Latest news with #NetzarimCorridor
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Aerial humiliation, not aid': Teenage boy killed by aid drop in Gaza
WARNING: Graphic Harrowing footage has shown the moment a 14-year-old boy was fatally struck by a parachuted aid pallet in Gaza, amid increased warnings the drops are 'killing our children'. Muhannad Eid was running towards the heavy packages as they were dropped near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza on Saturday when one crushed him, his brother Muhammad Eid said. Video of the tragic incident, shared to social media, showed more large pallets hitting the ground, before showing Muhannad's body being dragged from underneath a crate and carried away from the crowds. 'Despite the famine and the hard conditions that we live in, my brother went to get aid that was dropped into the sea by planes,' Muhammad told Reuters. 'A box fell on him directly and he was martyred. (The countries involved in the airdrops) cannot enter the aid through the crossing but they drop them over us and kill our children. A kid was killed in (az-)Zawayda and here and there, and nobody feels us … This is an aerial humiliation, not aid. We need protection. We want international protection.' Muhannad's death comes amid repeated warnings that the parachuted deliveries are costly, ineffective and deadly, on top of failing to meet the demand of food, baby formula and other supplies required to address the unfolding famine in the territory. At least 23 Palestinians have been killed and another 124 wounded in the airdrops since October, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. 'We have repeatedly warned of the danger of these inhumane methods and have repeatedly called for the entry of aid through land crossings in a safe and sufficient manner, especially food, infant milk, medicines, and medical supplies,' it said in a statement. Civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmud Basal noted there were 'daily injuries and fatalities caused by the heavy parcels falling on people's heads in densely populated areas', adding that stampedes and overcrowding at aid drop sites also frequently lead to casualties. Texas-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr Umar Burney, who has been treating patients at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in northern Gaza, told NBC News on Sunday he had treated 'multiple patients who've been crushed by these sort of unplanned, unannounced aid drops on top of their heads, literally on top of their heads'. 'Those aid drops are actually causing havoc,' Dr Burney said. Getting vital aid into the besieged territory has become a key issue in the conflict, creating a deadly wave of starvation and malnutrition among more than two million Palestinians – one human rights groups say has been exacerbated by an Israeli blockade on supplies, imposed from March to late May after ceasefire talks broke down. The easing of the blockade coincided with the beginning of the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) operations, which effectively sidelined Gaza's traditionally UN-led aid distribution system, and which have been criticised as grossly inadequate. Since the GHF began its operation in May, the UN said more than 1300 people have died while trying to receive aid, most of them shot by Israeli forces near the sites. Israel began allowing limited airdrops from the likes of Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and, to an even lesser extent, land transport into Gaza in July, though the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Saturday it had been barred from bringing any humanitarian aid into Gaza for more than five months. 'This is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple,' OCHA's co-ordination director Ramesh Rajasingham said. An estimated 217 civilians, among them 100 children, have died from malnutrition in the last 22 months, according to the UN's humanitarian office OCHA. Most have occurred in recent weeks. Israel has maintained there is no starvation in Gaza. In an interview with the ABC's 7:30 on Monday night, Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon insisted that 'the government of Israel is not – is not – there is no starvation policy'. 'That's not to say that we believe the condition on the ground are ideal,' Mr Maimon continued, after being repeatedly asked by host Sarah Ferguson to disclose 'how many children' have died of starvation in Gaza. 'There are real challenges in recent two weeks, we're not responsible for the distribution. It's also very important to recognise the role of Hamas – the negative role of Hamas – in preventing aid to reach all those needed Palestinians.' 'Do you accept 100 children in Gaza have died of starvation in recent months? Do you accept those statistics?' Ferguson responded. 'Let me pose this question. How many children do they say have died from starvation in recent months?' 'Well, I have no figures, but I can push back on the Israeli hostages that did not receive humanitarian aid since October 7, nor a visit from the – none of the organisations that are responsible to assist those who are in need,' Mr Maimon replied. 'I can talk about the starvation of David, who was just released, and I don't hear much, you know, talk about him and about the very poor condition that he was held in. 'I am not also hearing any reports about the fact that he was forced to dig his own grave, he's not the first one.' The ABC host replied that the conditions the hostages are being held in, in Gaza, were 'repulsive and rejected by all decent-minded humans around the world'. 'But we're here to talk about decisions by the Israeli government at the moment,' she said. 'Let me ask you a final question – as an ambassador, you are obliged in your position to maintain your government's position. In our own heart, do you believe the killing and starving of civilians in Gaza should stop?' 'Once again, there is no policy of starvation,' the ambassador said. 'I feel very sad for any loss of innocent life. I lost two members of my family on October 7. Every child matters. Whether it's Israeli or Palestinian. And it is very sad. It's a tragedy. But it's also important to remember that the Hamas bears the responsibility, the Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. 'It's a war we didn't ask for, nor we started. It's a war we want to end.'
Sky News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Trump lashes out at Iran and Israel in X-rated rant
At least 40 people killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since ceasefire, say medics and witnesses Israeli forces have killed at least 40 people in Gaza since the Iran-Israel ceasefire was agreed, according to local medics and residents. Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire as thousands of Palestinians amassed near a food distribution centre in Gaza that is supported by Israel and the US. At least 19 people were killed, according to a local hospital and Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Israel's military said that a gathering overnight was identified adjacent to forces operating in Gaza's central Netzarim Corridor, and it was reviewing reports of casualties. The aid centre says there has been no incident near their site, which, they say, is located several kilometres away from the Netzarim Corridor. 10 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, while 11 were killed by Israeli gunfire in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to medics. Israel says militants use built-up residential areas for operating cover. Hamas denies this. Iran won't violate ceasefire - unless Israel does, says president Iranian leader Masoud Pezeshkian has been quoted by state-run media. According to Nour News, he's said Tehran is "ready to discuss and defend the rights of the Iranian people" at the negotiating table. "Iran will not violate the ceasefire unless the Zionist regime does so," he added. Starmer insists the ceasefire 'must hold' Sir Keir Starmer says the ceasefire "must hold". "This is an opportunity to secure much-needed stability in the Middle East," he posted on X, as he attends a two-day NATO summit in the Netherlands. He reiterated his stance that Iran "must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon" and said the country must now "return to the table and work towards a lasting settlement". "That's the message that I'm discussing with other leaders at NATO today," he wrote. Trump says it was an 'honour' to 'destroy' nuclear capability Donald Trump has again posted on his social media site, Truth Social. While he's on his way to the NATO summit at The Hague, he's had some more to say on the Iran-Israel conflict. "Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally," he wrote. "It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!" Second British evacuation flight leaves Israel The Foreign Office says another flight evacuating British citizens from Israel has left Tel Aviv. It follows the first evacuation flight - an RAF jet to Cyprus - yesterday. More flights will be considered depending on demand. The Ministry of Defence also released pictures from the first evacuation flight out of Israel, which left Tel Aviv yesterday. In pictures: Apparent remains of ballistic missile in northern Israel Analysis: Considerable fear in Iraq that moves to peace could unravel By Stuart Ramsay, chief correspondent Iraqi militia closely allied with Iran are being blamed for a series of drone attacks on military bases in the country overnight. Amongst the bases targeted was the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq's western Anbar province, where the Americans have a presence, although now a major base for Iraqi military as well. Ain al-Asad was the second biggest base in Iraq after the second Gulf War, a base I have visited many times with American forces. It is still home to 1500 US personnel. An Iraqi military spokesperson confirmed that all the bases attacked were in the control of their military rather than American units, and that the drones caused significant damage to radar systems at the several of the bases. The potential for Shia Muslim militias to act independently of the Iraqi government has been a cause of concern here throughout this recent crisis. Militia contacts had been warning Sky News that they would respond if the US joined Israel's war with Iran, and this seems to be their response. While there was damage to the bases, no Iraqi or US service personnel were injured in the drone attacks. In a series of press conferences and interviews in the past few days, senior Trump administration officials have made it clear that forces working as proxies for Tehran would be targeted and dealt with in the same way as Iran if American interests and people were attacked. While overnight developments that saw the announcement of what is looking like an increasingly shaky ceasefire brought some relief here in Iraq, there remains considerable fear here that moves to peace could unravel. Chinese minister says he supports Iran's commitment to national sovereignty China's foreign minister has told his Iranian counterpart that he supports Iran's commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty and security. In a phone call with Iran's Abbas Araqchi, Wang Yi said he hope a "real ceasefire" can be achieved on that basis, according to a statement from the Chinese ministry. He is also in contact with Israel and has spoken to his counterpart in Turkey as well. Trump posts screenshot of gushing message from NATO chief Donald Trump has posted what appears to be a text conversation between himself and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. "Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action on Iran," reads the effusive screenshot posted by Trump on Truth Social. "That was truly extraordinary and something no one else dared to do." The long message, full of praise for the president, says he has "made us all safer" and congratulates him for pushing NATO countries to up their defence commitments to 5% of GDP by 2035. "Donald, you have driven us to a really really important moment for America and Europe, and the world," reads the screenshot. "Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win." Read the message posted by Trump in full below: Revealed: Israeli jets hovered ominously over Iran until Trump intervened Exclusive by lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim Dozens of Israeli warplanes hovered ominously over Iranian airspace this morning, poised to retaliate against multiple salvos of Iranian ballistic missiles launched against Israel in the early hours of the morning. Those missiles violated the just-established ceasefire in the eyes of Israeli officials and they were ready to respond. This show of military force was abruptly stopped by a phone call from US President Donald Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to sources, Trump demanded Netanyahu halt the operation, fearing that it would unravel the ceasefire and pitch the Middle East back into conflict. Following the call between the two leaders, the Israeli aircraft were ordered to return to base. A single fighter jet executed a solitary airstrike, dropping a bomb on a site deemed symbolic rather than strategic. This act was interpreted as a final calibrated demonstration of Israel's military readiness without reigniting the war. As tensions simmer, the world watches closely, aware that the precarious situation could still change in the blink of an eye.
Al Jazeera
19-06-2025
- Al Jazeera
Israeli attacks kill at least 92 people including aid seekers in Gaza
At least 92 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip as desperate Palestinians continue to seek food amid an ongoing hunger crisis. Among those killed since dawn on Thursday, 64 were in Gaza City and the north and 16 others were waiting for aid assistance near the Netzarim Corridor, which splits north and south Gaza. Starving Palestinians have gathered in the area daily to receive packages from the United States- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which the United Nations has condemned for its 'weaponisation' of aid. Bassam Abu Shaar, who witnessed the Israeli attack at the aid site, told the AFP news agency that people had gathered overnight in the hope of receiving food. 'Around 1am [22:00 GMT Wednesday], they started shooting at us. The gunfire intensified from tanks, aircraft and quadcopter bombs,' he told AFP by phone. 'We couldn't help them or even escape ourselves,' he said, adding that the size of the crowd had made it impossible for people to flee Israeli fire near the Shuhada Junction. In recent weeks, Israeli attacks on Palestinians attempting to receive food aid have increased, killing dozens of people. Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum said the attacks on people at aid sites are becoming a 'daily routine'. 'More than three months of full [Israeli] blockade on border crossings has turned Gaza into a hunger point where people have run out of all kinds of humanitarian supplies and now found themselves to be forced to move to these designated centres to get bags of flour, bottles of water and alongside food boxes that, according to nutritional experts, contain low nutritional value,' Azzoum explained. 'These attacks are still unfolding, turning all humanitarian corridors into killing grounds,' he said. According to the Reuters news agency, the Israeli military claimed, without providing evidence, that there were attempts by 'suspects' to approach forces in the area of Netzarim in a way that had endangered them. The army added that forces fired warning shots to prevent suspects from approaching them, and it was currently unaware of injuries in the incident. Separately, an Israeli drone attack on a makeshift tent where Palestinians were charging their electrical devices in Al Shati Refugee Camp, killed 13 people, while an Israeli aircraft also launched intensive air strikes and bombarded several homes in Jabalia, northern Gaza. Reporting from Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera's Hind Khoudary said Israel's attack on the charging point at the Al Shati camp came after 'more than a-year-and-a-half' without electricity in the enclave. At the same time, the attacks on aid distribution centres are a testament to the 'deteriorating' situation in Gaza that has forced Palestinians to put 'their lives at risk for food', Khoudary added. 'Only a limited, very limited number of trucks coming in [to Gaza] every single day and people are very desperate; they're being killed as they try to take whatever is on the trucks,' she added. Over the past 24 hours, 69 bodies, including two that were recovered after an attack, and 221 wounded people were admitted to hospitals in the besieged enclave, medical sources said. Since the war began in October 2023, at least 55,706 people have been killed and 130,101 wounded, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Al Jazeera
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: Israel kills dozens of Palestinian aid seekers in central Gaza
Israeli forces have shot and killed at least 25 aid seekers at a food distribution site near the so-called Netzarim Corridor, south of Gaza City, according to medical sources cited by our colleagues at Al Jazeera southern Gaza, at least four Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli drone attack on a tent for displaced people in the al-Mawasi area near al-Qarara town, north of Khan Younis city, according to a Nasser Hospital source speaking to Al Jazeera has deported four out of 12 activists on board the intercepted Gaza-bound aid boat, the Madleen, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg. The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for 'inciting extremist violence' against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West war on Gaza has killed at least 54,981 Palestinians and wounded 126,920, according to Gaza's Health estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive. Update: Date: 1m ago (06:35 GMT) Title: At least 25 aid seekers killed in central Gaza Content: Israeli forces have opened fire near an aid distribution point by central Gaza's so-called Netzarim Corridor, according to medical sources speaking to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic. This incident is the latest in a string of deadly shootings near aid distribution sites since the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation assumed control of aid operations in late May. This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Update: Date: 6m ago (06:30 GMT) Title: Welcome to our live coverage Content: Thank you for joining our live coverage of Israel's war on Gaza, as well as its attacks in the occupied West Bank and the wider region. Follow this page for continuous updates and analyses of the latest developments
The National
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Five more reported killed near Gaza aid centres as operations resume
Five more Gazans were killed on Sunday by Israeli gunfire near centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, official Palestinian media reported, as the aid group reopened several distribution points. In Rafah, four people were killed and 70 others wounded by Israeli army fire near an aid centre west of the southern city, the Wafa news agency said. In central Gaza, one person was killed and others hurt near a distribution centre at the so-called Netzarim Corridor. The foundation said it reopened several distribution centres in the territory on Sunday, after blaming Hamas for the closure of its operations the previous day. The controversial US and Israel-backed group began work about two weeks ago after Israel eased an aid blockade on Gaza. Its operations, which bypass traditional humanitarian groups, have been condemned by the UN and established charities, who say they place Gazans in danger. The group says its work aims to bypass Hamas, which it accuses of stealing aid, but its distribution points have been blighted by violence, with the Israeli army accused of firing on civilians near the centres. The foundation said on Sunday on Facebook that it had opened a distribution point in the Gaza Valley, before later posting that the site had closed after completing its work. Later in the day, it said another two centres would open at noon in the Tal Sultan area, also known as the Swedish Village, and the Saudi neighbourhood. On Saturday, Gaza's civil defence agency said six people were killed in another shooting near an aid distribution centre in Rafah. The Israeli military said its troops fired warning shots at people it said were 'advancing in a way that endangered the troops'. Dozens of others have been killed in recent days around the Rafah site. The foundation on Saturday accused Hamas of making 'direct threats' that 'made it impossible' to operate in Gaza without endangering lives. 'Hamas is seeking to return to a broken regime it previously controlled and exploited – by diverting aid routes, manipulating distribution processes, and presenting its own agenda on the basic needs of the people of Gaza,' it said on Facebook. Gaza's government media office said the foundation's operations have 'utterly failed on all levels' and that Hamas was ready to help secure aid deliveries by the UN. Little is known about the foundation. Other aid groups have said its operations endanger civilians by delivering food through narrow, militarised corridors. Israel has described its methods as a way of circumventing Hamas, which Israel accuses of pilfering aid. Israel has faced mounting international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the UN has warned the entire population faces famine. Israel imposed an aid blockade on the besieged enclave on March 2 and has only relaxed it in recent days. Twenty months into the war, negotiations over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked. A brief truce collapsed in March and Israel has since intensified operations to 'destroy' the Palestinian group. The Israeli army on Saturday said its military operations in Gaza city resulted in the killing of Asaad Abu Sharia, who was reportedly head of the Mujahideen Brigades. The armed group is close to Hamas ally Islamic Jihad, which Israel has accused of being responsible for the deaths of hostages seized from kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza-Israel border on October 7, 2023. The Israeli army said Mr Abu Sharia was 'directly implicated' in the killings of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, a young family who became a symbol of Israel's hostage crisis. Hamas on Saturday released a photograph of one of its remaining hostages, Matan Zangauker, appearing to be in poor health, along with a warning that he would not survive. His mother, Einav Zangauker, speaking at a protest in Tel Aviv, said 'I can no longer bear this nightmare'. Meanwhile, an aid boat with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is nearing Gaza in an effort to highlight the plight of its residents. The Madleen, organised by an international coalition, is sailing with the aim of breaching Israel's naval blockade on the enclave and delivering aid, organisers said. They are expected to reach Gaza by Monday. In 2010 a commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach an Israeli naval blockade, left 10 civilians dead.
