Latest news with #Palestinian territory
France 24
a day ago
- Politics
- France 24
Gaza famine warning as Israel resists ceasefire calls
The health ministry figure excludes deaths from hunger in the Palestinian territory gripped by dire humanitarian conditions made worse by Israel's total blockade of aid from March to May. This week, Israel launched a daily pause in fighting and opened secure routes to enable UN and non-governmental agencies to distribute food on Gaza's devastated streets. Hundreds of truckloads of aid have begun to arrive. But Israeli strikes continued overnight, killing 30 people in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Gaza's civil defence agency -- and experts warn a humanitarian catastrophe of historic proportions is imminent. "The worst-case scenario of famine is now unfolding in the Gaza Strip," said the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), a coalition of monitors tasked by the UN to warn of impending crises. Urgent action now The World Food Programme's emergency director, Ross Smith, likened the situation to some of the worst famines of the past century. "This is unlike anything we have seen in this century. It reminds us of previous disasters in Ethiopia or Biafra," Smith said via video-link from Rome. "We need urgent action now." In a statement released ahead of the IPC report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of distorting casualty figures and accused the group of looting food aid destined for Palestinian civilians. "While the situation in Gaza is difficult and Israel has been working to ensure aid delivery, Hamas benefits from attempting to fuel the perception of a humanitarian crisis," the statement said. "We already allow significant amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza every single day, including food, water and medicine. Unfortunately, Hamas... has been stealing aid from the Gaza population, many times by shooting Palestinians." As late as Sunday, Netanyahu had been insisting there was "no starvation in Gaza" but even his close international ally, US President Donald Trump, has now warned the situation appears to be "real starvation". Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, amid warnings of a wave of starvation. Then on Sunday, faced with a mounting international chorus of alarm, Israel began a series of "tactical pauses" while allowed aid trucks to cross two border crossings into Gaza, and Jordanian and Emirati planes to airdrop aid. Shipments have ramped up, but for the IPC this effort will not prove enough unless aid agencies are granted "immediate, unimpeded" humanitarian access. "Failure to act now will result in widespread death in much of the Strip," it said, warning that 16 children under the age of five had died of hunger since July 17. "Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths," it said. According to Netanyahu's office, the pause in military operations covers "key populated areas" between 10:00 am (0700 GMT) and 8:00 pm every day. Designated aid convoy routes will be secure from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said more than 200 truckloads of aid were distributed by the UN and aid agencies on Monday. Air strikes Another 260 trucks were permitted to cross into Gaza to deposit aid at collection points, four UN tankers brought in fuel and 20 pallets of aid were airdropped from Jordanian and Emirati planes, COGAT said. Overnight, however, strikes continued. Gaza's civil defence agency said Tuesday that Israeli air strikes killed at least 30 Palestinians, including women and children, in the central Nuseirat district. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the strikes were carried out overnight and into the morning and "targeted a number of citizens' homes" in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The local Al-Awda hospital said it had received "the bodies of 30 martyrs, including 14 women and 12 children". An Israeli military spokesman told AFP that he would need more information to enable him to look into the strikes. With aid experts pushing for a ceasefire to enable a large-scale humanitarian operation, Israel's foreign minister addressed reporters in Jerusalem to denounce what he called a "distorted campaign" of international pressure. Gideon Saar told reporters that if Israel was to halt the conflict while Hamas is still in power in Gaza and still holding hostages it would be a "tragedy for both Israelis and Palestinians".
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kemi Badenoch Says She Believes Israel Is Allowing Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza
Kemi Badenoch has insisted she believes Israel is still getting humanitarian aid into Gaza despite growing fears of famine. The Tory leader's remarks come amid growing concerns that people in the Palestinian territory are facing mass starvation due Israel's blockade of relief. More than 100 non-governmental organisations issued a statement this week saying the 'Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families'. Israel did announce over the weekend that it would allow airdrops of relief into the Palestinian territory, and promised it would implement a 'tactical pause' in its military operation in three parts of Gaza to help ease the humanitarian crisis. But speaking to Sky News this morning, the Tory leader suggested her support for Israel had not wavered despite the international community's fears. Presenter Trevor Phillips asked for Badenoch's reaction to Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof's claim that Israel has been 'lying' about the food crisis in Gaza. She said: 'I disagree with that. What I am seeing is Israel allowing humanitarian aid to go in. This has been an unbelievably difficult situation, it's been heartbreaking seeing some of those pictures, hearing some of those stories. 'What we allow want to see is this awful war coming to an end. And that will happen when those hostages are released and we get a ceasefire.' Phillips asked: 'Have those pictures at all led your pretty much unwavering support for Israel to waver?' 'No, no. War is a difficult situation,' she replied. 'What I see when I see Israel is a country that is trying to defend itself, mostly from Iran and a lot of its proxies – Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis. I think they're in a very difficult situation. 'And what worries me is the length of time this war has been going on makes it very difficult for the people in Palestinian territories and also for Israel, we need to bring things to an end.' Phillips pointed out that polling suggests Brits are moving away from supporting Israel, to which the Tory leader said she is 'somebody who believes in looking at what's actually happening'. 'The right thing is for there to a ceasefire. A lot of people are suffering on both sides, but we must'n't forget how this started,' she claimed. 'On October 7, a massacre occurred. It was an act of war. There are still people who are being held hostage and they need to be brought home. 'All of this could be brought to an end, except that those territories are being run by a terrorist organisation. We cannot allow it to go on.' Asked if there was anything Israel is doing which she would not support, the leader of the opposition said that Israel has a 'responsibility to make sure aid gets through.' But she noted: 'I also know that allowing a terrorist organisation to win is not going to be safe, not just for Israel, but for the rest of the world. 'This is how they get incubated. And then 10, 15, 20 years' time, the rest of us suffer for it. We need to bring this sort of terrorism to an end.' Existing tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians soared when Palestinian militants Hamas killed 1,200 people on Israeli soil and took a further 251 people hostage. Israel declared war and imposed a blockade on Gaza while also launching missile strikes across the territory. According to the local Hamas-run health ministry, more than 61,000 people have died in Gaza since the conflict began. Labour minister James Murray also told Sky News that the UK would recognise a Palestine state, describing it as a case of 'when not if'. However, he refused to put a clear timeline on it. It comes after French president Emmanuel Macron confirmed he would formally announce Palestine statehood in September. Related... Israel Declares 'Tactical Pause' In Parts Of Gaza As International Unease Over Hunger Grows Israeli Spokesperson Accuses Nick Robinson Of Lying About Gaza In Furious Row Live On Air Germany's Broadcaster Responds To Reports They'll Leave Eurovision If Israel Is Banned
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
UN aid chief welcomes ‘humanitarian pauses' in Gaza
GENEVA: The United Nations' aid chief welcomed Israel's announcement Sunday of secure land routes into Gaza for humanitarian convoys, and said the UN would try to reach as many starving people as possible. 'Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through,' UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher said on X. 'In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window.' Fletcher's UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned Friday that conditions on the ground in Gaza were 'already catastrophic and deteriorating fast.' 'The starvation crisis is deepening,' it said, warning that hunger and malnutrition increase the risk of illnesses, and adding that the consequences can quickly 'turn deadly.' It said that 'the trickle of supplies that are making it into the Strip are nowhere near adequate to address the immense needs.' OCHA said UN teams were in place to ramp up deliveries into the Palestinian territory 'as soon as they are allowed to do so.' 'If Israel opens the crossings, lets fuel and equipment in, and allows humanitarian staff to operate safely, the UN will accelerate the delivery of food aid, health services, clean water and waste management, nutrition supplies, and shelter materials,' it said. OCHA said constraints imposed by the Israeli authorities had hampered humanitarians' ability to respond. It said that on Thursday, for example, out of 15 attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza, four were 'outright denied,' with another three impeded. One was postponed, and two others had to be canceled, meaning only five missions went ahead. On Friday OCHA issued an aid delivery plan in the event of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Israel drops aid packages into Gaza, to open humanitarian corridors
Israel says it has air dropped aid into the Gaza Strip and would open humanitarian corridors, as it faced growing international condemnation over the deepening hunger crisis in the Palestinian territory. Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume. Before Israel announced the delivery of seven aid packages, the United Arab Emirates had said it would restart aid drops and Britain said it would work with partners including Jordan to assist them. The decision to loosen the flow of aid came as the Palestinian civil defence agency said more than 50 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes and shootings, some as they waited near aid distribution centres. The same day, Israeli troops boarded a boat carrying activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as it attempted to approach Gaza from the sea and deliver a small quantity of supplies to the aid-starved population. The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory has gravely deteriorated in recent days, with international NGOs warning of soaring malnutrition among children. On Telegram, the Israeli military announced it 'carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip'. Earlier, Israel said humanitarian corridors for UN aid convoys to deliver 'food and medicine' would also be designated. This would improve the humanitarian situation, and disprove 'the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip', it added. Israel's foreign ministry posted on X that a 'humanitarian pause' would apply to certain parts of Gaza on Sunday morning to facilitate the aid deliveries. Humanitarian chiefs are deeply sceptical that air drops can deliver enough food to tackle the deepening hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. They are instead demanding that Israel allow more overland convoys. But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the idea, vowing to work with Jordan to restart air drops. Starmer's office said that in a call with his French and German counterparts the 'prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance'. The United Arab Emirates said it would resume air drops 'immediately'. 'The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level,' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a post on X. 'Air drops are resuming once more, immediately.' 'Starving civilians' A number of Western and Arab governments carried out air drops in Gaza in 2024, when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective. 'Air drops will not reverse the deepening starvation,' said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. 'They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians.' Israel's military insists it does not limit the number of trucks going into the Gaza Strip, and alleges that UN agencies and relief groups are not collecting the aid once it is inside the territory. But humanitarian organisations accuse the Israeli army of imposing excessive restrictions, while tightly controlling road access within Gaza. A separate aid operation is under way through the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but it has faced fierce international criticism after Israeli fire killed hundreds of Palestinians near distribution points. Naval blockade On Saturday evening, the live feed on the Handala boat belonging to pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. The soldiers moved in as the boat approached Gaza and three video livefeeds of the scene broadcasting online were cut minutes later. Israeli forces last month intercepted and boarded another boat run by the same group, the Madleen. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire killed over 50 people on Saturday, including 14 killed in separate incidents near aid distribution centres. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
News.com.au
23-07-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Horror show': Plea to evacuate Gaza journalists as hunger crisis reaches tipping point
A major news agency has pleaded for its contributors to be evacuated from Gaza amid fears they could starve to death during the strip's humanitarian crisis and blockade. Agence France-Presse (AFP) called on Israel to allow freelance journalists and their families to leave the Palestinian territory, saying they faced an 'appalling situation'. 'For months, we have been helplessly witnessing the dramatic deterioration of their living conditions,' AFP said in a statement overnight. 'Their situation is now untenable, despite their exemplary courage, professional commitment, and resilience.' The plea comes as Gaza authorities report 21 children died due to malnutrition and starvation over the past three days, and UN head Antonio Gutteres described events in Gaza as a 'horror show'. A six-week-old baby was among 15 people who died in a single day, according to local health officials. Global outcry has also intensified over reports of civilians being shot dead at aid centres, with UN officials saying more than 1000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces at food distribution sites since late May. Israel has also been blamed for attacking warehousing and staff living areas at Gaza's main aid hub in Deor al-Balah, which housed World Health Organization staff. 'Refuse to see them die' The AFP's journalist union says one freelance writer, three photographers and six video freelancers remained in Gaza a long 21 months into the war. In a post on X, the union shared a devastating missive from one of its members written on July 19. 'I don't have the power to cover media anymore,' photographer Bashar Taleb wrote. 'My body is lean and I no longer have the ability to walk. 'Gaza. 19.7.2025.' The union said he had been living in the same conditions as all Gazans, and 'for over a year, he has lived in complete destitution and works at enormous risk to his life'. 'Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us can recall seeing a colleague die of hunger,' the union said. 'We refuse to see them die.' 'Living the catastrophe' The director of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, warned on Tuesday that Gaza was heading towards 'alarming numbers of deaths' due to lack of food. He said new cases of starvation were arriving at the hospital 'every moment', following the deaths of nearly two dozen children from malnutrition in recent days. 'We are heading towards alarming numbers of deaths due to the starvation inflicted on the people of Gaza,' Mr Abu Salmiya said. AFP journalist Ahlam Afana, 30, said an exhausting 'cash crisis' – from exorbitant bank charges and sky-high prices for food – was adding to the issue. She said the costs of every day items such as rice, pasta, oil and fruit were sky high: 'We can't afford them. I don't even remember how they taste. 'The danger isn't just the bombing. Hunger is slowly killing our bodies and threatening our ability to carry on. 'Now, I'm not just reporting the news. I'm living the catastrophe and documenting it at the same time.' Another contributor based in Gaza City, Khadr Al-Zanoun, said he had lost 30 kilograms since the war began. His family was 'barely hanging on', he said. Global patience wears thin More than 1000 people have been killed trying to get aid since the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) started operations, the UN said overnight. An officially private effort, the GHF began operations on May 26 after Israel halted supplies into the Gaza Strip for more than two months, sparking famine warnings. GHF operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting to collect rations in the Palestinian territory, where the Israeli military is seeking to destroy Hamas. UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said since July 21, 1054 people were killed in Gaza while trying to get food. He added: '766 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites and 288 near UN and other humanitarian organisations' aid convoys'. This week 28 nations – including Australia, the UK, France and Canada – penned an open statement calling for an immediate end to the war and release of remaining hostages. 'The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,' the statement read. 'Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.' Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the weekend described recent events in Gaza as 'completely indefensible' and said Israel was fast losing international support. The joint statement of western nations was criticised by Israel as 'disconnected from reality', while the US ambassador to Israel called it 'disgusting'. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, however, said he was 'sickened' at events in Gaza and called the current aid scheme 'a grotesque spectacle'.
