Latest news with #OlgaCherevko
Scoop
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
INTERVIEW: Time's Being Wasted On Politics Of Aid While Deaths Mount In Gaza, Warns Senior Official
The UN already has a proven system to deliver assistance to people in Gaza and will not take part in any plan that does not uphold universally established humanitarian principles, a spokesperson for aid coordination office OCHA affirmed on Friday. ' There's been so much time wasted talking about the various proposals and the various plans. In the meantime, people are dying and are left without aid,' Olga Cherevko said in an exclusive interview with UN News. This week, UN agencies were able to bring limited amounts of food, flour and other items into Gaza after Israel lifted a nearly three-month aid blockade. Ms. Cherevko said humanitarians were told this was a temporary measure until aid distribution is implemented through the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an initiative backed by Israel and the United States. The plan sees aid dispersed from four points south of the Netzarim Corridor, which is under Israeli military control, and involves the use of private US contractors. She discussed this development, the positive impact of the trickle of aid allowed into Gaza, and the need to scale up efforts. ' There is a sense that some people feel like this is the end and that there is no turning back – and that they are just waiting to die,' she said. This interview has been edited for length and clarity Olga Cherevko: We've been speaking about this and other proposals and plans. Our concerns are that any distribution of aid, any system that exists, needs to be in line with globally established humanitarian principles. And if it isn't, it's not something that we can be involved in. We have concerns about the scalability of this proposed plan, and about various other parts of it. The biggest issue is that we have a plan, and we have a system that we are using as we speak, and the system has been tried over various crises across the world. It has been proven to work, it has mechanisms to mitigate theft, to mitigate diversion and it ensures that it reaches people wherever they are. So, there's been so much time wasted talking about the various proposals and the various plans. In the meantime, people are dying and are left without aid. The volume of aid is literally a drop in the ocean of what is needed UN News: The UN definitely will not be taking part in this plan, but did you receive any indications that you will be able to proceed with the work that you've been doing over the past couple of days? Olga Cherevko: For the time being it's unclear because obviously the resumption of limited volumes of aid entering that the Israeli authorities have approved as of a few days ago, we were obviously assured that we would be using our mechanisms – so the ones that we're using now, the ones that are already in place. We were informed that this would be an interim measure until this Foundation starts working. At this point, we really don't have more details and again, it will have to be seen on the ground how things will develop. UN News: Were any trucks allowed in today and was more aid distributed? Olga Cherevko: There have been batches of trucks coming in since this decision to allow them was approved. We have already been able to get some of the aid to the people in need, including getting flour to bakeries, and a number of bakeries have resumed their operations and fired up their ovens. We also had some partners who picked up the bread for direct distribution. A field hospital also received a batch of medical supplies. These are obviously very positive steps and positive developments in the right direction, but the volume of this aid is literally a drop in the ocean compared to the extent of needs on the ground. UN News: We heard that most, if not all, of the supplies that were allowed in yesterday were nutritional and food aid. Is this a new development that some medical supplies were allowed in today? How many people can be served with these food items and medical supplies? Olga Cherevko: The medical supplies were always part of the agreement to be included. But again, this is something that in itself is limiting because at the moment what is being allowed is things like nutrition, flour, some medicines and a few other things. It has to be a full range of things for us to be able to really deliver assistance at scale. In terms of how many people it will serve, you can compare the kind of volumes that we were having during the ceasefire to what we have now and you will see that it's woefully insufficient. But we have enough food alone to feed people for several months waiting at the crossings. UN News: The World Food Programme (WFP) said 15 of its trucks were looted. Can you tell us what's being done to prevent looting? Olga Cherevko: Regarding looting and break-ins or whatever to try to divert or take aid – if you look at the numbers of these kinds of incidents before the ceasefire and during the ceasefire you will see a huge change. There were barely any such incidents during the weeks of the ceasefire when we were able to bring in these large volumes (of aid). When the ceasefire broke down and the crossings were closed for the entry of any cargo, and we got to the point where we were really in a desperate situation and we were running low on everything, that is when they started again. UN News: Let's go back to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. As the four distribution points are going to be south of the Netzarim Corridor– reportedly one in Middle Gaza and the others in the south – are you already starting to see movements towards those areas? What are your concerns about displacement? People are sleeping in the streets because there's nowhere for them to go Olga Cherevko: Our concerns about displacement are what they have always been. Obviously, we would never support any sort of forced displacement, or any type of ethnic cleansing, or anything that would forcibly drive people from the areas where they are. Before the ceasefire, more than 90 per cent of people were forcibly displaced across Gaza and they were being squeezed into an increasingly smaller piece of land. When the ceasefire happened a lot of them went back. They tried to restart their lives and they kind of had a bit of time to process what's been happening. When the ceasefire broke down again on 18 March, we saw another 610,000 people displaced again. These types of displacement are getting more and more dangerous and desperate because people are coming with nothing. People are fleeing with just the shirt on their back. We're now hearing and seeing people sleeping in the streets because there's nowhere for them to go. As we've said time and time again, there is no safe place in Gaza, and this has been proven time and time again. UN News: You've been back and forth to Gaza for quite some time now, and you've seen the suffering first-hand. Can you give our audience an idea of what it means in real-life terms when aid is prevented from reaching those in need? Olga Cherevko: Something that has always stuck me about the Palestinians in Gaza is their resilience and their strength, and the spirit that they have kept throughout these months of war. I knew Gaza well before because I used to work there for several years starting from 2014, and knowing how people have endured so much suffering and despite that they find the strength to go, they find the strength to smile at you and to offer you tea or anything that they might still have. Now when I speak to people, the thing that is most devastating is that there is a sense that some people feel like this is the end and that there is no turning back and that they are just waiting to die. Before this limited aid was allowed to enter, the remaining operating community kitchens would have hundreds of people huddled around them waiting for hours with empty pots. Many were told to turn back because there's no food for them. People were telling me that they weren't eating for several days at a time. I saw children that are being malnourished, and suffering from malnutrition. These kinds of things are very preventable, and preventable deaths are happening all around us because of this intentional crisis imposed on Gaza by closing the crossings. And that is the most frustrating thing for me – knowing that we can quickly address these issues if only we were given the opportunity – because we have everything waiting outside of Gaza to come in.
Scoop
7 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
INTERVIEW: Time's Being Wasted On Politics Of Aid While Deaths Mount In Gaza, Warns Senior Official
' There's been so much time wasted talking about the various proposals and the various plans. In the meantime, people are dying and are left without aid,' Olga Cherevko said in an exclusive interview with UN News. This week, UN agencies were able to bring limited amounts of food, flour and other items into Gaza after Israel lifted a nearly three-month aid blockade. Ms. Cherevko said humanitarians were told this was a temporary measure until aid distribution is implemented through the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an initiative backed by Israel and the United States. The plan sees aid dispersed from four points south of the Netzarim Corridor, which is under Israeli military control, and involves the use of private US contractors. She discussed this development, the positive impact of the trickle of aid allowed into Gaza, and the need to scale up efforts. ' There is a sense that some people feel like this is the end and that there is no turning back – and that they are just waiting to die,' she said. This interview has been edited for length and clarity Olga Cherevko: We've been speaking about this and other proposals and plans. Our concerns are that any distribution of aid, any system that exists, needs to be in line with globally established humanitarian principles. And if it isn't, it's not something that we can be involved in. We have concerns about the scalability of this proposed plan, and about various other parts of it. The biggest issue is that we have a plan, and we have a system that we are using as we speak, and the system has been tried over various crises across the world. It has been proven to work, it has mechanisms to mitigate theft, to mitigate diversion and it ensures that it reaches people wherever they are. So, there's been so much time wasted talking about the various proposals and the various plans. In the meantime, people are dying and are left without aid. The volume of aid is literally a drop in the ocean of what is needed UN News: The UN definitely will not be taking part in this plan, but did you receive any indications that you will be able to proceed with the work that you've been doing over the past couple of days? Olga Cherevko: For the time being it's unclear because obviously the resumption of limited volumes of aid entering that the Israeli authorities have approved as of a few days ago, we were obviously assured that we would be using our mechanisms - so the ones that we're using now, the ones that are already in place. We were informed that this would be an interim measure until this Foundation starts working. At this point, we really don't have more details and again, it will have to be seen on the ground how things will develop. UN News: Were any trucks allowed in today and was more aid distributed? Olga Cherevko: There have been batches of trucks coming in since this decision to allow them was approved. We have already been able to get some of the aid to the people in need, including getting flour to bakeries, and a number of bakeries have resumed their operations and fired up their ovens. We also had some partners who picked up the bread for direct distribution. A field hospital also received a batch of medical supplies. These are obviously very positive steps and positive developments in the right direction, but the volume of this aid is literally a drop in the ocean compared to the extent of needs on the ground. UN News: We heard that most, if not all, of the supplies that were allowed in yesterday were nutritional and food aid. Is this a new development that some medical supplies were allowed in today? How many people can be served with these food items and medical supplies? Olga Cherevko: The medical supplies were always part of the agreement to be included. But again, this is something that in itself is limiting because at the moment what is being allowed is things like nutrition, flour, some medicines and a few other things. It has to be a full range of things for us to be able to really deliver assistance at scale. In terms of how many people it will serve, you can compare the kind of volumes that we were having during the ceasefire to what we have now and you will see that it's woefully insufficient. But we have enough food alone to feed people for several months waiting at the crossings. UN News: The World Food Programme (WFP) said 15 of its trucks were looted. Can you tell us what's being done to prevent looting? Olga Cherevko: Regarding looting and break-ins or whatever to try to divert or take aid - if you look at the numbers of these kinds of incidents before the ceasefire and during the ceasefire you will see a huge change. There were barely any such incidents during the weeks of the ceasefire when we were able to bring in these large volumes (of aid). When the ceasefire broke down and the crossings were closed for the entry of any cargo, and we got to the point where we were really in a desperate situation and we were running low on everything, that is when they started again. UN News: Let's go back to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. As the four distribution points are going to be south of the Netzarim Corridor– reportedly one in Middle Gaza and the others in the south – are you already starting to see movements towards those areas? What are your concerns about displacement? People are sleeping in the streets because there's nowhere for them to go Olga Cherevko: Our concerns about displacement are what they have always been. Obviously, we would never support any sort of forced displacement, or any type of ethnic cleansing, or anything that would forcibly drive people from the areas where they are. Before the ceasefire, more than 90 per cent of people were forcibly displaced across Gaza and they were being squeezed into an increasingly smaller piece of land. When the ceasefire happened a lot of them went back. They tried to restart their lives and they kind of had a bit of time to process what's been happening. When the ceasefire broke down again on 18 March, we saw another 610,000 people displaced again. These types of displacement are getting more and more dangerous and desperate because people are coming with nothing. People are fleeing with just the shirt on their back. We're now hearing and seeing people sleeping in the streets because there's nowhere for them to go. As we've said time and time again, there is no safe place in Gaza, and this has been proven time and time again. UN News: You've been back and forth to Gaza for quite some time now, and you've seen the suffering first-hand. Can you give our audience an idea of what it means in real-life terms when aid is prevented from reaching those in need? Olga Cherevko: Something that has always stuck me about the Palestinians in Gaza is their resilience and their strength, and the spirit that they have kept throughout these months of war. I knew Gaza well before because I used to work there for several years starting from 2014, and knowing how people have endured so much suffering and despite that they find the strength to go, they find the strength to smile at you and to offer you tea or anything that they might still have. Now when I speak to people, the thing that is most devastating is that there is a sense that some people feel like this is the end and that there is no turning back and that they are just waiting to die. Before this limited aid was allowed to enter, the remaining operating community kitchens would have hundreds of people huddled around them waiting for hours with empty pots. Many were told to turn back because there's no food for them. People were telling me that they weren't eating for several days at a time. I saw children that are being malnourished, and suffering from malnutrition. These kinds of things are very preventable, and preventable deaths are happening all around us because of this intentional crisis imposed on Gaza by closing the crossings. And that is the most frustrating thing for me - knowing that we can quickly address these issues if only we were given the opportunity – because we have everything waiting outside of Gaza to come in.
RTÉ News
19-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Childhood doesn't exist in Gaza
Last week marked the deadliest in Gaza since the truce collapsed in March. In preparation for its extensive ground offensive, Israel said it struck 670 Hamas targets in Gaza over the past week. The Hamas-run health ministry reported that at least 464 Palestinians were killed in intensified airstrikes during the week leading up to yesterday. Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for UN OCHA, speaking to RTÉ from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, described the latest wave of bombardment as a "very heavy few days". She spoke of intensified strikes around where she lives, with "explosions heard nonstop". Announcing its new expansive ground operation yesterday, the Israeli Defence Forces said it "will intensify the military control in the Strip by segmenting it and relocating the population for their own protection". But the UN OCHA spokesperson said no place in Gaza offers such protection. "The humanitarian zones designated by the Israeli military were never safe," she said, citing the Al-Mawasi camp near Khan Younis in southern Gaza as an example. According to Gaza authorities, 24 people, including women and children, were killed in the camp during an airstrike yesterday night. The escalation has forced many Palestinians in northern Gaza to flee their homes once again. According to Ms Cherevko, 63,000 people have been displaced in the last three days alone. More than 500,000 have been uprooted since the ceasefire collapsed on 18 March. According to the UN, 90% of Gaza residents have been displaced at least once since the war began in October 2023. Hospitals have come under increased fire while being overwhelmed by the surge in patients. Gaza's health ministry said the Indonesian Hospital, one of the largest partially functioning medical facilities in northern Gaza, had ceased operations. "The medics work under unbelievable stress and pressure and continue coming to work," said Ms Cherevko. "Some medical staff told me they never know whether they'll be next." Ms Cherevko, who worked in Gaza from 2014 to 2017 before returning last year during the current conflict, said, "Life was never easy in Gaza," but no one could have imagined "how bad it would get". The violence and deprivation are taking a devastating toll on children. "They have been deprived of every shred of childhood since this war began, having to grow up very quickly," she said. The education system in Gaza has collapsed, and UN workers are trying to offer some form of schooling to displaced children. "One girl I met in a shelter told me her favourite thing used to be waking up for school and going to class, dreaming of becoming an artist," Ms Cherevko recalled. "The only thing she's left to do now is try not to get killed - and wake up every morning to join the queue for water or food." After 11 weeks of complete humanitarian blockade - with no food, fuel, or medicine allowed into Gaza - UN OCHA has now distributed the last of its food stocks, Ms Cherevko said. With hot-meal kitchens shutting down rapidly, aid workers have seen a 75% drop in the number of meals prepared. "We went down from one million meals a day three weeks ago to just 250,000-290,000. The portions and variety of the remaining meals have been significantly reduced." Late last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel will allow "a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop" in Gaza. It remains unclear when the aid will resume or what exactly constitutes a "basic amount" for a population of two million.
Saudi Gazette
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Construction sites appear in Gaza ahead of Israeli-US aid plan rejected by UN
LONDON — Israel is preparing a series of sites in Gaza that could be used as distribution centers for humanitarian aid in a controversial new plan, satellite images show. The Israeli government suspended food and medicine deliveries into Gaza in March. Ministers said the move, which has been condemned by UN, European and Middle Eastern leaders, was intended to put pressure on Hamas to release its remaining hostages. Israel also accused Hamas of stealing aid – an allegation the group has denied. The UN has said the blockade has caused severe shortages of food, medicines and fuel, and an assessment on Monday warned that Gaza's population of around 2.1 million people was at "critical risk" of famine. The US confirmed last week that it was preparing a new system for providing aid from a series of hubs inside Gaza, which would be run by private companies and protected by security contractors and Israeli forces. Images analyzed by BBC Verify show that land has already been cleared, with new roads and staging areas constructed at a number of locations in southern and central Gaza in recent has not publicly said where the hubs will be, but humanitarian sources — briefed previously by Israeli officials — told BBC Verify that at least four centers will be built in the southern section of Gaza and one further north near the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land controlled by the military that effectively divides the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — an organization set up to support the plan — initially said food, water and hygiene kits would be supplied to 1.2 million people, less than 60% of the Wednesday it announced it would start operations before the end of May, and appeared to call for Israel to allow aid through normal channels until its distribution centers were fully operational. It also called for aid hubs to be built in northern Gaza, something not envisaged under the original agencies have insisted they will not cooperate with the plan — which is in line with one previously approved by Israel's government — saying it contradicted fundamental humanitarian principles.A spokesperson for the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) accused Israel of seeking to use "food and fuel as leverage, as part of a military strategy"."All aid would be channeled through a handful of militarised hubs," Olga Cherevko told BBC Verify."That kind of arrangement would cut off vast areas of Gaza – particularly the most vulnerable, who can't move easily, or are otherwise marginalized – from any help at all."Meanwhile, Bushra Khalidi of Oxfam described the new plan as a "farce"."No logistical solution is going to address Israel's strategy of forcible displacement and using starvation as a weapon of war. Lift the siege, open the crossings and let us do our job."It is understood that the proposed new system has not yet had final sign-off from the Israeli Verify used satellite imagery to identify four potential sites based on the limited available information about their sites are similar in size, shape and design to existing open-air distribution sites inside Gaza, such as at Erez, Erez West and Kisufim. The largest site we've looked at is bigger — more comparable to the area inside Gaza at Kerem Shalom analysis of the imagery shows significant development at one of the sites in south-west Gaza, close to the ruins of a village that is now an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) photos since early April show the construction of a road there and a large staging area, surrounded by berms — large defensive barriers made of piled sand — about 650m (2,130ft) from the border with Egypt.A high-resolution image captured on 8 May shows bulldozers and excavators working on a section of land spanning about 20 acres (8 hectares). IDF armoured vehicles are at a fortified building nearby.A photo taken on site, geolocated by BBC Verify, also shows lighting being installed on the imagery from 11 and 12 May shows this, along with three other sites, continuing to expand. One site is about half a kilometre from a collection of eight UN warehouses, and 280m from another large Ray, a senior imagery analyst with McKenzie Intelligence, agreed the sites were likely to be secure distribution centers. He noted that some of the facilities are in "close proximity to IDF Forward Operating Bases which ties in with the IDF wishing to have some control over the sites".Analysts with another intelligence firm, Maiar, said the facilities appeared to be designed with separate entrances for trucks to move in and out, and with other gaps in the berms that would be suitable for pedestrian IDF did not comment on the potential aid centres when approached by BBC Verify, but said that its operations in Gaza were carried out "in accordance with international law". Cogat — the Israeli body responsible for managing crossings into Gaza — did not respond to a request for of the four sites located by BBC Verify are south of the IDF's newly created Morag Corridor.A map showing construction at a site on 3 May. Labeled are a construction site where bulldozers are visible, an IDF base with armored cars and the settlement of Tel as is an Israeli military zone that runs across the Gaza Strip and separates the southern cities of Khan Younis and the IDF established a security zone there in early April, a six-mile (10km) road has been built covering two-thirds of the width of Gaza, bordered by defensive berms and dotted with IDF new road leads directly to one of the development sites visible in satellite imagery, and a pre-existing road connects it to two entire area has been subjected to extensive land clearance by the IDF. BBC Verify has geolocated video and images of areas throughout the Morag Corridor, and south of it, filmed by Israeli forces, which show controlled demolitions using explosives and heavy machinery, and extensive destruction of sources said Israeli briefings indicated that aid would enter Gaza via Kerem Shalom imagery shows ongoing construction work happening there too over the past few months, with the apparent expansion of its storage areas, and new roads Israel stopped new aid supplies in March, the UN has reiterated that it has an obligation under international law to ensure that the basic needs of the population under its control are has insisted that it is complying with international law and that there is no shortage of aid in Gaza. — BBC
Kuwait Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
‘Deadly blockade' leaves Gaza aid work on verge of collapse
Zionist drones attack aid boat bound for Gaza GENEVA: Humanitarians have described horrific scenes of starving, bloodied children and fights over water in Gaza, two months into Zionist full blockade on aid, with dire warnings that aid operations are on the brink of total collapse. The Norwegian Refugee Council's humanitarian access manager in Gaza, Gavin Kelleher, said 'thousands of people will die' if nothing is done, as other aid agencies called for urgent international action. 'The humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse,' the International Committee of the Red Cross warned. 'Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate.' Zionist entity strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war. Since the start of the blockade, the United Nations has repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming. The UN's World Food Program (WFP) said last week that it had sent out its 'last remaining food stocks' to kitchens, and the 25 bakeries it supports in Gaza have closed due to a lack of flour and fuel. 'Deadly' blockade 'Food stocks have now mainly run out,' Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, told reporters in Geneva Friday via video link from Gaza City. 'Community kitchens have begun to shut down (and) more people are going hungry,' she said, pointing to reports of children and other very vulnerable people who have died from malnutrition and ... from the lack of food'. 'The blockade is deadly.' Water access was also 'becoming impossible', Cherevko warned. 'There's a water truck that has just arrived, and people are killing each other over water,' she said, describing a scene below her window. One friend described that the situation had deteriorated so much that there was no water to save 'people burning ... because of the explosions' while hospitals were running out of blood, even as mass casualties arrived. 'Gaza lies in ruins, Rubble fills the streets... Many nights, blood-curdling screams of the injured pierce the skies following the deafening sound of another explosion,' she added. The NRC's Kelleher meanwhile described an increase in 'needs-based looting across Gaza' and condemned what he said was a 'manufactured breakdown of civil order'. '(Zionist entity) is not only preventing food from entering Gaza but it has also engineered a situation in which Palestinians cannot grow their own food, they cannot fish for their own food and they continue to attack or deny access to the little left food stocks in Gaza,' he added. 'Abomination' Humanitarians also decried the mass displacement, with nearly the entire Gaza population being forced to shift multiple times before the brief ceasefire. Since the resumption of hostilities, Cherevko said more than 420,000 people have been forced to flee again, many 'with only the clothes on their backs' and were shot at as they tried to reach overcrowded shelters. Aid boat 'attacked' Meanwhile, a group of activists organizing an aid boat for Gaza said it was attacked on Friday by drones in international waters off Malta as it headed towards the Palestinian territory. The Maltese government and Cypriot rescuers said they had responded to a distress call from the vessel, while Malta said all crew members were safe and made no mention of an alleged attack. The activists said they suspected Zionists could be behind the attack, and Cyprus's rescue agency said it had been informed by the island's foreign ministry of a drone strike. The Zionist military did not provide an immediate response when contacted by AFP. 'At 00:23 Maltese time (2223 GMT Thursday), the Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship came under direct attack in international waters,' the group said in a statement. 'Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull. '(Zionist) ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters.' Asked whether the group believed Zionist entity was behind the attack, a spokesperson told AFP they 'suspected' that was the case. 'While we cannot confirm 100 percent, we suspect it's (Zionist entity),' Hay Sha Wiya said, calling the country 'the primary entity interested in keeping us and any aid out of Gaza'. Zionist entity is known for conducting covert operations beyond its borders, including several during the Gaza war that it only acknowledged later. The activists said the strike appeared to target the boat's generator. Following the distress call, the Malta Vessel Traffic Services body dispatched a tugboat and offered support. 'The tug arrived on scene and began firefighting operations. By 0128 hrs, the fire was reported under control,' the Maltese statement said. 'Desperately needed aid' A Cypriot-owned vessel also responded to the distress call. 'The Larnaca Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) has been informed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus that a vessel possibly transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza came under missile attack by a Zionist Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) while sailing within the Search and Rescue (SAR) Region of Malta,' the Cypriot rescue body said. It said a Cypriot-owned vessel in the area 'participated in firefighting operations'. The activists were on what they called a 'mission to challenge illegal and deadly siege of Gaza, and to deliver desperately needed, life-saving aid'. Zionist entity has since March 2 blocked all aid deliveries to Gaza, and resumed major military operations in the territory in mid-March, ending a two-month ceasefire. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned Friday that the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the 'verge of total collapse' after two months of aid being blocked. - AFP
