muhanna said, "We have been warning for weeks about the consequences of reaching this stage, because the factors and environment in which we operate may make it impossible to achieve any positive or real humanitarian response that civilians in the Gaza Strip can sense, given the harsh reality they are experiencing." He added, "We are closely monitoring the mechanism for bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, as announced by the occupation authorities, after more than two months of closure and a complete ban on the entry of aid into Gaza." He pointed out that the failure to bring in humanitarian aid has exacerbated the crisis, especially with the resumption and escalation of military operations in the Strip. Muhanna continued, "We welcome any efforts that could end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but any delivery of humanitarian aid must be fully consistent with humanitarian principles that ensure non-discrimination between those who deserve it." He pointed out that mechanisms existed throughout the Israeli war on Gaza, in which humanitarian actors, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), worked to deliver this aid to those who deserve it with complete transparency and independence. Muhanna emphasized that Israel, as an occupying power, bears full responsibility under international humanitarian law for ensuring that all Palestinian civilians in Gaza receive their basic needs. He added, "It is unacceptable to politicize humanitarian aid or use it as a form of political or military pressure." Regarding the ICRC's efforts to address the worsening humanitarian situation, Muhanna said, "We have not ceased our direct dialogue with all parties, including the Israeli authorities, to reach an agreement that will alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and end the suffering of its residents." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Egypt Today
06-05-2025
- Health
- Egypt Today
Gaza Strip is about to collapse, humanitarian situation deteriorating: Red Cross
CAIRO – 6 May 2025: Spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Gaza Strip, Hisham Muhanna, warned that the humanitarian situation in the Strip is 'deteriorating rapidly,' stressing that 'we are approaching the point of complete collapse if there is no immediate and real change on the ground.' In televised statements, Muhanna said that 'humanitarian movement has become severely restricted,' stressing the need to immediately allow the safe entry of urgent and essential humanitarian aid so that organizations can reach thousands of civilians trapped in catastrophic conditions. He emphasized that the ICRC had previously warned of reaching this stage. He pointed out that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) also warned that a third of essential medical supplies in the Gaza Strip had run out, and that the remaining third would be depleted in less than two months. 'This simply means a near-total paralysis in the provision of health services to Palestinians in these critical circumstances,' Muhanna explained.
