Latest news with #OfficefortheCoordinationofHumanitarianAffairs
Malaysiakini
7 days ago
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
UN: 'Horrific impact' as evacuation orders cover 40pct of Gaza
The United Nations warned yesterday that continued Israeli bombardment and new evacuation orders are devastating civilians in the Gaza Strip, with more than 40 percent of the territory under displacement directives. Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said: 'We continue to stress that a meaningful scale-up of humanitarian operations is essential to stave off famine and meet the needs of all civilians, wherever they are.'
Business Recorder
26-05-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
UK surgeon in Gaza says ‘never seen so many blast injuries'
KHAN YUNIS: A British surgeon visiting a Gaza hospital said Monday she had 'never seen so many blast injuries' as Israel ramps up operations in the coastal Palestinian territory ravaged by 20 months of war. 'I've never seen so many blast injuries in my life and I've never seen so many injuries in Gaza in my life,' said Victoria Rose, a part of a British medical delegation to Nasser Hospital in south Gaza's Khan Yunis. Rose, who has previously visited Gaza to work, said she had seen a lot of severe burns, typical injuries for people who have been in an explosion. 'We're seeing these injuries in really small children as well', Rose said from Nasser Hospital's paediatric wing. With Israel conducting dozens of air strikes every day in Gaza since restarting bombardments on March 18, humanitarians have said that nowhere is safe in Gaza. Israeli strike on Gaza: Father in intensive care after nine children killed The surgeon added that the large burns she had witnessed during her visit 'are very difficult to survive from even in the Western countries where there is no war, and we have functioning hospitals and all the medical supplies at our fingertips.' 'So, here, most of these burns are going to be unsurvivable.' Rose said the other type of injuries from blasts occurred when 'whatever is around you gets whipped up in the explosion and ejected at very high force, and that then hits the civilians and it causes penetrating injuries'. Often, the victims suffer partial or complete amputations in the bombings, Rose said, and because they are living in tents they turn up with large amounts of dirt in their wounds. 'Our first course of action is to try and clean the wounds, and then to try and cover them and salvage as much of the body part as we can.' These challenges are compounded by the dwindling number of functional medical facilities in Gaza, Rose said, including Nasser Hospital. 'On the second floor, one of the wards has been blown up, and also on the fourth floor the burns unit was blown up'. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last week that '94 per cent of the hospitals in Gaza are now damaged or destroyed, and half of them are no longer operational'. Rescuers said Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 52 people on Monday, 33 of them in a school turned shelter.
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
UN, BBC walk back dramatic Gaza infant death toll claim
The United Nations and the BBC on Wednesday corrected a dramatic claim that 14,000 infants in the Gaza Strip faced death within 48 hours, clarifying that the figure actually refers to children at risk of severe malnutrition over the course of a full year. U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher claimed BBC Radio 4's 'Today' program, saying: 'There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them.' The comment was quickly picked up by national media outlets, cited in U.K. parliamentary debates, and referenced in international diplomatic discussions. 5 U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher claimed BBC Radio 4's 'Today' program, saying: 'There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them.' AP After asking the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for clarification, the BBC reported that the remarks were based on a report that warned that 14,100 severe cases of acute malnutrition were expected to occur between April 2025 and March 2026 among children aged between six months and five years. The report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said neither that all 14,000 children were infants nor that they were expected to die. Additionally, the timeframe stated was five years, not 48 hours. BBC News published a correction later that day. When asked for clarification, Fletcher's agency—the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)—told the Jewish Chronicle: 'We are pointing to the imperative of getting supplies into save an estimated 14,000 babies suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Gaza. We need to get the supplies in as soon as possible, ideally within the next 48 hours.' 5 When asked for clarification, Fletcher's agency—the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said: 'We are pointing to the imperative of getting supplies into save an estimated 14,000 babies suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Gaza. We need to get the supplies in as soon as possible, ideally within the next 48 hours.' AP 5 Nujud Suleiman, a one-year-old Palestinian infant suffering from malnutrition, is measured as she receives treatment at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 24, 2025. AFP via Getty Images By the time the correction surfaced, the false claim had already been cited by at least nine Members of Parliament in the House of Commons and amplified across the U.K. and international media. The controversy unfolded as the United Kingdom escalated pressure on Israel. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced Monday that the United Kingdom was suspending trade negotiations with Israel over what he called 'morally unjustifiable' military actions in Gaza. 'The Netanyahu government's actions have made this necessary,' Lammy said, describing Israel's conduct as 'monstrous.' 5 The Palestinian infant received medical care at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, accompanied by his mother, on May 5, 2025. 5 Saleh Zenati carries the body of his infant nephew who was killed in an Israeli army airstrike, during his funeral in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on May 18, 2025. AP U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also weighed in, saying the 'horrific situation in Gaza' was 'utterly intolerable' and warning, 'We cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve.' Israeli officials have denied accusations of orchestrating food shortages, maintaining that Hamas is responsible for withholding supplies from civilians. On Tuesday, Israel allowed 93 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including baby food, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals.
Egypt Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Israel-based organization present at DC event says it was focused on Gaza humanitarian aid
IsraAID, an Israel-based non-governmental organization, said the event in Washington, DC, where two Israeli staff members were shot dead was focused on humanitarian aid for Gaza. The event, where IsraAID members were keynote speakers, 'focused on bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza through Israeli-Palestinian and regional collaboration,' the NGO said in a statement Thursday. 'We, and all the attendees, gathered in the interest of finding practical solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and showing that working together is the only way forward for all the people in the region,' IsraAID said, adding that 'the brutal and tragic irony that such an event – motivated by humanitarian principles – was targeted for more violence is heartbreaking.' On Wednesday, trucks loaded with humanitarian aid began delivering the first stocks of food and supplies in Gaza, marking the first time any humanitarian supplies have entered the enclave since Israel imposed a complete blockade on the territory in early-March. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that the aid delivery was 'nowhere near enough to meet the vast needs in Gaza.'
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Business Standard
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
UN urges immediate aid distribution as supply trucks enter Gaza after weeks
The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday (local time) stated that while the first trucks carrying food and other supplies had entered Gaza after an 11-week blockade, the aid is yet to be distributed due to logistical challenges imposed by Israel's on-ground military operations. During a briefing, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, emphasised the urgent need to distribute these supplies, calling the current influx "a drop in the ocean" given the massive humanitarian crisis in the region. He highlighted that the deprivation in Gaza exacerbating the humanitarian crisis was driven by ongoing bombardments, blockade, and recurrent displacement. "Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the first trucks of vital baby food are now inside Gaza after 11 weeks of total blockade, and it is urgent that we get that assistance distributed. We need much, much more to cross," Dujarric stated. "This is a drop in the ocean of what's required to address the massive scale of humanitarian needs. The deprivation we are seeing in Gaza is the result of ongoing bombardments, blockade, and recurrent displacement," he added. According to Dujarric, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday detailed that the UN sent flour, medicines, nutrition supplies, and other essentials through the Israeli fence into the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, with baby formula and other nutrition supplies being sent on Monday. He noted that Israeli requirements to offload and reload supplies separately after securing access have delayed distribution, with UN teams waiting hours for clearance to collect the items. "The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that today, the UN is sending flour, medicines, nutrition supplies and other basics through the Israeli fence into the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom. Yesterday, we managed to get in baby formula and other nutrition supplies... Today, our team waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access Kerem Shalom and collect the nutrition supplies. Just to make it clear, while more supplies have come into the Gaza Strip, we have not been able to secure the arrival of those supplies into our warehouses and delivery points," the UN official clarified. Earlier today, the UN was granted approval by Israel to send an additional 93 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip, as reported by Times of Israel, citing a spokesperson from the UN's humanitarian office and Israeli officials. Compounding the crisis, Dujarric further stated that water and sanitation services across Gaza were severely disrupted due to fuel shortages, with no fuel currently available in northern Gaza and with only half the required weekly supply received last week, leading to nearly depleted reserves and reduced operating hours for water wells, with complete shutdowns imminent. He stated that in southern Gaza, water utilities have received no fuel, despite needing 1,40,000 litres weekly to maintain operations. "The partners providing water and sanitation services report that their operations continue to be severely disrupted across the Strip due to the ongoing fuel shortages. In the northern part of Gaza, no fuel is currently available, and only half of the required weekly supply was received last week. As a result, fuel reserves are nearly depleted. Operating hours for water wells have been further reduced, and complete shutdowns are imminent. In southern Gaza, water utilities have not received any fuel, although 140,000 litres per week are needed to maintain operations," the Spokesperson added. The blockade, which began on March 2, followed Israel's on-ground military operations "Gideon's Chariots" in the region launched on May 17, aimed at "conquering" Gaza, retaining the territory; moving the Palestinian civilian population toward the south of the Strip; attacking Hamas; and preventing the terror group from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies. Earlier on Monday, acting on the recommendations from the IDF, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet agreed to allow a "basic quantity" of food after the blockade in Gaza that has brought Palestinians to the edge of famine, as reported by Euronews. Meanwhile, the UK, France, and Canada jointly condemned Israel's expanded military operations in Gaza. The European leaders criticised the "intolerable" human suffering in Gaza, Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid, and settlement expansions in the West Bank, threatening further action, including sanctions, if Israel does not halt its offensive.
