Latest news with #UNRWA-affiliated
Express Tribune
09-05-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
First responders in Gaza run out of supplies
A woman cooks as she shelters in an UNRWA-affiliated school in Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza. Photo: REUTERS First responders in Gaza said Thursday that their operations were at a near standstill, more than two months into a full Israeli blockade that has left food and fuel in severe shortage. 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. "Seventy-five percent of our vehicles have stopped operating due to a lack of diesel fuel," the civil defence agency's spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. He added that its teams, who play a critical role as first responders in the Gaza Strip, were also facing a "severe shortage of electricity generators and oxygen devices". For weeks, UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations have warned of dwindling supplies of everything from fuel and medicine to food and clean water in the coastal territory that is home to 2.4 million Palestinians. The UN's agency for children, UNICEF, warned that Gaza's children face "a growing risk of starvation, illness and death" after UN-supported kitchens shut down due to lack of food supplies. Over 20 independent experts mandated by the UN's Human Rights Council demanded action on Wednesday to avert the "annihilation" of Palestinians in Gaza. On Thursday, Palestinians waited in line to donate blood at a field hospital in Gaza's southern city of Khan Yunis, an AFP journalist reported. "In these difficult circumstances, we have come to support the injured and sick, amid severe food shortages and a lack of proteins, by donating blood", Moamen al-Eid, a Palestinian waiting in the line, told AFP. Hind Joba, the hospital's laboratory head, said that "there is no food or drink, the crossings are closed, and there is no access to nutritious or protein-rich food". "Still, people responded to the call, fulfilling their humanitarian duty by donating blood" despite the toll on their own bodies, she added. "But this blood is vital, and they know that every drop helps save the life of an injured." Israel returned to military operations in Gaza on March 18 after talks to prolong a six-week ceasefire stalled. On Monday, the country's security cabinet approved a new roadmap for military operations in Gaza, aiming for the "conquest" of the territory while displacing its people en masse, drawing international condemnation. An Israeli security official stated that a "window" remained for negotiations on the release of hostages until the end of US President Donald Trump's visit to the Gulf, scheduled from May 13 to 16. Hamas, which is demanding a "comprehensive and complete agreement" to end the war, on Wednesday denounced what it called Israel's attempt to impose a "partial" deal. According to the civil defence agency, air strikes at dawn killed at least eight people. The war was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. Of the 251 people abducted in Israel that day, 58 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli army. Hamas is also holding the body of an Israeli soldier killed during a previous war in Gaza, in 2014. The Israeli offensive launched in retaliation for the October 7 attack has killed at least 52,653 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which is considered reliable by the UN. AFP
Al-Ahram Weekly
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt condemns Israeli closure orders to UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem - Foreign Affairs
Egypt strongly condemned on Wednesday the Israeli occupation's closure orders for six schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem. In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Egypt considered this move a blatant and unacceptable violation of international law and reaffirmed full support for UNRWA, its efforts, and the vital services it provides across all areas of operation, including in East Jerusalem. The ministry further emphasised that the UN agency's vital services to Palestinian refugees cannot be replaced or undermined. It stressed Egypt's rejection of the ongoing systematic campaign targeting UNRWA and its mandate. The statement also underscored Egypt's insistence on safeguarding the rights of Palestinian refugees and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right of return. On Tuesday, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA, Israeli occupation forces forcibly entered six UNRWA-affiliated schools in the neighbourhoods of Shuafat, Silwan, Sur Baher, and Wadi al-Joz, announcing plans to close the facilities. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Leaders
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Leaders
OIC Reports Spike in Israeli Violence First Week of April
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Media Observatory documented 2,725 Israeli violations against Palestinians Between April 1 and 7, 2025. Chief among them was the bombing of the 'Dar Al-Arqam' school for displaced people in Gaza's Al-Tuffah neighborhood, which killed 31 Palestinians—mostly women and children. The report also highlighted the killing of journalists and the emergence of a video showing the field execution of 14 individuals, including a UN staff member. Additionally, Israeli forces targeted a UNRWA-affiliated clinic, resulting in 55 deaths, again primarily women and children. Meanwhile, settlers torched UNRWA-owned land in Al-Quds. These incidents occurred amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The World Food Programme (WFP) shut down bakeries due to a lack of supplies caused by continued closure of aid crossings. Israel also escalated operations around Rafah—demolishing homes, expanding buffer zones, and asserting control over the Morag Corridor—repeating tactics seen in northern Gaza as part of a broader displacement strategy. In the first week of April alone, the observatory recorded 400 Palestinian deaths and 1,112 injuries. Since October 7, 2023, the death toll has surpassed 51,700, with more than 122,175 injured. In the West Bank, Israeli forces carried out 184 raids, arrested 179 Palestinians, and demolished at least eight homes. Two Palestinian children were killed, three injured, and nine detained. Reports also noted attacks on mosques, including incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremists. Settlement expansion continued with land confiscation for buffer zones and new outposts. Settlers launched 39 attacks on Palestinian communities, damaging olive groves, stealing livestock, cutting electricity, and setting fire to homes and vehicles. Related Topics : Saudi Arabia Stands Firm Against Palestinian Displacement at OIC Summit Syria Welcomes Re-activation of Frozen OIC Membership After 13 Years OIC Welcomes Slovenia's Decision to Recognize Palestine Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Meets OIC Sec. Gen. Short link : Post Views: 1
