Latest news with #hunger crisis
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
BBC and other media organisations say journalists face ‘threat of starvation' in Gaza
Major broadcasters and news agencies have said their journalists in Gaza face the 'threat of starvation' amid a deepening hunger crisis in the war-torn enclave. The BBC, Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse shared their fears in a joint statement which called on the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. More than 100 people in Gaza have died due to hunger in recent weeks including 80 children, according to Palestinian health officials. 'We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families,' the joint statement read. 'For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering. "Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them. "We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there." A total Israeli aid blockade in Spring was followed by months in which just a small trickle of aid was permitted into the ravaged enclave. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine due to the aid blockages and an ongoing military offensive by the IDF. The UN, which has repeatedly urged Israel to allow it to deliver huge amounts of food and resources to the starving population, says that what Israel is providing is a drop in the ocean of what is needed. Palestinians have told The Independent that no one, including medics and journalists, is immune to the starvation crisis. Even those with relatively significant amounts of money have been priced out of the buying simple foods in the strip due to extortionate costs caused by lack of availability. Israeli forces have also killed hundreds of Palestinians who were trying to reach the limited number of aid trucks which rolled into Gaza. The UN says the death toll of Palestinians who were trying to reach aid has surpassed 1,000. This has drawn widespread condemnation, including from many of Israel's own allies. But it has not yet prompted any significant responses, beyond strongly-worded statements, from some of its closest allies such as the US, UK, Germany and France. On Wednesday, more than 100 organisations signed a letter calling for more aid to Gaza as it faces 'mass starvation'. The Israeli government insists it is not causing a famine, and that the 'man-made shortage' of food is 'engineered by Hamas', according to spokesman David Mencer. Mr Mencer said on Wednesday that more than 4,400 aid trucks entered Gaza from 19 July until Tuesday, containing food, flour and baby food. "Hamas is trying to prevent the distribution of food. Where there is hunger in Gaza, it is hunger orchestrated by Hamas,' he added. Violence has also continued in the West Bank, where Israeli troops killed two Palestinian boys, Ahmed Al-Salah, 15, and Mohammed Khaled Alian Issa, 17, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel says they were throwing Molotov cocktails at a highway. Peace talks that have so far failed to produce a resolution to the war continued on Thursday as Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Rome to meet with senior Qatari and Israeli officials. Israel said it received Hamas' latest ceasefire proposal, with an Israeli official calling it "workable," although no details were provided. Hamas confirmed in a statement early Thursday that it sent the proposal to mediators.
Reuters
a day ago
- Health
- Reuters
WHO sees 'deadly' surge in malnutrition in Gaza; 21 children under five killed in 2025
July 23 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it was seeing a deadly surge in malnutrition in Gaza that has led to the deaths of 21 children under five so far in 2025. Malnutrition centers are full without sufficient supplies for emergency feeding, the health agency said, as the hunger crisis gets accelerated by the collapse of aid pipelines and restrictions on access. Gaza has seen its food stocks run out since Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March and then lifted that blockade in May, but with conditions that it says are needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups. However, aid agencies say that only a trickle of what is needed is currently reaching people in Gaza. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the health agency was unable to deliver any food for nearly 80 days between March and May, adding that the resumption of deliveries was still far below what is needed. "The 2.1 million people up in the war zone that is Gaza are facing yet another killer on top of bombs and bullets, starvation; we're now witnessing a deadly surge in malnutrition related disease," Ghebreyesus said.
France 24
a day ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
Will Dati's corruption trial jeopardize her Paris mayoral ambitions?
04:38 23/07/2025 Ukraine's Zelensky tries to limit backlash over law curbing anti-graft agencies 23/07/2025 ICJ: World's top court to hand down watershed climate opinion 23/07/2025 Gaza hunger crisis: 'The situation seems to be rapidly deteriorating' 23/07/2025 France: Culture minister Rachida Dati to be tried on corruption charges 23/07/2025 Venezuela to investigate Bukele, other officials for alleged detainee abuse 23/07/2025 Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn 23/07/2025 Russian delegation departs Moscow for Istanbul talks with Ukraine 23/07/2025 Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76
France 24
a day ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
ICJ: World's top court to hand down watershed climate opinion
01:54 23/07/2025 Gaza hunger crisis: 'The situation seems to be rapidly deteriorating' 23/07/2025 France: Culture minister Rachida Dati to be tried on corruption charges 23/07/2025 Venezuela to investigate Bukele, other officials for alleged detainee abuse 23/07/2025 Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn 23/07/2025 Russian delegation departs Moscow for Istanbul talks with Ukraine 23/07/2025 Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76 23/07/2025 More than 100 aid groups warn 'mass starvation' spreading across Gaza 22/07/2025 Brazil: Bolsonaro flashes ankle monitor as judge threatens imprisonment 22/07/2025 "Colbert stays, Trump must go": End of the Late Show shakes New York fans
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
WHO condemns Israeli raid on Gaza residence and warehouse attack
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Israel's ground offensive in central Gaza has compromised its efforts to continue working, after its facilities came under UN agency accused Israeli forces of attacking a building housing its staff and their families in the city of Deir al-Balah on Monday and mistreating those sheltering there. Its main warehouse was also attacked and Israeli military has not yet first major ground operation in Deir al-Balah since the start of the war with Hamas 21 months ago has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, amid warnings of a severe hunger crisis across the territory. The UN said on Monday it was receiving reports of malnourished people arriving at clinics and hospitals in extremely poor health, while the Hamas-run health ministry said 19 people had died from malnutrition since Saturday. On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered the immediate evacuation of six city blocks in southern Deir al-Balah, warning that it would be operating "with great force to destroy the enemy's capabilities and terrorist infrastructure".The estimated 50,000 to 80,000 people living in the affected areas were instructed to head south towards the al-Mawasi area in the south of the UN's humanitarian office said UN staff would remain in Deir al-Balah despite the evacuation order, spread across dozens of premises whose co-ordinates had been shared with Israel, and stressed that they had to be Monday night, the WHO put out a statement saying it condemned "in the strongest terms" attacks on its said the WHO staff residence was attacked three times, and that staff and their families, including children, were "exposed to grave danger and traumatized after air strikes caused a fire and significant damage"."Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint," it added."Two WHO staff and two family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff member remains in detention."The WHO demanded the immediate release of its detained staff member and the protection of its other staff, who have been relocated with their families to its office in Deir al-Balah. The WHO's main warehouse in the city was damaged after "an attack caused explosions and fire inside", the organisation said. The warehouse was later looted by desperate crowds, it agency did not attribute blame for the attack, but said it was "part of a pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities". The WHO warned that its operational presence in Gaza was "now compromised, crippling efforts to sustain a collapsing health system and pushing survival further out of reach for more than two million people".There has been no comment yet from the Israeli military on the attacks on the WHO's premises or on the wider offensive in Deir Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday that troops were operating to "establish a corridor that will cut through the city, severing it from the al-Mawasi area and preventing free movement between central Gaza refugee camps where the Israeli army has no ground presence".According to the UN, about 87.8% of Gaza is now covered by Israeli evacuation orders or is within Israeli militarized zones, leaving the 2.1 million population squeezed into about 46 sq km of land where essential services have sources say that the possible presence of Israeli hostages held by Hamas is one reason why Deir al-Balah has so far not been the target of a ground offensive. At least 20 of the 50 hostages still in captivity are believed to be families have expressed concern that an offensive could endanger Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 59,029 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.
