Page 18 - Gaza

UN urges immediate aid distribution as supply trucks enter Gaza after weeks

The blockade, which began on March 2, followed Israel's on-ground military operations "Gideon's Chariots" in the region launched on May 17, aimed at "conquering" Gaza

Israeli strikes kill 85 in Gaza as more aid allowed into territory

Israel pressed ahead Tuesday with its new military offensive in Gaza despite mounting international criticism, launching airstrikes that health officials said killed at least 85 Palestinians. Israeli officials said they also allowed in dozens more trucks carrying aid. Two days after aid began entering Gaza, the desperately needed new supplies have not yet reached people in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months, according to the United Nations. Experts have warned that many of Gaza's 2 million residents are at high risk of famine. Under pressure, Israel agreed this week to allow a minimal amount of aid into the Palestinian territory after preventing the entry of food, medicine and fuel in an attempt to pressure the Hamas militant group. UN spokesperson Stphane Dujarric said that although the aid has entered Gaza, aid workers were not able to bring it to distribution points where it is most needed, after the Israeli military forced them to reload the .

Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 60 people, say officials

Israeli strikes overnight and into Tuesday have killed at least 60 people across the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has launched another major offensive in the territory in recent days, saying it aims to return dozens of hostages held by Hamas and destroy the militant group. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began allowing a small number of aid trucks into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months, saying he had been pressured to lift a blockade on the territory's 2 million Palestinians that had sparked fears of famine. But UN agencies said the handful of trucks that entered were nowhere near enough to meet the massive need for food, medicine and other supplies. Some 600 trucks a day had entered during a ceasefire earlier this year. Two strikes in northern Gaza hit a family home and a school-turned-shelter, killing at least 22 people, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A strike in the ..

UK, France, Canada warn Israel over military action; Netanyahu hits back

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a joint statement, slammed Netanyahu for Israel's expansion of its war

Released Israeli-American hostage finds joy in small things, say parents

For two days after Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander was released from 19 months of captivity in Gaza, he couldn't eat anything. Despite periods of near starvation while being held by Hamas militants, Alexander just didn't have an appetite. Then, his mother, Yael Alexander, put a burger and fries in front of him, and her son dove in. It was one of many joyful moments his family has experienced since learning he would be freed. Hamas portrayed the release of Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, as a gesture to President Donald Trump ahead of his Mideast tour last week, which the militants hoped would revive ceasefire talks. Instead, Israel launched a renewed offensive days later that families of the remaining hostages fear could put their loved ones in grave danger. Alexander's father was somewhat heartened by Israel's announcement Monday that some aid was going into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months. That's the first step forward, so hopefully we'll see

Netanyahu slams UK, France and Canada for opposing military action in Gaza

The UK, France and Canada are threatening concrete actions against Israel, including sanctions, for its activities in Gaza and West Bank. The joint statement on Monday sharply criticizes Israel's decision to allow a limited, basic amount of aid into Gaza after nearly three months of an Israeli blockade wholly inadequate. The statement also calls on Israel to stop its "egregious" new military actions in Gaza and to immediately allow in humanitarian aid. The statement came shortly after Israel and the United Nations said the first few trucks of aid had entered Gaza which the UN humanitarian chief described as a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed. The three countries' statement said they have always supported Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism but called the escalation disproportionate. The statement marked the first significant threat from the UK and France since the start of the 19-month war.

Netanyahu acknowledges pressure from allies in decision to resume Gaza aid

Israel says it will allow 'basic' aid into Gaza after nearly 3 months of blockade

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Deir al-Balah, May 18 (AP) Israel announced on Sunday it will allow a limited amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade, days after global experts on food security warned of famine.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a starvation crisis would jeopardize Israel's new military offensive in Gaza, and his Cabinet approved a decision to allow a basic amount of food into the territory of over 2 million people.

It was not immediately clear when aid would enter Gaza, or how. The Israeli military body in charge of overseeing aid did not comment. Israel has been trying to impose a new aid system, despite objections by aid workers. Netanyahu said Israel would work to ensure that aid does not reach militants.

Israel imposed the blockade starting March 2, c

Aid workers feel helpless as Israel's blockade pushes Gaza towards famine

Two cases pushed nutritionist Rana Soboh to wits' end. First, a woman was rushed to a Gaza emergency room after fainting while she breastfed her newborn. She told Soboh she hadn't eaten in days. The next day at another medical facility, Soboh found a severely malnourished 1-year-old boy weighing 5 kilogramme, less than half what's normal. He hadn't grown any teeth. He was too weak to cry. The mother was also malnourished, a skeleton, covered in skin. When the mother asked for food, Soboh started crying uncontrollably. A feeling of powerlessness has overwhelmed her. Soboh said sometimes she gives a little money or a bit of her own food. But now she, too, is struggling. This is the worst feeling, wanting to help but knowing you can't. I wished the earth would crack open and swallow me, she said. What more cruel scenes does the world need to see? After months of trying to raise alarm, humanitarian workers are overflowing with anger, frustration and horror over Israel's nearly three-m

Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 103, including women, children

Hospitals and medics in the Gaza Strip say Israeli strikes across the Palestinian enclave killed at least 66 people overnight and into Sunday. The hospitals and medics said women and children were among the dead. The bloodshed came as Israel launches an escalation of its war in Gaza, which it says is meant to ramp up pressure on Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Gaza faces famine threat as Israel blocks aid, crisis grows. What to know

The crisis in Gaza has reached one of its darkest periods, as Israel blocks all food and supplies from entering the territory and continues an intensifying bombardment campaign. Humanitarian officials caution that famine threatens to engulf the strip. Doctors say they are out of medicine to treat routine conditions. Israeli leaders are threatening an even more intense ground offensive. The military is preparing for a new organization with U.S. backing to take over aid delivery, despite alarms raised from humanitarian groups that the plans won't meet the massive need and could place restrictions on those eligible. It's unclear when operations would begin or who would fund them. This is the deadliest and most destructive phase of Israel's war on Gaza, yet the world has turned away," said Bushra Khalidi, policy lead for Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory at the humanitarian nonprofit Oxfam. "After 19 months of horror, Gaza has become a place where international law is ...

Microsoft gave AI to Israeli army but denies its use to harm Gaza civilians

Microsoft acknowledged Thursday that it sold advanced artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the war in Gaza and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company also said it has found no evidence to date that its Azure platform and AI technologies were used to target or harm people in Gaza. The unsigned blog post on Microsoft's corporate website appears to be the company's first public acknowledgement of its deep involvement in the war, which started after Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel and has led to the deaths of tens of thousands in Gaza. It comes nearly three months after an investigation by The Associated Press revealed previously unreported details about the American tech giant's close partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, with military use of commercial AI products skyrocketing by nearly 200 times after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The AP reported that the Israeli military use

Over 100 killed in Gaza as Israel hits 130 targets in 48 hours

Israeli strikes kill over 100 Palestinians in Gaza in 48 hours as ceasefire talks stall Netanyahu signals further escalation and aid plan faces global criticism

Israeli strikes kill 82 people in Gaza as Trump wraps up Middle East visit

Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people in Gaza on Friday morning, as US President Donald Trump wraps up his Middle East visit. An Associated Press journalist counted the bodies at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, where they were brought. Survivors said many people were still under the rubble. The widespread attacks across northern Gaza come as Trump finishes his visit to Gulf states but not Israel. There had been widespread hope that Trump's regional visit could usher in a ceasefire deal or renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza. An Israeli blockade of the territory is now in its third month. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes. The strikes lasted hours into Friday morning sending people fleeing from the Jabaliya refugee camp and the town of Beit Lahiya and followed days of similar attacks that killed more than 130 people, according to Gaza's health ministry. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed earlier in the week to push ahead with a

54 people killed in overnight airstrikes on Gaza's Khan Younis city

A hospital in southern Gaza says 54 people have been killed in overnight airstrikes on the city of Khan Younis. An Associated Press cameraman in Khan Younis counted 10 airstrikes on the city overnight into Thursday, and saw numerous bodies taken to the morgue in the city's Nasser Hospital. Some bodies arrived in pieces, with some body bags containing the remains of multiple people. The hospital's morgue confirmed 54 people had been killed. It was the second night of heavy bombing, after airstrikes Wednesday on northern and southern Gaza killed at least 70 people, including almost two dozen children. The strikes come as US President Donald Trump visits the Middle East, visiting Gulf states but not Israel. There had been widespread hope that Trump's regional visit could usher in a ceasefire deal or renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza. An Israeli blockade of the territory is now in its third month.

New US-backed group set to begin aid operations in Gaza within weeks

A new humanitarian organization that has US backing to take over aid delivery to starving civilians in Gaza said Wednesday that it expects to begin operations before the end of the month after what it describes as key agreements from Israeli officials. A statement from the group, called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, identified several US military veterans, former humanitarian coordinators and security contractors that it said would lead the delivery effort. Many in the aid community believe it is meant to supplant the distribution system now run by the UN and other international aid agencies. The foundation failed to address much of the criticism and unanswered questions that the international community has about the group, including who would fund the work and how much involvement the US, Israel or any other government or military would have in controlling life-saving aid for Palestinian civilians. In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, Tom Fletcher, the U.N. ..

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 48, including 22 children, say hospitals

At least 22 children were killed in Gaza overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday in a punishing series of Israeli airstrikes on homes in northern Gaza, according to local hospitals. The strikes killed at least 48 people in total, the Indonesian Hospital in Jabaliya reported. The strikes came a day after Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage in a deal brokered by the United States, and as President Donald Trump was visiting Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no way Israel would halt its war in Gaza, dimming hopes for a ceasefire.

UN humanitarian chief slams Israel for 'deliberately' blocking aid to Gaza

The United Nations' top humanitarian official blasted Israel on Tuesday for deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on Palestinians, including the risk of famine one of the strongest condemnations by a high-ranking U.N. official during the war in Gaza. Tom Fletcher, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, briefed members of the Security Council, describing this work as a grim undertaking since Israel began blocking all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza more than 10 weeks ago. He went as far as saying that the council must act now to prevent genocide. Israel vehemently denied that is taking place. I ask you to reflect for a moment on what action we will tell future generations we each took to stop the 21st century atrocity to which we bear daily witness in Gaza, said Fletcher, a longtime British diplomat who took up the U.N. post in November. It is a question we will hear, sometimes incredulous, sometimes furious but always there

'World's worst hunger crises': WHO warns as 2.1 mn in Gaza face starvation

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that Gaza is already in the grip of a hunger crisis and said that people are starving

Israeli strike on school-turned-shelter kills at least 16 people in Gaza

An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in the Gaza Strip killed at least 16 people early on Monday, mostly women and children, according to local health officials. At least five children and four women were among those killed in the strike on a school in the Jabaliya area, the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service said. It also said that a number of people were wounded. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because its fighters operate in densely populated areas. There was no immediate comment on the latest strike. The attack came as U.S. President Donald Trump is heading to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week. After ending a ceasefire two months ago, Israel is intensifying the war in the Gaza Strip, where its 10-week blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is worsening a humanitarian crisis. Here is the latest: Hamas says it will release last living American hostage in Gaza in a ceasefire ...

Hamas agrees to free last living US hostage in Gaza, says Trump envoy

Hamas said Sunday that the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, will be released as part of efforts to establish a ceasefire, reopen crossings into the Israeli-blockaded territory and resume the delivery of aid. Two Hamas officials told The Associated Press they expect the release in the next 48 hours. US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed late Sunday in a message to AP that Hamas had agreed to release Alexander as a good will gesture toward Trump. The announcement of the first hostage release since Israel shattered a ceasefire in March comes shortly before Trump visits the Middle East this week. It highlighted the willingness of Israel's closest ally to inject momentum into ceasefire talks for the 19-month war as desperation grows among hostages' families and Gaza's over 2 million people under the new Israeli blockade. Alexander is an Israeli-American soldier who grew up in New Jersey. He was abducted from his base during the Oct. 7, 2023, ...