Latest news with #aidworkers
Arab News
a day ago
- General
- Arab News
Rights groups call on Houthis to release detained aid workers
DUBAI: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on Houthis to release dozens of UN and aid workers who have been detained for nearly a year. The arrest and detention of aid workers has 'a direct impact on the delivery of lifesaving assistance to people in critical need of aid' in a country enduring one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, the two rights groups said in a joint statement. Since May 2024, the Houthis have carried out several waves of arrests in regions under their control, targeting UN staff as well as workers in local and international humanitarian organizations. The arrests have prompted the UN to limit its deployments and suspend activities in some regions of the country devastated by more than a decade of civil war. The arrests have prompted the UN to limit its deployments and suspend activities in some regions of Yemen. The Houthis at the time claimed there was an 'American-Israeli spy cell' operating under the cover of aid groups — accusations firmly rejected by the UN. Only seven aid workers have been released, while at least 50 remain in detention 'without adequate access to lawyers or their families, and without charge,' HRW and Amnesty said, calling on the rebels to 'immediately and unconditionally release' them. 'It is shocking that most of these UN and civil society staff have now spent almost a year in arbitrary detention for simply doing their work in providing medical and food assistance or promoting human rights, peace, and dialogue,' said Diala Haidar, Yemen researcher at Amnesty International. 'They should never have been arrested in the first place,' she continued. Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at HRW, meanwhile, said: 'The Houthis need to facilitate the work of humanitarian workers and the movement of aid. 'All countries with influence, as well as the UN and civil society organizations, should use all the tools at their disposal to urge the release of those arbitrarily detained and to provide support to their family members.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Four people killed after starving Palestinians burst into UN food warehouse in Gaza
Large crowds of Palestinians burst into a UN warehouse in Deir al-Balah on 28 May after aid had trickled into the Palestinian enclave on the brink of famine. The 11-week siege and a continuing tight Israel blockade mean most people in Gaza are desperately hungry. Medics and aid workers in the devastated Palestinian territory have said for months that malnutrition is spreading. Bakeries operated by the UN World Food Programme have closed owing to a lack of cooking gas, and prices are soaring for the limited food available in shops and markets
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Four Palestinians killed as starving Gazans storm UN warehouse amid spiralling hunger crisis
At least four Palestinians were killed after thousands of starving Gazans stormed a UN World Food Programme warehouse in Deir al-Balah in search of food. Two people were crushed in the chaos and two were fatally shot, although it was not yet clear who had fired the bullets. A Red Cross field hospital said it was treating women and children with gunshot wounds. Video footage captured crowds ripping apart the warehouse and scrambling for flour and supplies. The UN World Food Programme said the humanitarian situation in Gaza had spiralled out of control after almost three months of Israeli blockade, with only limited aid allowed in recently. 'Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP's al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution,' the WFP said, describing the situation as 'alarming and deteriorating'. 'Humanitarian needs have spiralled out of control after 80 days of complete blockade of all food assistance and other aid into Gaza. Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve.' After 11 weeks under complete siege and a continuing Israeli blockade, hunger in Gaza has reached critical levels. Medics and aid workers have reported widespread malnutrition, with UN-run bakeries shutting down due to a lack of cooking gas and food prices soaring beyond reach. Most people are struggling to find enough to eat as the humanitarian crisis deepens. The WFP noted that it had 'consistently warned of alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground and the risks imposed by limiting humanitarian aid to hungry people in desperate need of assistance'. Israel started allowing limited aid into Gaza last week after the launch of a controversial private aid group backed by the US and Israel known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Bypassing the UN and using US security contractors, the group has set up distribution centres claiming to prevent aid theft by Hamas, an allegation the Palestinian militant group denies. The UN has criticised the group as unworkable and unethical. Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli troops had opened fire at a food distribution site set up by the controversial group in southern Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least three civilians and injuring 48 as large crowds gathered. The foundation dismissed the information as 'totally false'. The UN didn't confirm any deaths in the chaos, but said at least 47 Palestinians had suffered injuries, mostly from gunfire, during the aid distribution.
News24
23-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
‘Don't shoot. I am Israeli': Paramedic survives shooting by speaking Hebrew as 15 others killed
Paramedic Assad Al-Nassasrah survived because he spoke Hebrew to Israeli soldiers. He was one of two survivors while 15 others were killed on 23 March. A deputy commander would be dismissed, said the Israeli military. The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday that a paramedic who survived an attack that killed 15 aid workers was spared because he asked Israeli soldiers for mercy in Hebrew, adding that he hoped the man's testimony would help win justice. Assad Al-Nassasrah, a Red Crescent paramedic, survived shootings that killed 15 emergency and aid workers on 23 March in southern Gaza in an incident that drew international condemnation. Their bodies were found buried in a shallow grave a week later by Red Crescent and UN officials who accused Israeli forces of killing them. Al-Nassasrah went missing and then was freed from Israeli detention on 29 April and has not yet publicly commented. One other paramedic survived. Younis Al-Khatib, president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, told reporters in Geneva that Al-Nassasrah was spared after he pleaded in Hebrew and said his mother was a Palestinian citizen of Israel. 'What does Assad say in Hebrew? 'Don't shoot. I am Israeli.' And the soldier got a bit confused,' he told reporters. 'That confusion ... made him survive.' 'Assad will be a witness that can put all the Israeli stories in shambles,' he added. Israel's prime minister's office and its diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Israeli military initially said its soldiers had opened fire on vehicles that approached their position 'suspiciously' in the dark without lights or markings. It said they killed six militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were travelling in Red Crescent vehicles. Zain Jaafar/AFP But video recovered from the mobile phone of one of the dead men and published by the PRCS showed emergency workers in their uniforms and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with their lights on, being fired on by soldiers. On 20 April, the Israeli military said a review into the incident had found there had been 'several professional failures'. It said a deputy commander, a reservist who was the field commander, would be dismissed. READ | 'Supporters of Netanyahu are panicking' amid signs Trump support is cooling The military advocate general is conducting its own investigation and criminal charges could be pursued, according to the military. Asked how Al-Nassasrah was treated in custody, Al-Khatib said: 'like a Palestinian'. He said Al-Nassasrah had been interrogated and that he had mental health issues, but did not elaborate further. Menahem Kahana/AFP Social media footage shared by the Palestinian Red Crescent dated the day after his release showed Al-Nassasrah crying as he hugged medics and looking dazed while being examined in a Gaza hospital. Eight of those killed were from the PRCS, which provides medical aid in Gaza and is part of the world's largest humanitarian network. Al-Khatib said the organisation was working with lawyers and considering formal submissions to international courts and to the UN Security Council. 'We think the international community is responsible to provide justice to those killed,' he said. 'We don't train our people to go and die.'
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Medic survived Gaza shootings by pleading in Hebrew, Palestinian Red Crescent says
GENEVA, May 22 (Reuters) - The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday that a paramedic who survived an attack that killed 15 aid workers was spared because he asked Israeli soldiers for mercy in Hebrew, adding that he hoped the man's testimony would help win justice. Assad Al-Nassasrah, a Red Crescent paramedic, survived shootings that killed 15 emergency and aid workers on March 23 in southern Gaza in an incident that drew international condemnation. Their bodies were found buried in a shallow grave a week later by Red Crescent and U.N. officials who accused Israeli forces of killing them. Al-Nassasrah went missing and then was freed from Israeli detention on April 29 and has not yet publicly commented. One other paramedic survived. Younis Al-Khatib, president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, told reporters in Geneva that Al-Nassasrah was spared after he pleaded in Hebrew and said his mother was a Palestinian citizen of Israel. "What does Assad say in Hebrew? 'Don't shoot. I am Israeli.' And the soldier got a bit confused," he told reporters. "That confusion ... made him survive." "Assad will be a witness that can put all the Israeli stories in shambles," he added. Israel's prime minister's office and its diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Israeli military initially said its soldiers had opened fire on vehicles that approached their position "suspiciously" in the dark without lights or markings. It said they killed six militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were travelling in Red Crescent vehicles. But video recovered from the mobile phone of one of the dead men and published by the PRCS showed emergency workers in their uniforms and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with their lights on, being fired on by soldiers. On April 20, the Israeli military said a review into the incident had found there had been "several professional failures". It said a deputy commander, a reservist who was the field commander, would be dismissed. The military advocate general is conducting its own investigation and criminal charges could be pursued, according to the military. Asked how Al-Nassasrah was treated in custody, Al-Khatib said: "like a Palestinian". He said Al-Nassasrah had been interrogated and that he had mental health issues, but did not elaborate further. Social media footage shared by the Palestinian Red Crescent dated the day after his release showed Al-Nassasrah crying as he hugged medics and looking dazed while being examined in a Gaza hospital. Eight of those killed were from the PRCS, which provides medical aid in Gaza and is part of the world's largest humanitarian network. Al-Khatib said the organisation was working with lawyers and considering formal submissions to international courts and to the U.N. Security Council. "We think the international community is responsible to provide justice to those killed," he said. "We don't train our people to go and die."
