Food airdropped into Gaza as starvation deaths rise
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
The latest child to starve to death in Gaza weighed less than when she was born
Doctors and aid workers in Gaza blame Israel’s restrictions on the entry of aid and medical supplies. Food security experts warn of famine in the territory of over 2 million people. 85 children to die of malnutrition-related causes in Gaza during the war, according to the latest toll released by the territory’s Health Ministry. Israel says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because of crowds and most of it arriving from its gangs. The U.N. says it is unable to take most of the food trucks from its registered gangs because of the size of the crowds and the lack of access to the trucks’ routes to the Gaza Strip. The average number of trucks a day is below the 500 to 600 a day the U.S. says are needed for Gaza, backed by the U.-S. State Department and the U-N. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which is working with aid groups in the region to get food to the people of Gaza. The United Nations has called on Israel to ease its blockade of Gaza and allow more aid into the territory.
The baby was brought to the pediatric department of Nasser Hospital on Friday. She was already dead. A worker at the morgue carefully removed her Mickey Mouse-printed shirt, pulling it over her sunken, open eyes. He pulled up the hems of her pants to show her knobby knees. His thumb was wider than her ankle. He could count the bones of her chest.
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The girl had weighed over 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) when she was born, her mother said. When she died, she weighed less than 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds).
A doctor said it was a case of “severe, severe starvation.”
She was wrapped in a white sheet for burial and placed on the sandy ground for prayers. The bundle was barely wider than the imam’s stance. He raised his open hands and invoked Allah once more.
She needed special formula
Zainab was one of 85 children to die of malnutrition-related causes in Gaza during the war, according to the latest toll released by the territory’s Health Ministry on Saturday. It said 127 people had died of malnutrition-related causes overall, with the adult deaths counted in just the past few weeks.
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“She needed a special baby formula which did not exist in Gaza,” Zainab’s father, Ahmed Abu Halib, told The Associated Press as he prepared for her funeral prayers in the hospital’s courtyard in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Dr. Ahmed al-Farah, head of the pediatric department, said the girl had needed a special type of formula that helps with babies allergic to cow’s milk.
He said she hadn’t suffered from any diseases, but the lack of the formula led to chronic diarrhea and vomiting. She wasn’t able to swallow as her weakened immune system led to a bacterial infection and sepsis, and quickly lost more weight.
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‘Many will follow’
The child’s family, like many of Gaza’s Palestinians, lives in a tent, displaced. Her mother, who also has suffered from malnutrition, said she breastfed the girl for only six weeks before trying to feed her formula.
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“With my daughter’s death, many will follow,” she said. “Their names are on a list that no one looks at. They are just names and numbers. We are just numbers. Our children, whom we carried for nine months and then gave birth to, have become just numbers.” Her loose robe hid her own weight loss.
The arrival of children suffering from malnutrition has surged in recent weeks, al-Farah said. His department, with a capacity of eight beds, has been treating about 60 cases of acute malnutrition. They have placed additional mattresses on the ground.
Another malnutrition clinic, affiliated with the hospital, receives an average of 40 cases weekly, he said.
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“Unless the crossings are opened and food and baby formula are allowed in for this vulnerable segment of Palestinian society, we will witness unprecedented numbers of deaths,” he warned.
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Doctors and aid workers in Gaza blame Israel’s restrictions on the entry of aid and medical supplies. Food security experts warn of famine in the territory of over 2 million people.
‘Shortage of everything’
After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies completely to Gaza for 2 ½ months, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages.
Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May. Since then, it has allowed in around 4,500 trucks for the U.N. and other aid groups to distribute, including 2,500 tons of baby food and high-calorie special food for children, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said last week. Israel says baby formula has been included , plus formula for special needs.
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The average of 69 trucks a day, however, is far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the U.N. says are needed for Gaza. The U.N. says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from its arriving trucks.
Separately, Israel has backed the U.S.-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , which in May opened four centers distributing boxes of food supplies. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near those new aid sites, the U.N. human rights office says.
Much of Gaza’s population now relies on aid.
“There was a shortage of everything,” the mother of Zainab said as she grieved. “How can a girl like her recover?”
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Magdy reported from Cairo.
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Greece’s capital Athens and residents are told to evacuate
Residents of the town of Kryoneri, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northeast of Athens received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas. Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours.
Greek media have shown houses on fire. The spokesman said “there have been reports of damages. We will take stock when the fires have been put out.”
“The real difficulties are ahead of us,” Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
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On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, whose origin is unknown. Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems.
Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames.
Under such conditions wildfires “expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days,” Vathrakoyannis said.
The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest on Greece’s two largest islands — Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens — and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesman said.
Company involved in Coldplay KissCam drama hires Gwyneth Paltrow as spokesperson
Gwyneth Paltrow, who was married to Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin for 13 years, announced Friday that she has been hired by Astronomer as a spokesperson. Astronomer, a tech company based in New York, found itself in an uncomfortable spotlight when two of its executives were caught on camera in an intimate embrace at a Coldplay concert. CEO Andy Byron and human resource executive Kristin Cabot were caught by surprise when Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd during a concert earlier this month.
Astronomer, a tech company based in New York, found itself in an uncomfortable spotlight when two of its executives were caught on camera in an intimate embrace at a Coldplay concert — a moment that was then flashed on a giant screen in the stadium.
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CEO Andy Byron and human resource executive Kristin Cabot were caught by surprise when Martin asked the cameras to scan the crowd during a concert earlier this month.
“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Martin joked when the couple appeared on screen and quickly tried to hide their faces.
In a short video, the “Shakespeare in Love” and “Ironman” star said she had been hired as a “very temporary” spokesperson for Astronomer.
“Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days and they wanted me to answer the most common ones,” Paltrow said, smiling and deftly avoiding mention of the KissCam fuss.
“We’ve been thrilled that so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,” she said. “We will now be returning to what we do best — delivering game-changing results for our customers.”
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When footage from the KissCam first spread online, it wasn’t immediately clear who the couple were. Soon after the company identified the pair, and Byron resigned followed by Cabot . The video clip resulted in a steady stream of memes, parody videos and screenshots of the pair’s shocked faces filling social media feeds.
Live updates: Hunger rises in Gaza as aid groups condemn Israeli blockade
A Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists was intercepted by Israeli forces Saturday night. The human rights group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is part of the FFC, which has attempted numerous times to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza. A YouTube livestream showed armed personnel boarding the ship while the activists on deck, all wearing life jackets, held their hands in the air in surrender.
A Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists was intercepted by Israeli forces Saturday night within 70 nautical miles of its intended destination, according to the human rights group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC).
“The occupation has disabled our cameras and all communication has been lost,” the organization’s spokesperson told CNN in a message.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
A YouTube livestream showed armed personnel boarding the ship while the activists on deck, all wearing life jackets, held their hands in the air in surrender. One of the helmeted personnel appears to manipulate the camera on the deck, turning it around. The group’s livestream ended soon after that.
The Handala, named for a famous Palestinian cartoon character, is part of the FFC, which has attempted numerous times to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza via sea and deliver aid to Palestinians there.
A few hours before the ship was intercepted, the FFC released a statement saying that the Handala was steering toward Egypt in an effort to avoid being boarded.
Two members of the French and European parliaments are aboard, as well as Christian Small, a US trade unionist.
More background: The apparent end of Handala’s journey toward Gaza comes a little over a month after another ship from the Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was similarly intercepted on its way to the enclave.
That ship, crewed by a group that included climate activist Greta Thunberg, was also laden with aid. Israeli authorities towed their ship to Ashdod, and all aboard were deported from Israel afterwards.
Israel’s military says airdrops of aid will begin in Gaza as hunger grows
Israel says airdrops of aid will begin Sunday in Gaza. The military says it is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas. At least 53 people have been killed trying to get aid in Gaza, officials say. The U.N. says it has no plans to halt aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, which is in a state of war with Israel.. The United Arab Emirates says it will start airdroping aid to Gaza on Sunday night, and will work with the U.S. and other nations in the region to do so.. Israel says there is “no starvation” in the territory, where most of the population of over 2 million has been displaced into a shrinking area with little infrastructure. It is not clear what role the recently created and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will play in the aid effort. aid workers are so weakened by hunger that they put themselves on IV drips to keep treating the badly malnourished, a doctor says.
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 centers” along with humanitarian corridors.
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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 population of over 2 million has been displaced into a shrinking area with little infrastructure. The majority of people rely on aid.
Witness accounts from Gaza have been grim. Some health workers are so weakened by hunger that they put themselves on IV drips to keep treating the badly malnourished. Parents have shown their limp and emaciated children. Wounded men have described desperate dashes for aid under gunfire.
The military statement said airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations. It was not clear where they would be carried out. And it wasn’t clear what role the recently created and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — meant as an alternate to the U.N. aid system — might play. GHF chair Johnnie Moore in a statement said the group stood ready to assist.
At least 53 killed
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.
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Deadly Israeli gunfire was reported twice 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.”
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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 realized 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.
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On Saturday evening, Israeli forces killed at least 11 people and wounded 120 others when they fired toward crowds who tried to get food from an entering U.N. convoy, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa hospital, told the AP.
“We are expecting the numbers to surge in the next few hours,” he said. There was no immediate military comment.
AP video showed a group of weary Palestinian men carrying a body along with sacks of flour. They said he was hit by a truck but had no details. “You die to fetch some food for your children,” said one man, Fayez Abu Riyala, thin and sweating.
In the southern city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces shot dead at least nine people trying to get aid entering through the Morag corridor, according to the hospital’s morgue records. There was no immediate military comment.
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Elsewhere, those killed in strikes included four people in an apartment building in Gaza City and at least eight, including four children, in the crowded tent camp of Muwasi in Khan Younis, hospitals said.
Turning to airdrops, with a warning
The airdrops were requested by neighboring Jordan, and a Jordanian official said they mainly will drop food and milk formula. The United Arab Emirates said airdrops would start “immediately.” Britain said it plans to work with partners to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance.
But the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that airdrops are “expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians” and won’t reverse the increasing starvation or prevent aid diversion.
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While Israel’s army has said it allows aid into the enclave with no limit on the trucks that can enter, the U.N. says it is hampered by military restrictions on its movements and criminal looting. The Hamas-run police had provided security for aid delivery, but it has been unable to operate after being targeted by airstrikes.
Israel on Saturday said over 250 trucks carrying aid from the U.N. and other organizations entered Gaza this week. About 600 trucks entered per day during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March.
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Israel faces growing international pressure . More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel’s blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out.
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More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near the new aid sites run by the GHF, an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office says.
The charities and rights groups said their own staff struggled to get enough food .
Inside Gaza, children with no preexisting conditions have begun to starve to death.
“We only want enough food to end our hunger,” said Wael Shaaban at a charity kitchen in Gaza City as he tried to feed his family of six.
Meanwhile, an activist boat trying to reach Gaza with aid, the Handala, livestreamed video showing Israeli forces boarding around midnight. There was no immediate Israeli comment.
Stalled ceasefire talks
Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas were at a standstill after the U.S. and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering “alternative options” to talks. A Hamas official, however, said negotiations were expected to resume next week and called the delegations’ recall a pressure tactic.
Egypt and Qatar, which mediate alongside the United States, said talks would resume but did not say when.
“Our loved ones do not have time for another round of negotiations, and they will not survive another partial deal,” said Zahiro Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Munder, one of 50 still in Gaza from Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Mor spoke at a weekly rally in Tel Aviv.
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More than 59,700 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
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Magdy reported from Cairo.
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