Latest news with #humanitarianCrisis
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Israel accuses Macron of ‘crusade against the Jewish state'
French President Emmanuel Macron called for the recognition of a Palestinian state, with some conditions. (EPA Images pic) JERUSALEM : Israel accused French President Emmanuel Macron of undertaking a 'crusade against the Jewish state' yesterday after he called for European countries to harden their stance on Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not improve. 'There is no humanitarian blockade. That is a blatant lie,' Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement, defending its efforts to allow in aid. 'But instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state. No doubt its national day will be Oct 7,' it added, alluding to the date of Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war. Israel last week partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on supplies entering Gaza, which is enduring severe shortages of food and medicines even as truckloads of humanitarian assistance have begun to trickle in. Macron, meanwhile, has stepped up his statements of support for the Palestinians of late. Yesterday, he said European countries should 'harden the collective position' against Israel if it did not respond appropriately to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including keeping open the possibility of sanctions. 'If we abandon Gaza, if we consider there is a free pass for Israel, even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we will kill our credibility,' Macron told a top defence forum in Singapore. He also called for the recognition of a Palestinian state, with some conditions, 'not only a moral duty, but a political necessity'. France is co-hosting with Saudi Arabia an international conference at the UN in New York meant to resurrect the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an outcome the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes. In its statement yesterday, the Israeli foreign ministry said: 'Hamas, for its part, has already praised Macron's statements. Hamas knows why.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
UN says 'catastrophic situation in Gaza is at its worst since war began'
Citing the Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN spokesperson said on 30 May that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is at 'the worst [place] since the war began.' In a reflection of the increasingly dire conditions inside the territory, he later added that 'armed individuals' had raided a warehouse at a field hospital in Deir al-Balah, 'looting large quantities of medical equipment, supplies, medicines, nutritional supplements that was intended for malnourished children'. The UN has warned that the Palestinian territory's entire population is at risk of famine
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Netanyahu's high-stakes moves between war and trial
As the Gaza conflict escalates into one of the most intense confrontations in recent memory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands at a crucial crossroads. Facing international calls for a ceasefire, domestic political pressures and ongoing legal battles, Netanyahu's refusal to halt military operations without significant concessions reveals a calculated strategy balancing survival, security and power. US President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to call for an end to the hostilities, reflecting the growing global impatience with the ongoing violence. Western powers and international organizations, long weary of the repeated cycles of conflict, emphasize the urgent need for peace. Yet Netanyahu remains defiant, signaling that his calculations extend far beyond immediate diplomatic approval. Israel's traditional allies have become increasingly divided. While the US maintains support for Israel's right to self-defense, its tone has softened to urge de-escalation. Other Western countries like the UK, France and Canada have voiced criticism and are contemplating sanctions in response to Israel's continued military campaigns, while London has suspended trade talks. This shift highlights the global outrage over Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe — widespread civilian casualties, infrastructure destruction and critical shortages of food, water and medicine. Despite international pressure, Netanyahu insists on two conditions for any ceasefire: the full disarmament of Hamas and the implementation of a controversial relocation plan for Gaza's Palestinian population. This plan, widely condemned as forced displacement, raises serious ethical and legal questions. It echoes painful histories of displacement in the region and risks escalating tensions throughout the Middle East. Netanyahu remains defiant, signaling that his calculations extend far beyond immediate diplomatic approval Hani Hazaimeh At home, Netanyahu's political survival is deeply intertwined with the Gaza conflict. Facing charges of bribery and corruption, Netanyahu hopes a successful military campaign will strengthen his standing and divert attention from his legal troubles. Conversely, a premature ceasefire could weaken his position and embolden his opponents. Israeli society remains divided. Many support Netanyahu's hard-line approach as essential to security, while others criticize the human cost and warn of long-term damage to Israel's moral character. Protests both supporting and opposing the government's policies have erupted nationwide. The urgent demand to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas adds another layer of complexity, fueling calls for continued military pressure. The proposed relocation plan for Gaza's nearly 2 million Palestinians is the most contentious element of Netanyahu's strategy. Seen by many as a violation of international law, it recalls fears of ethnic cleansing and risks destabilizing Gaza and the broader region. Neighboring countries with large Palestinian refugee populations, including Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, could see heightened tensions and security risks if displacement occurs. For Netanyahu, this plan aims to permanently neutralize the Hamas threat and reshape Gaza's political reality in Israel's favor. But such a move risks isolating Israel diplomatically and provoking regional backlash. The Middle East remains a volatile landscape of fragile alliances and rivalries. Prolonged conflict or forced displacement could further destabilize the region. The international community faces a dilemma — supporting Israel's alleged right to self-defense while condemning the humanitarian consequences of its military operations. The international community must work toward a sustainable peace that addresses the conflict's root causes Hani Hazaimeh Netanyahu's challenge is to maintain political strength and security credibility at home while managing growing international pressure and Gaza's humanitarian crisis. Persisting with a hard-line stance risks diplomatic isolation and regional escalation. Conversely, conceding without substantial gains could undermine his authority and legal standing. In the coming weeks, Netanyahu's decisions will reverberate far beyond Israel's borders, shaping regional stability and the fate of millions. Amid this political and legal chess game, the civilians of Gaza remain the most vulnerable. The international community must intensify humanitarian aid and work toward a sustainable peace that addresses the conflict's root causes, not just its symptoms. Netanyahu's defiance highlights a broader failure — global and regional leaders' inability to forge a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Without such a solution, cycles of violence and suffering will persist, threatening any hope for lasting peace in one of the world's most volatile regions. The world watches and waits, hoping humanity does not become the ultimate casualty in this high-stakes game. • Hani Hazaimeh is a senior editor based in Amman. X: @hanihazaimeh
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
One afternoon in Gaza, two family tragedies: the childhoods cut short by Israeli airstrikes
At about 3pm last Friday, Dr Alaa al-Najjar, a paediatrician at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, received the charred remains of seven of her 10 children, killed in an Israeli airstrike. The bodies of two others were buried beneath the rubble. A few miles away, 11-year-old Yaqeen Hammad, known as Gaza's youngest social media influencer, was killed after a series of heavy Israeli airstrikes hit the house where she lived with her family. She was watering flowers in a tiny patch of greenery eked out of a displacement camp when she died. Her cousin, 16-year-old Eyad, was gravely wounded. Even by the terrible standards of the Gaza conflict, the deaths had the power to shock. But they were also a reflection of a daily reality in the territory: the killing and maiming of its very youngest citizens and the destruction of a young generation. According to local health officials, whose estimates have generally been found to be accurate by the global humanitarian community, more than 16,500 children have been killed in the 19 months since the war began – a figure almost 24 times higher than the number of children killed in Ukraine, where the population is 20 times bigger, since Russia's invasion. The World Health Organization tally for child deaths stands at 15,613. Colleagues of Najjar say that in the days since she lost her children she has spent her waking hours weeping outside a room in Nasser hospital. Inside lies her only surviving child, 11-year-old Adam, who is clinging to life with the help of a ventilator, his breathing shallow and his more than 60% of his body covered in burns. Najjar's husband, Hamdi, a 40-year-old physician, also survived the strike, but suffered severe injuries including brain damage and fractures caused by shrapnel. Reached by the Guardian, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 'the Khan Younis area is a dangerous war zone' and that 'the claim regarding harm to uninvolved civilians is under review'. Speaking to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Adam's uncle, Ali al-Najjar, 50, issued a desperate plea: 'Adam must be taken away, to a real hospital, outside Gaza. I beg the Italian government – do something. Take him. Save him, Italians.' On Thursday, Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said the country was ready to receive Adam for medical care and was working to arrange his evacuation. Along a corridor in the same hospital where Adam is being treated lies Eyad. His father – and Yaqeen's uncle – is Hussein Hassan, a 46-year-old Red Crescent paramedic. Hassan said he was working in the hospital's emergency department when he received a call saying his son had been injured and his niece killed by a missile. Hassan said the family had received no warning that a strike was imminent and that he was haunted by the question of why a missile would be fired that hit children watering and planting flowers. 'How could this be? The children are still so young to be considered targets,' he said. 'Was there a targeted vehicle nearby? Or someone being pursued who passed by the street? I don't know.' When news of Yaqeen's death spread online on Monday, there was an outpouring grief and tributes from activists, followers and journalists. 'Yaqeen was cheerful, full of energy,' Hassan said. 'Due to my workload I hadn't seen her in a month before she died – and that's what hurt the most, that my last sight of her was when she was wrapped in a white shroud. 'I said my goodbye to her in the morgue at al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir-al Balah, and then carried her cold body into the ambulance to be transported for burial. Her family is devastated – she was their pampered youngest, the baby of the family.' Eyad remains in intensive care in Nasser hospital. He lost his left eye in the strike and has a fractured shoulder. When he was admitted to the hospital, shrapnel was embedded in various parts of his body. 'Seeing him in that condition broke my heart – my son, now lying in the hospital before my eyes,' Hassan said. 'Yaqeen's story is like that of so many children in Gaza who have been killed in the war, for no reason. They are not just numbers – each child has a story, a life, and families who are heartbroken by their loss.' The IDF says it is reviewing the circumstances of the strike. Three days later, in Gaza City, another family suffered another unimaginable loss. Six-year-old Ward Khalil's mother and two of her siblings were among dozens of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Fahmi al-Jarjawi school. Harrowing footage showed Ward leaving the scene of the strike, her body silhouetted against flames that had engulfed the school. The next day Ward gave an interview to Al Jazeera in which she recounted the horrors she had experienced. 'When I woke up, I found a huge fire, and I saw my mom was dead,' she said. 'I walked in the fire so I could escape … I was in the fire, and the ceiling fell on me. The ceiling all collapsed. The fire was blazing,' On top of Israeli strikes, Gaza's children are facing catastrophic levels of hunger. Aid agencies say Palestinian children are also bearing the brunt of an Israeli aid blockade that for nearly three months has severely restricted the flow of food and humanitarian assistance into the territory. The consequences have been devastating: last week, in one 48-hour period, 29 children and elderly people died from starvation, according to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority health minister, Majed Abu Ramadan. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) estimated in May that nearly 71,000 children under the age of five were expected to be acutely malnourished by next March. Of these, 14,100 cases are expected to be severe. According to the UN humanitarian aid organisation for children, Unicef, more than 9,000 children have been treated for malnutrition in Gaza this year. 'These children – lives that should never be reduced to numbers – are now part of a long, harrowing list of unimaginable horrors,' Unicef said in a statement this week. 'The children of Gaza need protection,' it said. 'They need food, water, and medicine. They need a ceasefire. But more than anything, they need immediate, collective action to stop this once and for all.'
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Macron says stance on Israel must ‘harden' unless Gaza situation improves
President Emmanuel Macron and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto inspect the honour guard during a visit to the military academy in Central Java.(AP pic) SINGAPORE : French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that European countries should 'harden the collective position' against Israel if it does not respond appropriately to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. With international pressure mounting on Israel over the deepening hunger crisis in Gaza, Macron said action was needed 'in the next few hours and days'. He also asserted recognition of a Palestinian state with conditions was 'not only a moral duty, but a political necessity'. If there was no response in line with the humanitarian situation in Gaza 'in the coming hours and days… we will have to harden our collective position,' Macron said on a visit to Singapore. This meant dropping an assumption that human rights were being respected 'and apply sanctions', the French leader said hours before addressing a defence summit in the city-state. Macron is on a diplomatic tour in Southeast Asia which also saw him visit Vietnam and Indonesia earlier this week. While in Jakarta, Macron and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto issued a joint statement condemning Israeli plans to take control of Gaza and any moves to 'forcibly remove the Palestinian population from their homeland'. Paris hoped to 'trigger a movement of recognition for a Palestinian state under certain conditions', including the demilitarisation of Hamas and recognition of Israel's right to exist and protect itself, Macron said in the Indonesian capital. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remained dire despite aid beginning to trickle back into the territory after a more than two-month Israeli blockade. Food security experts said starvation was looming for one in five people. Israel has also intensified its military offensive in what it said was a renewed push to destroy Hamas, whose Oct 7, 2023 attack triggered the war.
