Latest news with #Touma
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Gaza: UN Agencies Reject Israeli Plan To Use Aid As ‘Bait'
9 May 2025 UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder insisted that the Israeli proposal to create a handful of aid hubs exclusively in the south of the Strip would create an ' impossible choice between displacement and death '. The plan 'contravenes basic humanitarian principles' and appears designed to 'reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic', he told journalists in Geneva. ' It's dangerous to ask civilians to go into militarized zones to collect rations…humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip '. The Gaza Strip has been under a complete aid blockade for more than two months and humanitarians have warned repeatedly that food, water, medicines and fuel have been running out. Kids and elderly at risk If the Israeli plan were to happen, Gaza's most vulnerable individuals - the elderly, children with disabilities, the sick and the wounded who cannot travel to designated distribution zones – would face 'horrendous challenges' retrieving aid, the UNICEF spokesperson maintained. The Israeli aid distribution blueprint presented to UN humanitarians envisages only 60 aid trucks per day entering Gaza - 'one-tenth of what was being delivered during the ceasefire' between Israel and Hamas which held from 19 January to 18 March. 'It's not nearly enough to meet the needs of 1.1 million children, 2.1 million people,' Mr. Elder insisted. 'There is a simple alternative: lift the blockade, let humanitarian aid in, save lives.' Thousands of trucks in limbo Stressing the success of the UN-led aid scale up during the ceasefire, humanitarian affairs coordination office spokesperson Jens Laerke urged the Israeli authorities to 'facilitate the aid that we and our partners have available just a few kilometres away' just outside Gaza. UNRWA, the largest aid provider in the Strip, said that the UN agency has 'over 3,000 trucks of aid' that are stuck outside Gaza. Juliette Touma, Director of Communications, deplored the fact that such a 'big dollar figure' was going to waste, when the food could be reaching hungry children and when medicine could be used to treat people with chronic diseases. 'The clock is ticking. The gates must reopen, the siege must be lifted as soon as possible,' she insisted, while calling for the release of Israeli hostages and a return to a standard flow of humanitarian supplies. Inside Gaza, aid teams warn that the situation is desperate. 'Even those [food] lines are now gone because food is running out,' said UNRWA's Ms. Touma. Nothing left to queue for In an update on Thursday, OCHA said that more than 80 community kitchens have been forced to shut since late April, owing to the lack of supplies. This number is rising 'by the day', fuelling 'widespread' hunger in Gaza, the UN aid coordination office said. Rebutting Israeli allegations that aid reaching Gaza has been diverted by militant groups, both Ms. Touma and UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris described 'end-to-end' systems put in place to counter this risk. 'Our supplies are reaching the health facilities they're meant to serve,' said Dr. Harris, adding that the UN health agency had not witnessed any aid diversion within the health care system. 'It is not about failure of aid delivery within Gaza. It is about not being allowed to bring it in,' Dr. Harris concluded. In a further note of caution about the Israeli plan, UNICEF's Mr. Elder insisted that the proposed use of facial recognition as a precondition to access aid ran against all humanitarian principles to 'screen and monitor beneficiaries for intelligence and military purposes'. He recalled that the ceasefire earlier this year had resulted in a 'huge' improvement in children's nutrition. 'It meant food in the markets, repaired water systems…It meant people could access health care safely. It meant health care facilitators had medicines that they need.' 'Boastful' denials of aid Fast forward to today and food, water, medicines - 'everything for a child to survive' - is being blocked, Mr. Elder said — 'and in many ways, boastfully blocked'. The UNICEF spokesperson also expressed concern that the Israeli plan risks separating family members 'while they move back and forth to try and get aid' from the designated locations in a territory that 'lacks any safety' amid ongoing bombardments.
RTÉ News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Critical risk of famine for entire Gaza population, monitor says
The entire population of Gaza faces a critical risk of famine, with half a million of them facing starvation, a global hunger monitor has said, calling this a major deterioration since its last report in October. The latest assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysed a period from 1 April to 10 May this year and projected the situation until the end of September, according to a summary of its key findings. Israel has sealed off Gaza since early March when it resumed its devastating military campaign against militant group Hamas following the collapse of a ceasefire deal, during which aid agencies had delivered thousands of trucks of aid. The IPC analysis found that 1.95 million people, or 93% of the population in the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave, are living through high levels of acute food insecurity, including 244,000 experiencing the most severe, or "catastrophic", levels. IPC's October analysis had said 133,000 people were in the "catastrophic" category. The IPC analysis projected that 470,000 people, or 22% of the population, would fall into the catastrophic category by the end of September, with over a million more at "emergency" levels. "Urgent action is needed to save lives and avert further starvation, further deaths and a descent into famine," it said. Israeli officials have said they do not believe Gaza faces a hunger crisis, that enough aid has entered to sustain the enclave's population, and that they want to stop supplies coming under the control of Hamas. The IPC, in a brief accompanying its latest analysis, said a plan announced on 5 May by Israeli authorities for delivering aid was "estimated to be highly insufficient to meet the population's essential needs". "The proposed distribution mechanisms are likely to create significant access barriers for large segments of the population," it added. IPC analyses are produced with contributions from U.N. agencies and NGOs. The warning of famine in Gaza comes as Israeli attacks continued. At least 15 people sheltering in a school housing displaced families in Jabalia in the north of the enclave were killed in Israeli attacks overnight, local health authorities said, while at least 12 people were killed in Israeli attacks yesterday. 'Children of Gaza are starving' - UNRWA Israel has enforced a complete blockade on Gaza since 2 March leaving its 2.3 million population depending on aid supplies that have been dwindling rapidly. Director of Communications with the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees Juliette Touma said the children of Gaza are starving as the Israeli blockade of aid entered its ninth week. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Touma said that all aid UNRWA brings into Gaza is delivered directly to those that need it and allegations of Hamas stealing the aid is just a claim. "When it comes to UNWRA, we bring aid and we deliver it directly to people in need. We have a system in place that also looks at any reports of aid diversion. "If we get reports of aid diversion, we will look into them and launch investigations. I really encourage the international media to do much, much more to get into Gaza, to look into these claims." UNICEF warned that Gaza's children face 'a growing risk of starvation' Ms Touma said: "What needs to happen right now is for the siege to be lifted for the aid to flow in. People in Gaza have been for more than 18 years dependent on aid coming from outside." She said she hopes that the release of a US hostage being held by Hamas will lead to aid being allowed into the area. The Red Cross said last week that its humanitarian response is on the verge of collapse in Gaza while its director-general said that governments must act now to stop the horrors in Gaza.
Morocco World
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
New Gaza Aid Foundation: US Faces Backlash for Sidestepping UN Agency
Rabat – The United States has announced the creation of a new foundation to coordinate aid deliveries to Gaza, drawing sharp criticism from humanitarian groups and the United Nations agency that has long led relief operations in the war-torn territory. The move comes as Gaza faces worsening famine-like conditions due to the Israeli Occupation Forces' (IOF) ongoing blockade and merciless aggression. The new initiative, called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), was announced by the US State Department on Thursday. According to officials, the foundation will be a charitable, non-governmental organization that aims to deliver aid more securely and prevent it from being diverted by Hamas or other groups. The foundation is expected to work independently of the United Nations and is reportedly in talks to be headed by David Beasley, former director of the UN World Food Programme. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Friday that while Israel will not manage aid distribution directly, it will provide security for GHF's operations. Private contractors would reportedly be used to guard distribution hubs where Palestinians must gather to collect supplies. The plan is said to align with an Israeli proposal to create four 'Secure Distribution Sites,' each intended to serve 300,000 people. The US decision to bypass the United Nations and other existing aid agencies has alarmed humanitarian organizations, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which has been the main humanitarian actor in Gaza for decades. Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for UNRWA, warned that distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza would be extremely difficult without the agency's involvement. 'It is impossible to replace UNRWA in a place like Gaza. We are the largest humanitarian organisation,' Touma said during a press conference in Geneva in response to questions about the proposal. Read also : Israel Approves Expansion Offensive Plan in Gaza She noted that UNRWA has over 10,000 staff in Gaza who deliver the remaining supplies and manage shelters for displaced people. 'It is very, very difficult to imagine any humanitarian operation without UNRWA,' Touma added. UNRWA's mandate includes running schools, clinics, and food distribution programs, as well as coordinating long-term development and relief efforts for Palestinian refugees. The agency has deep ties to local communities and infrastructure that most other groups lack. Israel, which resumed its relentless attacks on Gaza in March after a short-lived, fragile truce, has blocked nearly all humanitarian aid from entering the enclave. Over 2.4 million Palestinians remain trapped under siege, with the UN and aid workers warning of mass starvation. At least 57 people, many of them children, are reported to have died from hunger so far. Critics of the US-Israeli plan argue that it is a political move meant to weaken UNRWA and control aid distribution in Gaza. 'This is aid-washing,' said Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA spokesperson. 'This is a cynical attempt by the state of Israel and its allies … to use aid to hide the fact that what's actually going on is people are being starved into submission,' Gunness told Al Jazeera. The UN's humanitarian agency also condemned the plan. 'This appears to be a deliberate attempt to weaponize aid,' said spokesperson Jens Laerke. Despite these concerns, US officials say the new plan is urgently needed to get food and medical supplies to people suffering in Gaza. 'The most significant danger is doing nothing,' Ambassador Huckabee said. 'People are dying from hunger.'
Observer
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Operations irreplaceable in Gaza, says UNRWA
GENEVA: It is "very difficult" to imagine any operation to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip without the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, a UNRWA spokeswoman said on Friday. The United States on Thursday announced a new foundation to provide aid to Gaza, sidelining the United Nations as Israel's two-month blockade brings severe shortages to the war-battered Palestinian territory. "It is impossible to replace UNRWA in a place like Gaza. We are the largest humanitarian organisation," the agency's spokeswoman Juliette Touma told a press conference in Geneva, when asked about that proposal. Little is known for sure about the body proposed by the United States, but a listing in Switzerland showed the establishment in February of the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation". "We have the largest reach, whether it is through our teams that work across the Gaza Strip, where we have more than 10,000 people who work to deliver whatever is left of the supplies," said Touma, speaking from Amman, Jordan. "We also manage shelters for the displaced families." "It is very, very difficult to imagine any humanitarian operation without UNRWA." Israel has blockaded Gaza for two months, leading UN agencies and other humanitarian groups to warn of dwindling supplies of everything from fuel to medicine to the territory of 2.4 million Palestinians. Israel denies a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, where it plans to expand military operations to force Hamas to free hostages held there since the Iran-backed group's unprecedented October 2023 attack sparked the war. Israel, which accuses Hamas of diverting aid, is reportedly aiming to shut down the existing UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, forcing all deliveries to go through Israeli hubs. A girl reacts, as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa Such a proposal is widely criticised by the UN and humanitarian organisations. "We'll only participate in any aid operation that respects our humanitarian principles of independence, humanity and impartiality," UN spokesman Rolando Gomez told the press conference. James Elder, spokesman for the UN children's agency UNICEF, said Israel's plan would only increase the suffering of youngsters in the Gaza Strip. "It's dangerous to ask civilians to go into militarised zones to collect rations; it further entrenches forced displacement for political and military purposes; and humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip," he said. Those most at risk, who are unable to travel to such zones, would "face horrendous challenges" in accessing aid as a result, Elder added. "And the use of humanitarian aid as a bait to force displacement, especially from the north to the south, will create this impossible choice between displacement and death." Meanwhile, Israel would not be involved in food distribution under a US-led plan for the Gaza Strip but would provide "necessary military security", Washington's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said on Friday. Huckabee spoke to reporters in Tel Aviv a day after the US State Department said a new foundation would lead the distribution of humanitarian aid in war-battered Gaza, where an over two-month-long Israeli blockade has caused severe shortages of everything from food and clean water to fuel and medicine. "The Israelis are going to be involved in providing necessary military security, because it is a war zone, but they will not be involved in the distribution of the food, or even in the bringing of the food into Gaza," the US ambassador said. The US-led initiative has been met with international criticism as it appears to sideline the United Nations and existing aid organisations; and would overhaul current humanitarian structures in Gaza. "We call upon the United Nations. We call upon every NGO. We call upon every government... We invite people who have been concerned about it to join in this process," Huckabee said. Despite fears of looming famine, Israel denies a humanitarian crisis is unfolding and accuses Hamas of diverting aid sent to Gaza. The Israeli military earlier this week outlined plans for a broader assault in Gaza after more than 19 months of war, which European governments, China, UN agencies and NGOs have voiced alarm over. — AFP
Iraqi News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
UN Palestinian agency says irreplacable in Gaza
Geneva – It is 'very difficult' to imagine any operation to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip without the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, a UNRWA spokeswoman said on Friday. The United States on Thursday announced a new foundation to provide aid to Gaza, sidelining the United Nations as Israel's two-month blockade brings severe shortages to the war-battered Palestinian territory. 'It is impossible to replace UNRWA in a place like Gaza. We are the largest humanitarian organisation,' the agency's spokeswoman Juliette Touma told a press conference in Geneva, when asked about that proposal. Little is known for sure about the body proposed by the United States, but a listing in Switzerland showed the establishment in February of the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'. 'We have the largest reach, whether it is through our teams that work across the Gaza Strip, where we have more than 10,000 people who work to deliver whatever is left of the supplies,' said Touma, speaking from Amman, Jordan. 'We also manage shelters for the displaced families.' 'It is very, very difficult to imagine any humanitarian operation without UNRWA.' Israel has blockaded Gaza for two months, leading UN agencies and other humanitarian groups to warn of dwindling supplies of everything from fuel to medicine to the territory of 2.4 million Palestinians. – Aid 'bargaining chip' – Israel denies a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, where it plans to expand military operations to force Hamas to free hostages held there since the Iran-backed group's unprecedented October 2023 attack sparked the war. Israel, which accuses Hamas of diverting aid, is reportedly aiming to shut down the existing UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, forcing all deliveries to go through Israeli hubs. Such a proposal is widely criticised by the UN and humanitarian organisations. 'We'll only participate in any aid operation that respects our humanitarian principles of independence, humanity and impartiality,' UN spokesman Rolando Gomez told the press conference. James Elder, spokesman for the UN children's agency UNICEF, said Israel's plan would only increase the suffering of youngsters in the Gaza Strip. 'It's dangerous to ask civilians to go into militarised zones to collect rations; it further entrenches forced displacement for political and military purposes; and humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip,' he said. Those most at risk, who are unable to travel to such zones, would 'face horrendous challenges' in accessing aid as a result, Elder added. 'And the use of humanitarian aid as a bait to force displacement, especially from the north to the south, will create this impossible choice between displacement and death.'
