Latest news with #UN-supplied
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
World court examines Israel's ban on UNRWA
World court examines Israel's ban on UNRWA The International Court of Justice has been asked to clarify Israel 's humanitarian obligations to Palestinians. This advice is non-binding but will give a clear legal answer. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday began a hearing about Israel's obligation to "ensure and facilitate" humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The case stems from a request by the United Nations General Assembly last year for the World Court to determine whether Israel is in breach of the UN Charter by banning all cooperation with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). "Israel is starving, killing, and displacing Palestinians while also targeting and blocking humanitarian organizations trying to save their lives," Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi told the court. Israel has long accused the UN of bias, and its foreign minister on Monday said the UN and UNRWA should be on trial. "This case is part of a systematic persecution and delegitimization of Israel," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told journalists in Jerusalem. Humanitarian aid in Gaza collapsing More than 40 countries will testify during the five days of hearings in The Hague. Israel will not make an oral submission, but instead give written submissions. In December, the General Assembly passed a resolution sponsored by Norway. It asked the ICJ "on a priority basis and with the utmost urgency" to determine Israel's obligations to "ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population." This week's hearings come as the UN humanitarian agency OCHA called the situation in Gaza "probably the worst" it has been in the 18 months since Israel began its military campaign against Hamas, which many nations define as a terrorist organization. The militant group perpetrated the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel that killed nearly 1,200 people and saw another 250 taken hostage. Food shortages have been common since the war in Gaza began, with aid deliveries regularly blocked. Since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza last month, all 25 UN-supplied bakeries making bread have been shut down. The World Food Programme said last week its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out. Israel says its blockade is aimed at pressuring Hamas militants who run Gaza to release the remaining Israeli hostages captured in the October 2023 attacks. Despite this, the ICJ's advisory and non-binding opinion is not expected for months. Israel and UNRWA's troubled relations Israel stopped all cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem in November, claiming the agency had been infiltrated by Hamas, an allegation that has been contested. In January, Israel formally banned UNRWA from operating on Israeli soil and any contact between the organization and Israeli officials. The UN organization significantly contributes to providing food aid, health care, and education in the occupied Palestinian territories. The UN views Gaza and the West Bank as Israeli-occupied territory. UN Undersecretary-General for Legal Affairs Elinor Hammarskjold told the ICJ the "measures taken by the occupying power to ensure its security must be exercised in a manner that would not deny impartial humanitarian organizations such as the United Nations the ability to carry out relief schemes." In a separate case at the court, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. Those proceedings started in 2024 and are still underway. "No other country — neither a democracy nor any other regime — has been brought before the ICJ as often as Israel. No other nation is subjected to such systematic double standards," the Israeli foreign minister said.
Business Recorder
23-04-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
Gaza healthcare faces collapse as Israel steps up Gaza strikes
CAIRO: The Israeli military launched one of the biggest waves of strikes in Gaza for weeks on Tuesday, residents said, and health officials issued a new warning that healthcare faced total collapse from Israel's blockade of all supplies. Gaza's health ministry said a UN-backed polio vaccination campaign meant to target over 600,000 children had been suspended, putting the enclave at risk of the revival of a crippling disease that once had been all-but eradicated. In diplomacy to end the conflict, a Hamas delegation was expected to arrive in Cairo for talks. Two sources familiar with the mediation effort said the delegation would discuss a new offer which would include a truce for 5 to 7 years following the release of all hostages and an end to fighting. The sources said Israel, which rejected a recent Hamas offer to release all hostages for an end of the war, had yet to respond to a revamped long-term truce proposal. Israel demands Hamas be disarmed, which the militants reject. A Hamas source later denied knowledge of an imminent visit, telling Reuters the group stood by its demand any agreement must end the war. Gaza residents said Israeli forces bombed several areas across the enclave from tanks, planes, and naval boats. The attacks hit houses, tent encampments and roads, they added. The airstrikes destroyed bulldozers and vehicles being used to lift rubble and help recover bodies trapped under the ruins, officials and residents said. Hamas said the vehicles that were destroyed included nine that had been received from Egypt, adding that the move aimed to 'deepen the suffering of our people in Gaza.' The Israeli military said they hit 40 'engineering vehicles' that were used for 'terrorist actions', including the execution of Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The vehicles were 'considered a key component in Hamas' ability to carry out terrorist operations against the Defense Forces and the State of Israel,' said the military. Israel has imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza since the start of March and relaunched its military operations on March 18 after the collapse of a ceasefire. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza land. Israel's 18-month bombing campaign has rendered nearly all buildings in the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, and Gaza's 2.3 million people now mostly live in the open under makeshift tents. Since the total blockade was imposed last month, all 25 UN-supplied bakeries making bread have been shut. Israel says enough supplies were sent into the enclave during the six-week truce to keep Gazans alive for months. Aid agencies say they fear the population is on the precipice of starvation and mass disease. If polio vaccines don't arrive immediately, 'we anticipate a real catastrophe. Children and patients must not be used as cards of political blackmail,' said Gaza health ministry spokesperson Khalil Deqran. He said 60,000 children were now showing symptoms of malnutrition. Israel says its blockade is aimed at pressuring the Hamas militants who run Gaza to release 59 remaining Israeli hostages captured in the October 2023 attacks that precipitated the war. Hamas says it is prepared to free them but only as part of a deal that ends the war. 'Israel is acting in full accordance with international law,' Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, in response to US Senator Bernie Sanders, who called the Israeli blockade of Gaza since March a war crime.
Khaleej Times
22-04-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Israel steps up Gaza strikes; polio vaccination halted by blockade
The Israeli military launched one of the biggest waves of strikes in Gaza for weeks on Tuesday, residents said, and health officials issued a new warning that healthcare faced total collapse from Israel's blockade of all supplies. Gaza's health ministry said a UN-backed polio vaccination campaign meant to target over 600,000 children had been suspended, putting the enclave at risk of the revival of a crippling disease that once had been all-but eradicated. In diplomacy to end the conflict, a Hamas delegation was due to arrive in Cairo for talks. Two sources said the delegation would discuss a new offer which would include a truce for 5-7 years following the release of all hostages and an end to fighting. The sources said Israel, which rejected a recent Hamas offer to release all hostages for an end of the war, had yet to respond to the revamped long-term truce proposal. Israel demands Hamas be disarmed, which the militants reject. Residents said Israeli forces bombed several areas across the enclave from tanks, planes, and naval boats. The attacks hit houses, tent encampments and roads, they added. The airstrikes destroyed bulldozers and vehicles being used to lift rubble and help recover bodies trapped under the ruins, officials and residents said. Israel has imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza since the start of March and relaunched its military operations on March 18 after the collapse of a ceasefire. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza land. Israel's 18-month bombing campaign has rendered nearly all buildings in the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, and Gaza's 2.3 million people now mostly live in the open under makeshift tents. Since the total blockade was imposed last month, all 25 UN-supplied bakeries making bread have been shut. Israel says enough supplies were sent into the enclave during the six-week truce to keep Gazans alive for months. Aid agencies say they fear the population is on the precipice of starvation and mass disease. Gaza health ministry spokesperson Khalil Deqran said the blockage of supplies was putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients in Gaza Strip hospitals at risk due. If polio vaccines don't arrive immediately, "we anticipate a real catastrophe. Children and patients must not be used as cards of political blackmail," he said. He said 60,000 children were now showing symptoms of malnutrition. Israel denies blockade breaks international law Israel says its blockade is aimed at pressuring the Hamas militants who run Gaza to release 59 remaining Israeli hostages captured in the October, 2023 attacks that precipitated the war. Hamas says it is prepared to free them but only as part of a deal that ends the war. "Israel is acting in full accordance with international law," Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, in response to US Senator Bernie Sanders, who called the total Israeli blockade of Gaza since March a war crime. "The humanitarian condition in Gaza is constantly monitored and large quantities of aid were delivered. Whenever it becomes necessary to allow additional aid, it must be ensured that it does not pass through Hamas, which exploits humanitarian aid to maintain control over the civilian population and to profit at their expense," Katz wrote. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA described the blockade as collective punishment of Gaza's people. "Humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip + a weapon of war. The siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume," Lazzarini said on Tuesday in a post on X. Israel says it is still hunting Hamas. "We will pursue Hamas from wherever it operates, both in the north and south of the Gaza Strip and even outside of it, anywhere," said Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the Israeli military spokesperson. The conflict was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken to Gaza, according to Israeli records. Since then, local health authorities report that over 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive.
Al Arabiya
22-04-2025
- Health
- Al Arabiya
Israel steps up Gaza strikes; polio vaccination halted by blockade
The Israeli military launched one of the biggest waves of strikes in Gaza for weeks on Tuesday, residents said, and health officials issued a new warning that healthcare faced total collapse from Israel's blockade of all supplies. Gaza's health ministry said a UN-backed polio vaccination campaign meant to target over 600,000 children had been suspended, putting the enclave at risk of the revival of a crippling disease that once had been all-but eradicated. In diplomacy to end the conflict, a Hamas delegation was due to arrive in Cairo for talks. Two sources said the delegation would discuss a new offer which would include a truce for 5-7 years following the release of all hostages and an end to fighting. The sources said Israel, which rejected a recent Hamas offer to release all hostages for an end of the war, had yet to respond to the revamped long-term truce proposal. Israel demands Hamas be disarmed, which the militants reject. Residents said Israeli forces bombed several areas across the enclave from tanks, planes, and naval boats. The attacks hit houses, tent encampments and roads, they added. The airstrikes destroyed bulldozers and vehicles being used to lift rubble and help recover bodies trapped under the ruins, officials and residents said. Israel has imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza since the start of March and relaunched its military operations on March 18 after the collapse of a ceasefire. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza land. Israel's 18-month bombing campaign has rendered nearly all buildings in the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, and Gaza's 2.3 million people now mostly live in the open under makeshift tents. Since the total blockade was imposed last month, all 25 UN-supplied bakeries making bread have been shut. Israel says enough supplies were sent into the enclave during the six-week truce to keep Gazans alive for months. Aid agencies say they fear the population is on the precipice of starvation and mass disease. Gaza health ministry spokesperson Khalil Deqran said the blockage of supplies was putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients in Gaza Strip hospitals at risk due. If polio vaccines don't arrive immediately, 'we anticipate a real catastrophe. Children and patients must not be used as cards of political blackmail,' he said. He said 60,000 children were now showing symptoms of malnutrition. Israel denies blockade breaks international law Israel says its blockade is aimed at pressuring the Hamas militants who run Gaza to release 59 remaining Israeli hostages captured in the October, 2023 attacks that precipitated the war. Hamas says it is prepared to free them but only as part of a deal that ends the war. 'Israel is acting in full accordance with international law,' Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, in response to US Senator Bernie Sanders, who called the total Israeli blockade of Gaza since March a war crime. 'The humanitarian condition in Gaza is constantly monitored and large quantities of aid were delivered. Whenever it becomes necessary to allow additional aid, it must be ensured that it does not pass through Hamas, which exploits humanitarian aid to maintain control over the civilian population and to profit at their expense,' Katz wrote. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA described the blockade as collective punishment of Gaza's people. 'Humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip + a weapon of war. The siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume,' Lazzarini said on Tuesday in a post on X. Israel says it is still hunting Hamas. 'We will pursue Hamas from wherever it operates, both in the north and south of the Gaza Strip and even outside of it, anywhere,' said Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the Israeli military spokesperson. The conflict was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken to Gaza, according to Israeli records. Since then, local health authorities report that over 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive.
Asharq Al-Awsat
22-04-2025
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Steps up Gaza Strikes; Polio Vaccination Halted by Blockade
The Israeli military launched one of the biggest waves of strikes in Gaza for weeks on Tuesday, residents said, and health officials issued a new warning that healthcare faced total collapse from Israel's blockade of all supplies. Gaza's health ministry said a UN-backed polio vaccination campaign meant to target over 600,000 children had been suspended, putting the enclave at risk of the revival of a crippling disease that once had been all-but eradicated. In diplomacy to end the conflict, a Hamas delegation was due to arrive in Cairo for talks. Two sources said the delegation would discuss a new offer which would include a truce for 5-7 years following the release of all hostages and an end to fighting. The sources said Israel, which rejected a recent Hamas offer to release all hostages for an end of the war, had yet to respond to the revamped long-term truce proposal. Israel demands Hamas be disarmed, which the group reject. Residents said Israeli forces bombed several areas across the enclave from tanks, planes, and naval boats. The attacks hit houses, tent encampments and roads, they added. The airstrikes destroyed bulldozers and vehicles being used to lift rubble and help recover bodies trapped under the ruins, officials and residents said. Israel has imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza since the start of March and relaunched its military operations on March 18 after the collapse of a ceasefire. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza land. Israel's 18-month bombing campaign has rendered nearly all buildings in the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, and Gaza's 2.3 million people now mostly live in the open under makeshift tents. Since the total blockade was imposed last month, all 25 UN-supplied bakeries making bread have been shut. Israel says enough supplies were sent into the enclave during the six-week truce to keep Gazans alive for months. Aid agencies say they fear the population is on the precipice of starvation and mass disease. Gaza health ministry spokesperson Khalil Deqran said the blockage of supplies was putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients in Gaza Strip hospitals at risk due. If polio vaccines don't arrive immediately, "we anticipate a real catastrophe. Children and patients must not be used as cards of political blackmail," he said. He said 60,000 children were now showing symptoms of malnutrition. ISRAEL DENIES BLOCKADE BREAKS INTERNATIONAL LAW Israel says its blockade is aimed at pressuring the Hamas group that runs Gaza to release 59 remaining Israeli hostages captured in the October 2023 attacks that precipitated the war. Hamas says it is prepared to free them but only as part of a deal that ends the war. "Israel is acting in full accordance with international law," Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, in response to US Senator Bernie Sanders, who called the total Israeli blockade of Gaza since March a war crime. "The humanitarian condition in Gaza is constantly monitored and large quantities of aid were delivered. Whenever it becomes necessary to allow additional aid, it must be ensured that it does not pass through Hamas, which exploits humanitarian aid to maintain control over the civilian population and to profit at their expense," Katz wrote. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA described the blockade as collective punishment of Gaza's people. "Humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip + a weapon of war. The siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume," Lazzarini said on Tuesday in a post on X. Israel says it is still hunting Hamas. "We will pursue Hamas from wherever it operates, both in the north and south of the Gaza Strip and even outside of it, anywhere," said Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the Israeli military spokesperson. The conflict was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken to Gaza, according to Israeli records. Since then, local health authorities report that over 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive.
