Israel Uses Hunger as a Weapon
CrossFireArabia- November 10, 2024
Israel has used hunger as a weapon, depriving people in Gaza of basic necessities, including food needed for survival, according to Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini.
Forgotten Famine of Gaza
- CrossFireArabia
- November 4, 2024
Since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation has imposed a severe blockade, preventing the entry of humanitarian supplies and essential food, leaving more than 2.5 million Palestinians facing the threat of famine and malnutrition.
Israel reduced the daily number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into the Gaza Strip to just 30 in October, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Monday.
“This is the lowest in a long time, bringing the assistance back to the level of the beginning of the war,” Philippe Lazzarini said on X.
Since the outbreak of hostilities on Oct. 7, Israel has maintained strict closures on Gaza’s crossings, limiting essential goods and imposing significant restrictions on humanitarian aid, creating severe living conditions.
Lazzarini emphasized that these 30 daily trucks “cannot meet the needs of over 2 million people, many of whom are starving, sick, and in desperate conditions.”
He noted that these trucks “represent only 6% of the supplies (commercial and humanitarian) allowed into Gaza before the war,” according to Anadolu.
Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack last year by Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
Nearly 43,400 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 102,200 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
Mindless Israel Bans UNRWA in Palestine
- CrossFireArabia
- October 29, 2024
The WHO chief has warned that the Israeli ban against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) will have “devastating consequences” as the agency is an “irreplaceable lifeline.”
“UNRWA is an irreplaceable lifeline to the Palestinian people. And it has been for the past seven decades,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said late Monday on X.
“Today’s decision by the Israeli parliament barring UNRWA from its life-saving and health-protecting work on behalf of millions of Palestinians will have devastating consequences. This is intolerable,” Tedros said according to Anadolu.
He stressed that it contravenes Israel’s obligations and responsibilities, and threatens the lives and health of all those who depend on UNRWA.
Despite objections from around the world, Israeli lawmakers passed on Monday the bill 92-10, banning UNRWA from working in Israel and occupied territories.
Israel has accused UNRWA employees of complicity in the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Hamas. UNRWA, however, denies the accusations.
Since then, Israel has killed more than 43,000 people in Gaza and created famine-like conditions across the blockaded territory.
The law, to take effect within three months, would end contact between UNRWA and Israeli officials, preventing the agency from providing life-saving support to Palestinians across Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The agency was established by the General Assembly in December 1949 to carry out relief and works programs for Palestine refugees. It began its operations on May 1, 1950.
10 People Killed in School Bombing in Jabalia
- CrossFireArabia
- October 22, 2024
At least 10 civilians were killed and 30 others were injured today as a result of the Israeli occupation artillery shelling of the Jabalia Preparatory School, which houses displaced people in Jabalia Camp, north of the Gaza Strip.
Local sources said medical teams recovered the bodies of at least 10 slain Palestinians and a number of wounded in Israeli artillery shelling of Jabalia Preparatory School in the Al-Fawqa area schools square, which is a UNRWA shelter for displaced people in Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip.
Medical sources indicated that 57 citizens were killed in the occupation raids on the Gaza Strip since dawn today, 44 of them in the north of the Strip.
The occupation is adopting a policy of starvation and exhaustion in Jabalia, and that some families that the crews reached had not eaten for five days.
In turn, UNRWA reported that every minute counts and the delay in allowing entry into northern Gaza means that rescue teams are unable to reach the wounded according to WAFA.
Story of The Paramedic Killed by Israel
- CrossFireArabia
- October 22, 2024
Israeli forces targeted and killed a health care worker who was en route to assist wounded Palestinians in northern Gaza, an area under tight siege and heavy bombardment where evacuations have not been allowed.
Due to the severe blockade imposed by Israel, rescue teams in northern Gaza struggle to reach devastated areas, leaving the injured unable to be evacuated.
On Oct. 15, Israeli warplanes bombed the home of the Al-Sayyid family in the Bi’r al-Naja neighborhood west of Jabalia in northern Gaza.
Ambulances and civil defense teams could not reach the family’s home due to Israeli attacks and obstructions. On that day, Ahmed al-Najjar, a 33-year-old Palestinian paramedic who was known for his bravery and dedication, set out to rescue the wounded. But before he could arrive, he was killed in a targeted drone strike in the Al-Faluja neighborhood of Jabalia.
Aiding those in need
Al-Najjar’s relatives and friends said that he refused to heed Israeli evacuation warnings, continuing his duties under intense bombardment and repeatedly risking his life to help the wounded. His friend Ghazi al-Majdalani told Anadolu that al-Najjar was known for his courage and dedication, working tirelessly to assist the injured until the very end.
“Ahmed was a truly good person and a role model. He never listened to Israel’s calls to evacuate the north, feeling a deep responsibility toward the injured and sick,” al-Majdalani said.
Al-Najjar not only provided medical care but also documented Israeli attacks. He shared photos and videos with journalists to highlight the atrocities and make them known to a broader audience.
Hero until the last moment
Ahmed’s brother, Khalil al-Najjar, described him as a compassionate and exemplary individual who loved helping those in need. Even when his wife and children moved south due to intensified air and ground assaults, Ahmed chose to stay in the north to assist the wounded.
Khalil emphasized that his brother worked tirelessly to prevent infections among the injured since the beginning of the attacks, saying Ahmed risked his life until the very last moment to save others.
Ahmed was well-loved by the community in the Jabalia refugee camp, and his death was described as a significant loss for everyone there. Before his death, he had shared his phone number on social media, urging those trapped in the north to contact him if they needed emergency medical help, as Israeli forces often blocked rescue teams from reaching disaster sites.
Ahmed al-Kahlout, the director of civil defense in northern Gaza, expressed his condolences on social media.
“May God have mercy on you, kind-hearted Ahmed. You had no fear of death as you saved people from between tanks and danger. May your efforts be accepted and your good deeds fill the scales in your favor,” he said.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal also confirmed that Israeli forces blocked access to areas where the injured needed evacuation. Additionally, Inas Hamdan, acting director of the Gaza Media Office of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said that Israel denied requests to pull people from under the rubble in northern Gaza.
“We have warned over the past two weeks about the worsening siege in northern Gaza and the Jabalia refugee camp. The situation is becoming increasingly dire. Israel’s ongoing military operations in northern Gaza put tens of thousands of civilians at immense risk,” Hamdan said.
