Page 20 - Israel-palestine

New aid system in Gaza begins operations, says US-backed group

A new aid system in Gaza opened its first distribution hubs Monday, according to a US-backed group that said it began delivering food to Palestinians who face growing hunger after Israel's nearly three-month blockade to pressure Hamas. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is taking over the handling of aid despite objections from United Nations. The desperately needed supplies started flowing on a day that saw Israeli strikes kill at least 52 people in Gaza. The group said truckloads of food -- it did not say how many -- had been delivered to its hubs, and distribution to Palestinians had begun. More trucks with aid will be delivered tomorrow, with the flow of aid increasing each day, it said in a statement. The UN and aid groups have pushed back against the new system, which is backed by Israel and the United States. They assert that Israel is trying to use food as a weapon and say a new system won't be effective. Israel has pushed for an alternative aid delivery plan because it says

US-German citizen arrested for attempted attack at US embassy in Tel Aviv

A dual US-German citizen has been arrested on charges that he travelled to Israel and attempted to firebomb the branch office of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, officials said on Sunday. Federal prosecutors in New York said the man, Joseph Neumeyer, walked up to the embassy building on May 19 with a backpack containing Molotov cocktails but got into a confrontation with a guard and eventually ran away, dropping his backpack as the guard tried to grab him. Law enforcement then tracked Neumeyer down to a hotel a few blocks away from the embassy and arrested him, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. The attack took place against the backdrop of Israel's war in Gaza, now in its 19th month. Neumeyer, 28, who is originally from Colorado and has dual US and German citizenship, had travelled from the US to Canada in early February and then arrived in Israel in late April, according to court records. He had made a series of threatening social media posts

'Free Palestine' shooter charged with murder of Israeli embassy staff in DC

A suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, has been arrested in connection to the 2 Israeli Embassy staff members who were shot dead outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC

Netanyahu shocked by 'horrific, antisemitic' DC shooting of embassy staff

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's office said Thursday he is shocked by the horrific, antisemitic shooting of two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington. We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel. The blood libels against Israel are costing blood and must be combatted to the bitter end, he said in the statement. Netanyahu said he had instructed Israeli missions around the world to beef up security. Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, Free, free Palestine after he was arrested, police said. The two victims, a man and a woman, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.

Israeli politician critiques Gaza war's toll on Palestinians, sparks outcry

Killing babies as a hobby. Expelling a population. Fighting against civilians. It is some of the harshest language against Israel's wartime conduct in Gaza and it came this week from a prominent Israeli politician, sparking a domestic uproar as the country faces heavy international criticism. It is not uncommon for politicians to criticise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war strategy, especially his failure to free all the hostages held by Hamas. What made the comments by centre-left opposition party leader Yair Golan rare and jarring to officials across the political spectrum -- was their focus on the plight of Palestinians. The ensuing controversy underscored how little the war's toll on Gaza's civilians has figured into the public discourse in Israel in stark contrast to the rest of the world. Speaking to the Israeli public radio station Reshet Bet, Golan a former general said Israel was becoming a pariah state and cautioned that a sane country doesn't engage in fighting

Pope Leo XIV urges aid in Gaza, end to hostilities in first public address

Pope Leo XIV called Wednesday for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip and for an end to the heartbreaking toll on its people, as he presided over his first general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Vatican said that around 40,000 people were on hand for the audience, which came just days after an estimated 200,000 people attended the inaugural Mass on Sunday for history's first American pope. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, began the audience with a tour through the piazza in the popemobile and stopped to bless several babies. In addressing specific greetings to different groups of pilgrims, Leo spoke in his native English, his fluent Spanish as well as the traditional Italian of the papacy. I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entrance of dignified humanitarian aid to Gaza and to put an end to the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is being paid by children, the elderly and sick people, he said. The general audience on Wednesdays is a weekly ...

Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead near Jewish museum in Washington

Two Israeli embassy staff were shot and killed near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, in what officials are calling an anti-Semitic terror attack

No aid that entered Gaza this week has reached Palestinians, says UN

The UN said Wednesday it was trying to get the desperately needed aid that has entered Gaza this week into the hands of Palestinians amid delays because of fears of looting and Israeli military restrictions. Israeli strikes pounded the territory, killing at least 82 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Under international pressure, Israel has allowed dozens of aid trucks into Gaza after blocking all food, medicine, fuel and other material for nearly three months. But the supplies have been sitting on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, and the UN has been unable to bring them in further to distribute. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the majority of supplies that had entered since Monday had been loaded onto UN trucks, but they could not take them out of the crossing area. He said the road that the Israeli military had given them permission to use was too unsafe. Talks were underway for an alternative, he said. Food security experts have warned that Ga

Israeli allies unleash strong rhetoric over Gaza but with limited action

Three allies of Israel used words like abhorrent and monstrous this week to describe the country's actions in Gaza. The leaders of Britain, France and Canada consistent defenders of Israel's right to strike back at Hamas after its October 2023 attack now express dismay at the high civilian death toll in Gaza and the monthslong blockade of supplies that has led to famine warnings. While their rhetoric is remarkably strong, it does not mean tough action will follow. What did France, Britain and Canada say? UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Israel's renewed Gaza offensive after a two-month ceasefire wholly disproportionate. They threatened to take concrete actions if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government doesn't halt the offensive and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. They condemned as abhorrent some of the language used by members of the Israeli government suggesting the destruction of Gaz

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 to allow entry of aids into Gaza after pressure from allies

Meanwhile, a UN official states that 20 aid trucks, primarily carrying food, are expected to enter the Gaza Strip on Monday

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.

Israel launches new operation in Gaza to pressure Hamas over hostages

Israel said Saturday that it has launched a major operation in the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages, following days of strikes across the Palestinian territory that killed hundreds of people. Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Operation Gideon Chariots was being led with great force. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to escalate pressure with the aim of destroying the militant group that has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades. The military operation came a day after US President Donald Trump concluded his Middle East trip without a visit to Israel. There had been hope that Trump's trip could increase the chances of a ceasefire deal or the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has prevented for more than two months. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas have yet to achieve progress in Qatar's capital, Doha. Hamas, which released an Israeli-American hostage as a goodwill gesture before Trump's trip, insists on a deal that ends the