Latest news with #UNWFP
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hungry Palestinians in Gaza block and offload dozens of UN food trucks as desperation grows
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks, the UN World Food Programme has said, as desperation mounts following Israel's months-long blockade while talks of a ceasefire inch forward. Advertisement The WFP on Saturday said 77 trucks carrying aid, mostly flour, were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the trucks could reach their destination. The nearly three-month Israeli blockade on Gaza has pushed the population of more than 2 million to the brink of famine. While pressure slightly eased in recent days as Israel allowed some aid to enter, aid organisations say far from enough food is getting in. Hamas on Friday said it was reviewing a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire, which Israeli officials had approved. US President Donald Trump said negotiators were nearing a deal. A ceasefire would pause the fighting for 60 days, release some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much-needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media. Internally displaced Palestinians gather outside a charity kitchen to receive limited rations amid a shortage of food, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE According to the WFP, the fear of starvation in Gaza is high despite the aid that is entering now. 'We need to flood communities with food for the next few days to calm anxieties and rebuild the trust with communities that more food is coming,' it said in a statement, adding that it had more than 140,000 metric tons of food – enough to feed Gazans for two months – ready to be brought in.
Arab News
a day ago
- Business
- Arab News
Hungry Palestinians in Gaza block and offload dozens of UN food trucks
TEL AVIV: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks, the UN World Food Program said Saturday, as desperation mounts following Israel's monthslong blockade and airstrikes while talks of a ceasefire inch forward. The WFP said that 77 trucks carrying aid, mostly flour, were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the trucks were able to reach their destination. A nearly three-month Israeli blockade on Gaza has pushed the population to the brink of famine. While the pressure slightly eased in recent days as Israel allowed some aid to enter, organizations say there still isn't nearly enough food getting in. Hamas on Friday said it was reviewing a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire. US President Donald Trump said that negotiators were nearing a deal. A ceasefire would pause the fighting for 60 days, release some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The WFP said the fear of starvation in Gaza is high despite the food aid that's entering now. 'We need to flood communities with food for the next few days to calm anxieties and rebuild the trust with communities that more food is coming,' said agency said in a statement. A witness in the southern city of Khan Younis told The Associated Press the UN convoy was stopped at a makeshift roadblock and offloaded by desperate civilians in their thousands. Most people carried bags of flour on their backs or heads. He said at one point a forklift was used to offload pallets from the stranded trucks. The witness spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal. The United Nations said earlier this month that Israeli authorities have forced them to use unsecured routes within areas controlled by the Israeli military in the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis, where armed gangs are active and trucks were stopped. Israel's military didn't immediately respond to comment. Attacks, gangs, lack of protection hamper UN distribution An internal document shared with aid groups about security incidents, seen by the AP, said there were four incidents of facilities being looted in three days at the end of May, not including the convoy on Saturday. The UN says it's been unable to get enough aid in because of fighting. On Friday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said it only picked up five truckloads of cargo from the Palestinian side of the Kareem Shalom crossing, and the other 60 trucks had to return due to intense hostilities in the area. An Israeli official said his country has offered the UN logistical and operational support but 'the UN is not doing their job.' Instead, a new U.S- and Israeli-backed foundation started operations in Gaza this week, distributing food at several sites in a chaotic rollout. Israel says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will replace the massive aid operation that the UN and others have carried out throughout the war. It says the new mechanism is necessary, accusing Hamas of siphoning off large amounts of aid. The UN denies that significant diversion takes place. The GHF works with armed contractors, which is says is needed to distribute food safely. Aid groups have accused the foundation of militarizing aid.
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Hungry Palestinians in Gaza block and offload dozens of UN food trucks
TEL AVIV, Israel — Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks, the UN World Food Program said Saturday, as desperation mounts following Israel's monthslong blockade and airstrikes while talks of a ceasefire inch forward. The WFP said 77 trucks carrying aid, mostly flour, were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the trucks could reach their destination. The nearly three-month Israeli blockade on Gaza has pushed the population of over two million to the brink of famine. While pressure slightly eased in recent days as Israel allowed some aid to enter, aid organizations say far from enough food is getting in. Hamas on Friday said it was reviewing a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire, which Israeli officials have approved. U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiators were nearing a deal. A ceasefire would pause the fighting for 60 days, release some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much-needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The WFP said the fear of starvation in Gaza is high despite the aid that's entering now. 'We need to flood communities with food for the next few days to calm anxieties and rebuild the trust with communities that more food is coming,' it said in a statement — adding that it has over 140,000 metric tons of food — enough to feed Gazans for two months — ready to be brought in. A witness in the southern city of Khan Younis told The Associated Press the UN convoy was stopped at a makeshift roadblock and offloaded by desperate civilians in their thousands. Most people carried bags of flour. He said at one point a forklift was used to offload pallets. The witness spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal. The United Nations said earlier this month that Israeli authorities have forced them to use unsecured routes within areas controlled by Israel's military in the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis, where armed gangs are active and trucks were stopped. Israel's military didn't immediately respond to questions. Attacks, gangs and lack of protection hamper UN distribution An internal document shared with aid groups about security incidents, seen by the AP, said there were four incidents of facilities being looted in three days at the end of May, not including Saturday's. The UN says it has been unable to get enough aid in because of fighting. On Friday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said it only picked up five truckloads of cargo from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, and the other 60 trucks had to return due to intense hostilities. A new U.S- and Israeli-backed foundation started operations in Gaza this week, distributing food at several sites in a chaotic rollout. Israel says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation eventually will replace the aid operation that the UN and others have carried out during nearly 20 months of war. It says the new mechanism is necessary, accusing Hamas of siphoning off large amounts of aid. The UN denies that significant diversion takes place. The GHF works with armed contractors, which it says are needed to distribute food safely. Aid groups have accused the foundation of militarizing aid. Israeli strikes kill at least 60 Israel continued its military campaign across Gaza, saying it struck dozens of targets over the past day. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours. It said three people were killed by Israeli gunfire early Saturday in Rafah. Three others were killed — parents and a child — when their car was struck in Gaza City. And an Israeli strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, killing six, said Weam Fares, a spokesperson for Nasser Hospital. The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 250 hostages. Of those taken captive, 58 remain in Gaza. Israel believes 35 are dead and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there are 'doubts' about the fate of several others. Israeli strikes have killed more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. Magdy reported from Cairo Sam Mednick And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Palestinians block and empty dozens of UN food lorries in Gaza Strip
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and emptied dozens of lorries, the UN World Food Programme said, as desperation mounts following Israel's months-long blockade and air strikes. The WFP said that 77 trucks carrying aid, mostly flour, were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the vehicles were able to reach their destination. Advertisement A nearly three-month Israeli blockade on Gaza has pushed the population to the brink of famine. While the pressure slightly eased in recent days as Israel allowed some aid to enter, organisations said there still is not nearly enough food getting in. Hamas on Friday said it was reviewing a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire. President Donald Trump said that negotiators were nearing a deal. A Palestinian girl waits to collect (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) A ceasefire would pause the fighting for 60 days, release some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much-needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials. Advertisement The WFP said the fear of starvation in Gaza is high despite the food aid that is entering now. 'We need to flood communities with food for the next few days to calm anxieties and rebuild the trust with communities that more food is coming,' said agency said in a statement. A witness in the southern city of Khan Younis told The Associated Press that the UN convoy was stopped at a makeshift roadblock and unloaded by thousands of desperate civilians. Most people carried bags of flour on their backs or heads. He said at one point a forklift was used to offload pallets from the stranded trucks. Advertisement The United Nations said earlier this month that Israeli authorities have forced them to use unsecured routes within areas controlled by the Israeli military in the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis, where armed gangs are active. An internal document shared with aid groups about security incidents, seen by the AP, said there were four incidents of facilities being looted in three days at the end of May, not including the convoy on Saturday. The UN said it been unable to get enough aid in because of fighting. Meanwhile, Israel is continuing its military campaign across Gaza. Advertisement Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli air strike (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) The Gaza Health Ministry said that at least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours. It said three people were hit by Israeli gunfire early on Saturday morning in the southern city of Rafah. Three other people were killed – parents and a child – when their car was struck in Gaza City. The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 250 hostages. Of those taken captive, 58 remain in Gaza but Israel believes 35 are dead and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there are 'doubts' about the fate of several others. Advertisement Israeli strikes have killed more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
Hungry Palestinians in Gaza block and offload dozens of UN food trucks
TEL AVIV, Israel — Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks, the U.N. World Food Program said Saturday, as desperation mounts following Israel's monthslong blockade and airstrikes while talks of a ceasefire inch forward. The WFP said that 77 trucks carrying aid, mostly flour, were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the trucks were able to reach their destination.
