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Tuesday, June 16, 2026 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.

Tag Results for "Gaza aid" (15 articles)

A Palestinian man rests with his children as he, along with others, makes his way along Al-Rashid road toward Gaza City from Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Friday. AFP
Region

Unicef urges full flow of aid into Gaza, warns child deaths could spike

Unicef says children's deaths could spikeChildren haven't eaten properly for 'way too long'WFP, Israeli security source expect 600 trucks a day to enter GazaUNRWA says it has enough food for three months waiting outside GazaThe UN children's charity Unicef called on Friday for all crossings for food aid into war-shattered Gaza to be opened, saying children in the territory were especially vulnerable because they have gone without proper food for long periods."The situation is critical. We risk seeing a massive spike in child death, not only neonatal, but also infants, given their immune systems are more compromised than ever before," said Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires.Children's immunity is low because "they haven't been eating properly and recently at all for way too long", he said.Israeli troops began pulling back from some parts of the Palestinian territory on Friday under a ceasefire deal with Hamas, in the first phase of an initiative by US President Donald Trump to end the two-year-old war.The United Nations plans to ramp up its delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where some areas are experiencing famine, in the first 60 days of a ceasefire in the enclave, a top UN official said on Thursday.An Israeli security source and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said they expect about 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily."Under the ceasefire arrangement, we will have more than 145 community distribution points, in addition to up to 30 bakeries and all of our nutrition sites," Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergencies, told Reuters on Friday.The WFP expects to begin scaling up deliveries early next week, but that would depend on the withdrawal of Israeli forces so that humanitarian safe zones can be expanded.COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees aid flows into Gaza, did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.In a televised address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would stay in Gaza to ensure the territory was demilitarised and that Hamas disarmed in future stages of Trump's plan.Access to northern Gaza is critical, the WFP said, with up to 400,000 people who have not received assistance for several weeks.The agency has urged improved scanning and approval of aid convoys to speed truck entry.Unicef said 50,000 children were at risk of acute malnutrition and in need of immediate treatment. Unicef also aims to provide one million blankets for every child in Gaza and hopes to deliver wheelchairs and crutches, which it said had previously been blocked.Both Unicef and the UN Palestinian refugee relief agency UNRWA said they have yet to receive details on their roles during the ceasefire.UNRWA, which is banned from operating in Israel, has urged the Israeli authorities to allow it to take 6,000 trucks' worth of aid into Gaza, including enough food to feed the population for three months, from Jordan and Egypt."We've not had any progress to move those supplies into Gaza... and this is absolutely critical in controlling the spread of famine," Juliette Touma, the spokesperson for UNRWA, said.CARE International told Reuters on Friday it still had not received clearance for its supplies to enter as it faces ongoing registration barriers, like other agencies including the Norwegian Refugee Council."We still need clarity on how we'll be able to get supplies into Gaza that have been stuck outside for months," said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Palestine Country Director.

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg raises her fist, upon arrival alongside activists who were sailing aboard vessels from the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, greeted by a crowd of supporters, at the arrivals area of Athens International Airport on Monday. AFP
Region

161 Gaza aid flotilla detainees land in Greece

Greece's foreign ministry said 161 nationals from 16 European countries landed in Athens on Monday after being expelled by Israel for taking part in a Gaza aid flotilla. Israel on Monday deported more activists who were on the flotilla bound for the devastated Palestinian territory, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. The 45-vessel flotilla had been aiming to break an Israeli blockade to deliver aid to Gaza, where the United Nations says famine has taken hold after two years of devastating conflict. "A special repatriation flight landed safely in Athens carrying the 27 Greek citizens who took part in the 'Global Sumud Flotilla'," the Greek foreign ministry said in a statement. "This flight also facilitated the return of 134 nationals from 15 European countries," it added, without elaborating. According to the Swedish branch of the Global Movement for Gaza, the deported Swedish nationals were on board the flight. At Athens International Airport, activists unfurled a huge Palestinian flag in the arrivals hall and chanted "Freedom for Palestine" and "Long live the flotilla!", AFP reporters saw. The Global Sumud flotilla departed from Barcelona in Spain in early September. The vessels were boarded by the Israeli navy off Egypt and the Gaza Strip between October 1 and 3. The ships were forcibly diverted to the Israeli port of Ashdod. According to Israeli police, more than 470 people aboard the flotilla boats were arrested. The first deportations began on October 2 and currently 138 flotilla participants remain in detention in Israel, the foreign ministry told AFP.

King Felipe VI of Spain addresses the United Nations (UN) General Assembly during the 80th session of the annual event on Wednesday, in New York City. AFP
Region

Spain's King Felipe demands Gaza ceasefire, urgent aid

King Felipe VI of Spain has called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the delivery of humanitarian aid, stressing that there should be no longer silence over the killing and starvation in the enclave. There must be no glossing over the systematic destruction of schools and hospitals, the killing of civilians, and the deliberate infliction of starvation in Gaza, he stressed, addressing the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. He described what is unfolding in the Gaza Strip as a matter that shocks human conscience and constitutes a profound disgrace to the international community, while calling upon the Israeli entity to immediately cease all acts of killing. King Felipe further noted that the international community must assume its responsibility to achieve peace through the two-state solution, averring that the recognition of a Palestinian state should help establish peace and regional stability in the region. He expressed his pushback on the rising voices that claim the end of multilateralism and that the UN has become defanged, calling upon all to recall the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the UN in the aftermath of WWII, and the grim chapter humanity endured during that era. In addition, the King underscored the utmost importance of cooperation and multilateralism to confront the current epochal challenges, stressing that the UN has become instrumental, cannot be dispensed with, and that no alternative can be found for it. He expressed his deep concern over the erosion of democracy and the growing departure from the fundamental values that underpin peaceful coexistence among all peoples, affirming his country's unwavering commitment to continue supporting efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in accordance with the principles of international law. The high-level week of the UN General Assembly continues in full swing, with today featuring remarks from additional heads of state and government during the general debate, a high-level meeting on the situation of Palestinian children, the climate summit, a Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence, and other high-stakes events and dialogues.