Israel-Gaza warfare: US-backed help group begins operations regardless of UN objections

Hundreds of Israelis on Monday joined a state-funded march by the Muslim quarter of the Outdated Metropolis in Jerusalem, the place massive teams chanted racist slogans together with “Gaza is ours”, “death to the Arabs” and “may their villages burn”.

The annual march, paid for and promoted by the Jerusalem metropolis authorities, celebrates Israel’s seize and occupation of East Jerusalem and its holy websites within the warfare of 1967. The Israeli takeover isn’t recognised internationally.

The Jerusalem municipality advertises the occasion, generally known as the flag march, as a “festive procession”, a part of a broader programme of occasions celebrating the “liberation” of town.

The march has been marred by racism and assaults on Palestinians for years, and is preceded by a marketing campaign of violence within the Outdated Metropolis that in impact shuts down Palestinian majority areas, notably within the Muslim Quarter.

You may learn the complete story by my colleagues Emma Graham-Harrison and Quique Kierszenbaum right here:

French-speaking writers together with Alice Zeniter, Leïla Slimani, JMG Le Clézio, Virginie Despentes and Mohamed Mbougar Sarr are among the many 300 signatories to an open letter printed in French newspaper Libération that requires sanctions towards Israel for its “genocide” in Gaza. The headline reads: “We can no longer be satisfied with the word ‘horror’; today we must name the ‘genocide’ in Gaza”.

The writers are additionally calling for a direct ceasefire and the discharge of the remaining Israeli hostages held in captivity by Hamas (believed to be 58). Right here is an extract:

Since Israel broke a ceasefire that was presupposed to result in an finish to the warfare and the discharge of the hostages, the assault on Gaza has resumed with redoubled brutality.

Now, repeated public statements from main figures comparable to Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir brazenly categorical genocidal intentions.

The time period “genocide” to explain what is going on in Gaza is not a matter of debate for a lot of worldwide legal professionals and human rights organizations: the Worldwide Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Amnesty Worldwide, Medical doctors With out Borders, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations Human Rights Council, UN rapporteurs, and plenty of different specialists and historians…

Our collective duty is engaged. We, French-speaking writers have waited too lengthy to talk with one voice. A few of us have already signed op-eds and petitions, written, voted, and demonstrated. Right this moment, we communicate out within the identify of our career—to talk out about our personal.

Unrwa has been the most important distributor of help in Gaza and has supplied training, well being and different fundamental companies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees throughout the area.

However an Israeli ban on the company in Gaza and the occupied West Financial institution took impact earlier this 12 months after Israel accused it of being infiltrated by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group. Unrwa denies this declare.

Palestinian Unrwa personnel in Gaza proceed to offer companies and help to the civilian inhabitants and workers do the identical within the occupied West Financial institution, together with East Jerusalem.

The UN company for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, has stated that because of fixed Israeli bombardment and the navy’s ongoing assault on Gaza solely 6 out of twenty-two of the company’s well being centres stay operational.

Unrwa stated “essential medical supplies are critically low” regardless of Israel’s easing of its blockade and referred to as for the “unhindered access to deliver lifesaving aid”.

In a put up on X, the company wrote:

Unrwa has delivered over 8.5 million medical consultations in Gaza for the reason that warfare started in October 2023. These embrace maternal well being, psychological well being, and rehabilitation companies.

Because of the ongoing warfare and fixed bombardment, solely 6 out of twenty-two Unrwa well being centres stay operational, supported by 37 medical factors positioned each inside and out of doors shelters.

We’re persevering with our stay protection of the newest developments within the Center East, with a selected deal with Israel’s warfare on Gaza.

A US-backed basis tasked with supplying help to Gaza stated it had begun operations on Monday, delivering truckloads of meals to designated distribution websites a day after its government director resigned as a result of the operation couldn’t fulfil its mission in a means that adhered to “humanitarian principles”.

The help plan, which has been endorsed by Israel however rejected by the UN, unfolded amid uncertainty about whether or not any help had truly reached civilians.

Palestinians reported no signal of help deliveries earlier on Monday, however the Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF) later stated truckloads of meals – it didn’t say what number of – had been delivered to its hubs, and distribution had begun. It was not clear the place the hubs had been positioned or how these receiving provides had been chosen.

The GHF is taking up the dealing with of help regardless of objections from the UN. The brand new help plan has been described as unworkable, harmful and probably illegal by help companies as a result of it may result in the compelled mass switch of populations.

Below the GHF plan, Palestinians, a lot of whom have been injured by Israeli airstrikes or exhausted from continuously shifting in response to evacuation threats, would acquire help packing containers weighing as much as 20kg (44lbs) from 4 distribution factors in southern Gaza.

The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, stated it might power additional displacement and make “starvation a bargaining chip”.

On Sunday the GHF’s head, Jake Wooden, resigned, saying it had grow to be clear the muse wouldn’t be allowed to function independently.

The organisation couldn’t adhere “to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” Wooden stated as he referred to as for Israel to permit the entry of extra help. You may learn extra on this story right here.

Israel imposed its whole help blockade in early March, chopping off all provides together with meals, drugs, shelter and gas in what has been extensively condemned because the collective punishment of the civilian inhabitants in Gaza.

Israel claimed the blockade was to stress Hamas into releasing hostages, however in impact it left a lot of the 2.1 million Palestinians within the territory on the point of hunger, with drugs and gas provides exhausted.

In another developments:

• No less than 81 individuals have been killed in Israeli assaults throughout Gaza since early Monday, together with 53 in Gaza Metropolis, Al Jazeera is reporting, citing medical sources.

• The Israeli navy stated this morning it had intercepted a missile and a projectile in separate launches from Yemen towards Israel. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have recurrently launched assaults they are saying are in response to Israel’s assault on Gaza.

• The UN company for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, stated Israel’s compelled displacement of Palestinian individuals is treating Gaza’s inhabitants “like pinballs”. “In Gaza, people continue to be treated like pinballs forced to flee in search of safety that doesn’t exist,” the company stated in a put up on X. “With nearly 20 months of war, people are exhausted, disoriented, grieving, and constantly in fear.”