Page 14 - Gaza

UK may recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes action

Starmer held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before making his announcement, said a source, who asked not to be named

Gangs, merchants sell food aid in Gaza, where IDF shattered security

Since Israel's offensive led to a security breakdown in Gaza that has made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving Palestinians, much of the limited aid entering is being hoarded by gangs and merchants and sold at exorbitant prices. A kilogram of flour has run as high as $60 in recent days, a kilogram of lentils up to $35. That is beyond the means of most residents in the territory, which experts say is at risk of famine and where people are largely reliant on savings 21 months into the Israel-Hamas war. Israel's decision this weekend to facilitate more aid deliveries under international pressure has lowered prices somewhat but has yet to be fully felt on the ground. Bags of flour in markets often bear U.N. logos, while other packaging has markings indicating it came from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation all originally handed out for free. It's impossible to know how much is being diverted, but neither group is able to track who receives its aid. I

Donald Trump says 'real starvation' in Gaza, challenges Netanyahu's claim

US President Donald Trump said the US will coordinate with other nations to provide more aid in Gaza, after the UN warned that vast food supplies are needed to prevent widespread starvation

Israel's leader claims no one in Gaza is starving; Data, witnesses disagree

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says no one in Gaza is starving: There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza otherwise, there would be no Gazans. President Donald Trump on Monday said he disagrees with Netanyahu's claim of no starvation in Gaza, noting the images emerging of emaciated people: Those children look very hungry. After international pressure, Israel over the weekend announced humanitarian pauses, airdrops and other measures meant to allow more aid to Palestinians in Gaza. But people there say little or nothing has changed on the ground. The U.N. has described it as a one-week scale-up of aid, and Israel has not said how long these latest measures would last. "This aid, delivered in this way, is an insult to the Palestinian people, said Hasan Al-Zalaan, who was at the site of an airdrop as some fought over the supplies and crushed cans of chickpeas ...

Israeli fire kills dozens in Gaza, aid delivery remains chaotic: Officials

Israeli strikes or gunfire killed at least 78 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Monday, including a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered after her death but also died, local health officials said. Dozens were killed while seeking food, even as Israel moved to ease restrictions on the entry of aid. Under mounting pressure over the spiralling hunger crisis in Gaza, Israel said over the weekend that the military would pause operations in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi for 10 hours a day and designate secure routes for aid delivery. International airdrops of aid have also resumed. Aid agencies say the new measures are not enough to counter worsening starvation in the territory. Martin Penner, a spokesperson for the UN food agency, told The Associated Press that all 55 of its aid trucks that entered on Sunday were unloaded by crowds before reaching their destination. Another UN official said nothing on the ground has changed and no alternative routes were allowed. Israel sai

If I weren't around, India would be fighting Pakistan, claims Trump

US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed, yet again, that if he had not intervened in time with a threat of stopping all trade negotiations, India and Pakistan would have been at war. Addressing the media in Scotland, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of their official talks, Trump took credit for stepping in to prevent six major wars around the world, including between India and Pakistan. He was responding to a question about pushing Israel towards ending the conflict in Gaza just hours after ceasefire talks with Hamas collapsed. We have many ceasefires going on If I weren't around, you would have six major wars going on India would be fighting with Pakistan, Trump said while addressing the media from his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland. We have many hotspots that were at war. I think a very big one was India and Pakistan because you are talking about two nuclear nations. That was a very big one, said Trump, who is on a private visit to ...

Houthis pledge to step up shipping attacks to pressure Israel on Gaza

The Houthis, who took control of Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, have been striking Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea after Israel's war with Hamas, which rules Gaza, began in October 2023

Israel begins pause in fighting in 3 Gaza areas as hunger concerns mount

The military said it would begin a daily "tactical pause" in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations

No meals, fainting medical staff: Gaza hospitals haunted by starvation

After months of warnings, international agencies, experts and doctors say starvation is now sweeping across Gaza amid restrictions on aid imposed by Israel for months

Israel intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists, humanitarian aid

The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday. The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military violently intercepted the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday. All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade," the group said in a statement. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering

Israeli pause in fighting in Gaza begins as concerns over hunger mount

Israel's military announced that airdrops of aid would begin Saturday night in Gaza, and humanitarian corridors will be established for United Nations convoys, after increasing accounts of starvation-related deaths. The statement late Saturday followed months of experts' 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 military statement did not say where the airdrops or humanitarian corridors would be. It also said the military is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas. Israel's foreign ministry said late Saturday the humanitarian pauses would start Sunday in civilian centres along with humanitarian corridors. The military emphasizes that combat operations have not ceased in Gaza against Hamas, and it asserted there is no starvation in the territory, where most of the ...

Israeli strikes kill at least 53 in Gaza as many were seeking food aid

Israeli airstrikes and gunshots killed at least 53 people in Gaza overnight and into Saturday, most of them shot dead while seeking aid, according to Palestinian health officials and the local ambulance service, as starvation deaths continued. Deadly Israeli gunfire was reported twice within hours close to the Zikim crossing with Israel in the north. In the first incident, at least a dozen people waiting for aid trucks were killed, said staff at Shifa hospital, where bodies were taken. Israel's military said it fired warning shots to distance a crowd in response to an immediate threat" and it was not aware of any casualties. A witness, Sherif Abu Aisha, said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from aid trucks, but as they got close, they realised it was Israel's tanks. That's when the army started firing, he told The Associated Press. He said his uncle was among those killed. We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed, he said. O

Trump asks Israel to 'finish the job' as he feels Hamas obstructs Gaza deal

Trump blames Hamas for failed ceasefire, backs Israel's tougher stance against the Palestinian group

US ends Gaza ceasefire talks early, accuses Hamas of lacking 'good faith'

The United States is cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing its negotiating team home from Qatar for consultations after the latest response from Hamas shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday. While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith," Witkoff said in a statement. We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It was unclear what alternative options" the U.S. was considering. The White House had no immediate comment. At a news briefing Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott did not offer details on what the alternative options the U.S. is considering. When pressed for clarity on whether and how the U.S. would proceed, Pigott did not offer clarity and said, This is a very dynamic situation. He said there's never been a questi

Gaza faces worst hunger crisis yet as truce talks stall over aid access

The crisis is spiraling as Israel and Hamas mull a truce and comes two weeks after the European Union announced an agreement with Israel to increase the flow of food to Gaza

Response of ceasefire proposal handed to mediators with new demands: Hamas

An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas has yet to deliver an official response to the proposal submitted a week ago and is now raising new demands on issues previously resolved

India calls for ceasefire in Gaza, says pauses not enough to ease crisis

Voicing concern over the persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, India asserted that a ceasefire must be put in place, emphasising that intermittent pauses in hostilities are "not enough" to address the scale of challenges facing the region's people. Today's meeting takes place against the backdrop of a persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza," said India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, addressing an open debate in the UN Security Council on Wednesday. "Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough to address the scale of humanitarian challenges confronting the people, who grapple daily with acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education, Harish said at the open debate on the 'Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question'. Underlining that the way ahead is clear, and highlighting India's consistent position in this regard, Harish said the ongoing human suffering must not be ...

Aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 29: Officials

More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation, as Israeli strikes killed another 29 people overnight, according to local health officials. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks, a sign that lower-level negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthrough. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and the offensive launched in response to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. The head of the World Health Organization said Gaza is witnessing a deadly surge in malnutrition and related diseases, and that a large proportion of its roughly 2 million people are starving. Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by U.N. agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions a

Columbia univ suspends, expels students over pro-Palestinian protests

Columbia University announced disciplinary action Tuesday against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the Ivy League school's main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The sanctions issued by a university judicial board also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement. The action comes as the Manhattan university is negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration to restore $400 million in federal funding it has withheld from the Ivy League school over its handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The administration pulled the funding, canceling grants and contracts, in March because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia has since

Israeli tanks enter Gaza's Deir al-Balah, raising alarm over hostages

Israel's push into Deir al-Balah prompts concern from hostage families and UN agencies, as WHO confirms staff detentions and Gaza warns of starvation deaths