Latest news with #SigridKaag
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Sheikha Alya, UN humanitarian coordinator discuss deteriorating situation in Gaza
NEW YORK: Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, has met with Sigrid Kaag, who serves as Under-Secretary-General, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim, UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. The meeting took place at the Permanent Mission's headquarters in New York. The meeting discussed the latest developments in the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and emphasised the need to ensure the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people.
Dubai Eye
2 days ago
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Deadly break in at UN warehouse as aid trickles into Gaza
A United Nations warehouse in Gaza was broken into on Wednesday as aid trickles into the Palestinian enclave on the brink of famine and the US readies new terms for a possible truce between Israel and Hamas. The World Food Programme said initial reports were that two people had died and several more were injured at the central Gaza warehouse. The UN agency appealed for an immediate scale-up of food aid "to reassure people that they will not starve". Eyewitness video independently verified by Reuters shows large crowds of people pushing into the warehouse and removing bags and boxes as gunfire can be heard. It was not immediately clear how the people may have been killed or injured in the incident. Under growing international pressure, Israel ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza 10 days ago. It has allowed a limited amount of relief to be delivered via two avenues - the United Nations or the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. UN Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag told the Security Council that the amount of aid Israel had so far allowed the UN to deliver was "comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk" when everyone in Gaza was facing the risk of famine. The United States has been trying to broker a ceasefire. Israel - which resumed its military operation in Gaza in March after a brief truce - continued strikes on Wednesday, killing at least 30 people, Palestinian health officials said. "We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today," US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Wednesday. "The president is going to review it." The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. UN VS GHF Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel's killing of Hamas Gaza chief Mohammad Sinwar marked a turn towards the "complete defeat of Hamas", adding that Israel was "taking control of food distribution" in Gaza. Israel has accused Hamas of diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied stealing aid. Israel ultimately wants the UN to work through the GHF, which is using private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution by civilian teams at so-called secure distribution sites. The UN and other international aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say the plan is not neutral. "This new scheme is surveillance-based rationing that legitimises a policy of deprivation by design," senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, Jonathan Whittall, told reporters in Jerusalem on Wednesday. WARNING SHOTS The Israeli military on Tuesday said it fired warning shots in the area outside a GHF distribution site, which was briefly rushed by people waiting for aid. Footage shared on social media showed fences broken down by crowds as private security contractors fell back before restoring order. The United Nations human rights office said on Wednesday that 47 people had been injured on Tuesday while seeking aid from the GHF, citing information from partners on the ground. It could not give a specific location of where people were injured. The GHF said no one was injured at the distribution site. The foundation said aid distribution continued on Wednesday without incident as it opened a second distribution hub. Across the two sites it has so far given out the equivalent of 840,262 meals. The GHF said it is working to open four sites and expand further in Gaza in the weeks ahead. The UN said that since aid deliveries resumed last week Israel had approved about 800 truckloads of relief. But UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that fewer than 500 truckloads had made it to the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, "where we and our partners could collect just over 200 of them – limited by insecurity and restricted access". Israel is under pressure over Gaza's dire humanitarian situation. France, Britain, Canada and Germany have said they may take action if the military campaign is not halted. Italy on Wednesday said the offensive had become unacceptable.
Roya News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Two killed as thousands overrun World Food Program warehouse in Gaza
A dire food shortage in Gaza has led to an explosion of desperation, with thousands of hungry residents overrunning a World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah. According to a statement released by the WFP, the warehouse had been stocked with supplies for upcoming humanitarian distributions before the crowds broke in, highlighting the growing unrest in the enclave. Two people were reported dead and several others injured during the chaotic incident, with gunfire echoing in the area. The source of the gunshots remains unclear. Footage from the scene shows a flood of civilians grabbing bags of flour and boxes of food, underscoring just how critical the humanitarian situation has become. 'Hordes of hungry people' broke into the facility, the WFP confirmed, saying it was still verifying the full extent of the casualties and damage. The organization warned that humanitarian needs in Gaza have 'spiralled out of control,' following nearly three months of a crippling blockade by "Israel", only partially eased in recent days. 'Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve,' the WFP said, stressing it had consistently warned of worsening conditions on the ground and the consequences of limiting aid. While Israel reported that 121 aid trucks entered Gaza on Wednesday — carrying flour and other essential supplies — international officials have said this is nowhere near sufficient. UN Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag compared the current aid flow to "a lifeboat after the ship has sunk," stating that nearly the entire population of Gaza is at risk of famine. Further complicating the aid situation is the emergence of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial American distribution mechanism backed by "Israel". The GHF operates independently of the UN and utilizes private contractors, a move the UN has criticized as 'unethical' and 'unworkable.' US and "Israeli" officials claim the system is necessary to prevent aid theft by Hamas, an allegation the group denies. On Tuesday, 47 people were injured in Rafah when a GHF food center was overrun by desperate crowds, according to the UN Human Rights Office — just one day after it began operating in the city.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Two dead after crowds rush UN aid warehouse amid Gaza hunger crisis
At least two people have died after crowds of Palestinians stormed a United Nations aid warehouse in central Gaza, as humanitarian supplies slowly trickle into the besieged territory on the brink of famine. The World Food Programme said late on Wednesday that 'hordes of hungry people' broke into the al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, looking for food supplies. 'Initial reports indicate two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident,' WFP said in a statement on X, adding that it was still confirming details. 'Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve. WFP urgently calls for safe, unimpeded humanitarian access to enable orderly food distribution across Gaza immediately,' it added. After ending an 11-week blockade last week following growing international pressure, Israel has allowed limited humanitarian supplies to be delivered, but aid groups have warned that the amount is not nearly enough. Sigrid Kaag, the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the Security Council that the amount of aid Israel had so far allowed the UN to deliver was 'comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk' when everyone in Gaza was facing the risk of ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told the Security Council that Israel would allow aid deliveries 'for the immediate future' via both the UN and the private United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Danon said the UN should 'put their ego aside and cooperate with the new mechanism'. However, the UN and other aid groups have said the private aid plan is not neutral. 'This new scheme is surveillance-based rationing that legitimises a policy of deprivation by design,' senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, Jonathan Whittall, told reporters in Jerusalem. 'The UN has refused to participate in this scheme, warning that it is logistically unworkable and violates humanitarian principles by using aid as a tool in Israel's broader efforts to depopulate areas of Gaza,' he said. At least 10 people were killed when Israeli forces shot at Palestinians seeking aid at the GHF site in southern Gaza in separate incidents on Tuesday and Wednesday, Gaza's Government Media Office said. Dozens of people were injured when thousands of hungry Palestinians rushed the GHF site on Tuesday. According to the foundation, it handed out the equivalent of 840,262 meals on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Gaza, Israeli attacks on Thursday killed at least 30 people, medical sources have told Al Jazeera. Among those killed were seven people sheltering at a kindergarten in Jabalia, northern Gaza, medical sources said. Gaza's Ministry of Health said at least 19 people were killed in a series of Israeli attacks on residential buildings in the Bureij refugee camp.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Two dead after crowds rush UN aid warehouse amid Gaza hunger crisis
At least two people have died after crowds of Palestinians stormed a United Nations aid warehouse in central Gaza, as humanitarian supplies slowly trickle into the besieged territory on the brink of famine. The World Food Programme said late on Wednesday that 'hordes of hungry people' broke into the al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, looking for food supplies. 'Initial reports indicate two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident,' WFP said in a statement on X, adding that it was still confirming details. 'Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve. WFP urgently calls for safe, unimpeded humanitarian access to enable orderly food distribution across Gaza immediately,' it added. After ending an 11-week blockade last week following growing international pressure, Israel has allowed limited humanitarian supplies to be delivered, but aid groups have warned that the amount is not nearly enough. Sigrid Kaag, the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the Security Council that the amount of aid Israel had so far allowed the UN to deliver was 'comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk' when everyone in Gaza was facing the risk of famine. Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told the Security Council that Israel would allow aid deliveries 'for the immediate future' via both the UN and the private United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Danon said the UN should 'put their ego aside and cooperate with the new mechanism'. However, the UN and other aid groups have said the private aid plan is not neutral. 'This new scheme is surveillance-based rationing that legitimises a policy of deprivation by design,' senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, Jonathan Whittall, told reporters in Jerusalem. 'The UN has refused to participate in this scheme, warning that it is logistically unworkable and violates humanitarian principles by using aid as a tool in Israel's broader efforts to depopulate areas of Gaza,' he said. At least 10 people were killed when Israeli forces shot at Palestinians seeking aid at the GHF site in southern Gaza in separate incidents on Tuesday and Wednesday, Gaza's Government Media Office said. Dozens of people were injured when thousands of hungry Palestinians rushed the GHF site on Tuesday. According to the foundation, it handed out the equivalent of 840,262 meals on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Gaza, Israeli attacks on Thursday killed at least 30 people, medical sources have told Al Jazeera. Among those killed were seven people sheltering at a kindergarten in Jabalia, northern Gaza, medical sources said. Gaza's Ministry of Health said at least 19 people were killed in a series of Israeli attacks on residential buildings in the Bureij refugee camp.
