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Al Etihad
3 hours ago
- General
- Al Etihad
UAE brings hope to Gaza, eases siege on food, water
30 July 2025 10:34 ABU DHABI (WAM) The United Arab Emirates continues its extensive efforts to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, who have endured severe hunger and thirst for over a year and a UAE has been delivering large-scale food aid to the enclave by land, air and sea, while also launching sustainable initiatives such as providing automatic bakeries and setting up field kitchens, complemented by several projects aimed at securing access to clean drinking water for efforts come amid a dramatic deterioration of the food and water crisis in Gaza. Palestinian medical sources reported two days ago that 147 people, including 88 children, have died from malnutrition. Recent data from the United Nations World Food Programme and UNICEF showed that more than one in three people in Gaza — 39 per cent — are going days without food. Over 500,000 people, nearly a quarter of Gaza's population, are experiencing famine-like conditions, while the rest face emergency levels of the dire situation on the ground, the tragedy would have been even more catastrophic without the UAE's continued support since the launch of 'Operation Chivalrous Knight 3'. According to UN reports, Emirati aid has accounted for 44 per cent of all international assistance delivered to Gaza to the food relief front, the UAE has successfully delivered tens of thousands of tonnes of food supplies to the people of Gaza through land convoys, airdrops under the 'Birds of Goodness' operation, and maritime shipments. The most recent was the Khalifa aid ship, which carried a total of 7,166 tonnes, including 4,372 tonnes of counter the severe bread shortage that emerged early in the conflict, the UAE sent automatic bakeries into Gaza in February 2024. It also supplied flour and other essentials to support the daily operation of over 21 field UAE also helped operate field kitchens and more than 50 charitable soup kitchens that serve hot meals daily to affected families in the last Ramadan, Emirates Red Crescent carried out an iftar campaign in Gaza that provided 13 million meals, supported 44 soup kitchens which benefited over 2 million people, and supplied 17 bakeries that served 3.12 million parallel, the UAE moved swiftly to confront the looming water crisis threatening the lives of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, especially after widespread damage to pumping stations and distribution networks due to the days of launching Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, the UAE established six desalination plants with a total capacity of 2 million gallons of water per day, serving over 600,000 people in July 15, the UAE announced the launch of a humanitarian project under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 to supply desalinated water from Egypt to southern Gaza through a newly constructed transmission line, the largest of its kind. This emergency intervention aims to address the region's worsening water project includes a 315mm-wide, 6.7-kilometre-long pipeline linking the UAE-built desalination plant in Egypt to the displacement zone between Khan Younis and Rafah. It aims to provide about 600,000 residents with 15 litres of desalinated water per person each day, especially in light of damage to more than 80 per cent of Gaza's water facilities. Additionally, the UAE has launched several initiatives to drill and rehabilitate potable water wells, rehabilitate sewage networks in affected areas, and deliver dozens of tanker trucks carrying fresh water into the enclave.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israelis begin to question the morality of their war in Gaza
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Now the issue of hunger in Gaza dominates news coverage in Israel. JERUSALEM – The news on Israel's main TV channel had just finished a segment on how hunger in Gaza is portrayed around the world when the anchor looked up and said: 'Maybe it's finally time to acknowledge that this isn't a public relations failure, but a moral one.' Whether or not it was a Walter Cronkite moment, when the US broadcaster declared on live TV in 1968 that the Vietnam War was unwinnable – a turning point in public opinion – it seemed significant in a country that's been steadfast in its defence of the war against Hamas in Gaza for 22 months. There are other indications – from WhatsApp group chats to new reports by Israeli human rights organisations – that the mood is shifting away from a robust embrace of the conflict. Some commentators are announcing a change of heart about the war, triggered when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250. The subsequent Israeli offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, and left much of the Palestinian territory in ruins. The United Nations World Food Programme has warned for weeks that Gaza's population of more than 2 million people faces crisis levels of food insecurity, with scores of aid groups reporting widespread starvation. 'After the massacre, it was imperative to strike at Hamas with all our might, even at the cost of civilian casualties,' wrote Mr Nahum Barnea, a columnist for centrist newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Mr Sherwin Pomerantz, who runs an economic consulting group, wrote in the conservative Jerusalem Post: 'What was a just war two years ago is now an unjust war and must be ended.' The shift in Israeli sentiment is reflected in a pile-up of bad news: Hamas still holds hostages in Gaza and remains a military force, soldiers continue to die, Israelis abroad are shunned, even attacked, and now scenes of starving children are shown across global media. US President Donald Trump, a fervent defender of Israel, even weighed in, saying this week he didn't agree with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertion there is no starvation in Gaza. 'That's real starvation stuff, I see it, and you can't fake that,' Mr Trump said in Scotland on July 28. There haven't been any recent polls published in Israel related to the war. One in May showed 65 per cent of Israelis unconcerned about humanitarian conditions in Gaza. But until this past week, little of the destruction and death there appeared in Israeli media. Now the issue of hunger dominates news coverage. Other shifts in public discourse are noticeable. Human rights lawyers abroad have been accusing Israel of war crimes and genocidal intent in Gaza since just after the war started – charges the vast majority of Israelis have rejected. For the first time, two Israeli human rights groups are now using the term genocide for what's happening – B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Also on July 28, the presidents of five Israeli universities wrote an open letter to Mr Netanyahu urging him to 'intensify efforts to address the severe hunger crisis currently afflicting the Gaza Strip.' 'Like many Israelis, we are horrified by the scenes from Gaza, including infants dying every day from hunger and disease,' they wrote. 'As a people who endured the horrors of the Holocaust, we also bear a responsibility to use every means at our disposal to prevent cruel and indiscriminate harm to innocent men, women and children.' Mr Yair Lapid, head of Israel's main opposition party, gave a fiery speech this week describing the war as a disaster and a failure and calling on Mr Netanyahu to end it and eliminate Hamas through cooperation with regional powers. After ceasefire talks stalled again last week, a new effort is under way to revive negotiations with Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the US and others. There's growing commentary in mainstream media declaring Hamas defeated, making an end to the war easier to accept. There's also pushback to the starvation narrative. The Israeli military authorities said, without additional evidence, that one photo of a skeletal boy published on front pages around the world was a child with a genetic disease that makes his bones protrude, and that he'd been evacuated from Gaza more than a month ago. In addition, the military has distributed photos purported to be of Hamas operatives surrounded by food and looking healthy. And, so far, Mr Netanyahu has shown no sign of shifting policy. 'We are fighting a just war, a moral war, a war for our survival,' he said in a statement on July 28. 'No country in the world would allow the continued rule in a neighbouring territory of a terror group bent on its destruction that already stormed across its borders in a genocidal attack.' 'We'll continue to act responsibly, as we always have, and we'll continue to seek the return of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas,' he said. 'That is the only way to secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike.' BLOOMBERG
ITV News
3 days ago
- Health
- ITV News
Israel announces 'tactical pause' in fighting in parts of Gaza amid humanitarian crisis
The Israeli military said it would begin a 'tactical pause' in fighting in three areas of Gaza as part of steps to address the worsening humanitarian situation. Activity in Muwasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City will be halted from 10am to 8pm local time every day until further notice, beginning on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement. They said they were not operating in those areas, but there has been fighting and strikes in each in recent weeks. They added it would also designate secure routes that would be to help aid agencies deliver food and other supplies to people across Gaza, and that they were prepared to expand the scale of these efforts "as required". The announcement comes after months of warnings of famine amid Israeli restrictions on aid. International criticism, including by close allies, has grown as several hundred Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach food distribution sites. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned that malnutrition in Gaza is "surging", with nearly one in three people not eating for days at a time. At least nine Palestinians have died from starvation in the past 24 hours, according to the director general of Gaza's health ministry. Two of them were children. The health ministry says 85 children have died from malnutrition in the past three weeks. On Saturday, Israel said it would begin dropping aid packages into Gaza, as well as opening humanitarian corridors for UN convoys. 'The humanitarian airdrop operation will be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations and the IDF, led by COGAT and the IAF,' the IDF said in a statement. 'The airdrops will include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food to be provided by international organisations.' The UK also confirmed they are working with Jordan on plans to air drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance. Prime Minister Keir Starmer held emergency talks with his European counterparts, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, on Saturday. In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. However, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA warned that aid drops are a "distraction" and they will "not reverse the deepening starvation". In a post on X, Philippe Lazzarini said: "Air drops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians. "It is a distraction & screensmoke. "A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will. "Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need". Judith Escribano, UK Director of Communications at Médecins Sans Frontières, also warned that air drops only tend to "benefit the strongest who can run the fastest and carry the most". "We need the UK Government to put pressure on Israel to lift the blockade so the trucks at the border can deliver aid in an efficient manner to those who need it most," she told ITV News. "Air drops are not enough to address starvation faced by people in Gaza, including our staff and patients."
Yemen Online
4 days ago
- Health
- Yemen Online
WFP Halts Malnutrition Prevention in Houthi-Controlled Areas in Yemen
Sana'a, Yemen – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced Friday that it has suspended all malnutrition prevention activities in areas of northern Yemen controlled by the Houthi group, citing a severe lack of humanitarian funding. The suspension affects thousands of children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers who relied on these programs to maintain basic health. WFP confirmed that some nutritional support continues in government-controlled areas but at significantly reduced levels due to similar funding constraints. UNICEF is expected to assume oversight for the most critical malnutrition cases in select districts, though its capacity remains limited. The WFP warned of a potential total disruption of aid in Houthi-held regions by the end of July unless immediate financial support is received. Humanitarian organizations say the move could worsen Yemen's already dire public health situation, especially in remote and conflict-affected regions. Advocacy groups are urging donor countries to take swift action to restore essential services and prevent further deterioration.
Shafaq News
5 days ago
- Health
- Shafaq News
WFP: One-third of Gaza not eating
Shafaq News – Gaza On Friday, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned of a sharp increase in malnutrition rates in the Gaza Strip, reiterating its readiness to scale up food assistance and reach all families in need. In a statement, the WFP described the food crisis in Gaza as having reached 'unprecedented levels of desperation,' noting that one in every three people is going without food for days. 'Malnutrition has spiked alarmingly, with an estimated 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment.' The agency projected that approximately 470,000 Palestinians in Gaza are expected to face 'catastrophic famine' between May and September, as the ongoing blockade continues to choke food supplies. 'People are dying due to a lack of humanitarian aid,' the statement stressed, adding that food assistance has become the only way for families to access basic nutrition amid soaring prices for essential goods. The WFP further warned that a ceasefire is 'long overdue' and urged immediate, unrestricted access for humanitarian workers to reach all those in need, wherever they are.
