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HE President of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) Yousef bin Ali Al Khater affirmed that the Gaza Strip has been at the top of the QRCS's humanitarian priorities since the outbreak of the war, due to the severe humanitarian conditions there. HE explained that QRCS has implemented more than 50 projects with a total value exceeding QR200mn, benefiting around 1.7mn people across several humanitarian sectors, including food, shelter, and water. In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE Al Khater said that QRCS has launched three dedicated campaigns for Gaza: the "Fidak Palestine” campaign, which was an emergency response appeal; the "Gaza Abiyya” campaign, launched in response to developments on the ground and the worsening humanitarian situation marked by increased displacement, food shortages, and deteriorating health conditions; and most recently, the "Life for Gaza” campaign, which was launched at the end of July 2025 and remains ongoing. HE pointed out that these campaigns coincide with QRCS's seasonal initiatives, such as the Ramadan Campaign, Warm Winter Campaign, and Adahi Campaign, in which Gaza is given top priority in project funding and implementation due to the immense humanitarian needs there. Regarding the main challenges and obstacles that have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Al Khater emphasised that QRCS office in Gaza has continued its work and managed to reach beneficiaries despite difficult circumstances and the repeated displacement of its staff. Even during prolonged border closures, the office maintained aid distribution in coordination and cooperation with official Qatari authorities and several international organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO), and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), he added. He underlined that implementation methods and types of interventions were diversified between delivering aid from outside Gaza and implementing some projects within the Strip. As for the humanitarian interventions that entered Gaza despite the ongoing siege, Al Khater noted that QRCS carried them out in full co-ordination with the relevant Qatari authorities, with all aid delivered under the title "Qatar Aid." He recalled that, at the start of the war, an air bridge was established between Doha and Al-Arish in the Arab Republic of Egypt to transport aid and evacuate patients and the wounded for treatment in Qatari hospitals. Additionally, warehouses were prepared in Al-Arish to receive and store aid until it could be transferred into Gaza, he added. Regarding the aids delivered through Jordan, he said that an agreement was reached with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation to utilize its logistical capacities to receive and deliver aid into Gaza. On medical interventions since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, Al Khater explained that these included the supply of medicines and medical consumables, a field hospital, ambulances, medical equipment and tools, contracting with specialist surgeons to perform complex surgeries, as well as the deployment of a medical team from outside Gaza and medical evacuation to Qatar for patients and the injured. Regarding prominent future projects that Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) intends to implement in 2026, Al Khater said that the focus will be on recovery and rehabilitation activities and development projects in the Gaza Strip, continuous readiness to provide urgent humanitarian response to various crises, strengthening international and local partnerships, humanitarian advocacy in international forums, and establishing emergency response units (ERU) internationally accredited by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in addition to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), which includes the Psychosocial Support Unit, the Field Hospital Unit (Type 2), and the Water and Sanitation Unit (15). He spoke about the most prominent humanitarian campaigns provided by the QRCS to Syria, including the 'Syria Rejoice' campaign, which comes within Qatar's humanitarian efforts to support the brotherly Syrian people, particularly in the health sector, by providing advanced medical equipment and supplies that contribute to enhancing the capacity of hospitals and health centers to provide care and treatment services. Under the auspices of the Department of International Co-operation and with the support of Sidra Medicine and several Qatari entities, land and air shipments totaling 90 tonnes of medical equipment and supplies were sent in September 2025, in addition to various relief materials intended to support the health and humanitarian sectors in Syria, he pointed out. Al Khater explained that the campaign aims to support the Syrian healthcare sector by supplying hospitals and healthcare centers with modern medical equipment and supplies, alleviate the humanitarian suffering of those affected by these difficult circumstances, enhance the healthcare system's ability to respond to emergencies, improve services provided to patients, and restore hope and stability to those returning to their areas after years of crisis. He pointed out that the plan aims to cover the needs of more than 50 hospitals and health centers across various Syrian governorates by delivering hundreds of essential medical devices and equipment, along with thousands of relief baskets, blankets, and first aid kits. Al Khater reviewed the most prominent humanitarian projects presented during 2025 in Bagladesh, Yemen, Somalia, Lebanon and Afghanistan. (QNA) ####OPT CUT Several projects have been launched in Bangladesh, including the operation of five health centers and a field hospital inside Rohingya refugee camps, the digging of 25 drinking water wells in various areas, the construction of about 508 new shelters and the maintenance of 302 existing shelters inside the camps, the distribution of non-food item packages to beneficiaries, the launch of seasonal projects such as Warm Winter and Adahi, and the treatment of heart diseases for sick children through the Little Hearts medical convoy. In this context, HE noted the launch of two livelihood projects to economically empower Rohingya refugee women and farmers affected by the floods. In Lebanon during 2024 and 2025, QRCS focused on five main areas and launched several projects for health, water and sanitation, food security, emergency and winter responses, and cash assistance through the Road to Stability initiative, supported by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), to support thousands of the most vulnerable Lebanese families with multi-purpose cash assistance. In Yemen, Al Khater highlighted the most prominent projects and humanitarian responses implemented by QRCS, including the drilling of wells and the construction of water reservoirs, livelihood improvement and standard of living projects, and support for the Cardiovascular Center in Taiz. He also highlighted seasonal projects such as distributing food baskets and winter shelter materials, and a project to support kidney failure and cancer patients. Regarding humanitarian interventions in Afghanistan, he pointed to the construction, equipping and operation of a Basic Health Centre (BHC) in Kandahar province (Dand District) to provide basic healthcare services, support for the operation of a Comprehensive Health Centre (CHC), drilling and installing 62 artesian wells to provide drinking water, and implementing three projects to enhance the livelihoods of poor and needy families in various fields, in addition to seasonal projects such as Iftar and Warm Winter, as well as the construction of a residential village for poor families who were forcibly returned from asylum for 100 families with funding from philanthropists from Qatar. His Excellency noted the implementation of a project responding to the needs of those affected by the 2025 earthquake in Kunar province. He indicated that an agricultural support project is currently being implemented to improve the living standards of approximately 2,000 families affected by disasters, with funding from QFFD. Arrangements are also underway to implement a project to support the Children's Heart Center at the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul, with funding from the same fund at an estimated cost of more than $2mn. In Somalia, QRCS implemented numerous health and medical projects in various regions, including cardiac catheterizations for children, general surgery, urology, and eye surgeries, as well as providing therapeutic medications to government hospitals, Al Khater explained. It also implemented productive projects for poor families to provide a steady source of income, and drilled deep artesian wells in drought-affected areas.

A convoy of Egyptian trucks and vehicles transporting heavy machinery entered Gaza overnight to help locate the remains of Israeli hostages in the territory, AFP footage showed.The vehicles were filmed in Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza.The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request on Sunday morning for confirmation that the vehicles had entered.But The Times of Israel had reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the entry of the Egyptian team and several engineering vehicles to the Palestinian territory to locate the missing remains.On Saturday night, Egyptian state-linked Al-Qahera News channel reported that the team was on its way to Gaza.Two Egyptian military sources had also confirmed to AFP that the convoy was at the Kerem Shalom crossing Saturday night, awaiting authorisation to cross into the Palestinian territory.On October 17, a Turkish official had announced that a team of 81 rescuers sent by Ankara to locate the hostages' bodies in Gaza was waiting in Egypt to enter the strip.But the Turkish team never received approval from Israel, amid reports that Israel objected to any Turkish involvement in Gaza.Based on the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Hamas was due to return all 48 remaining hostages, alive and dead, who were still held in the territory, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians held by Israel.But only 15 of the 28 dead hostages have been returned so far, with the remaining bodies buried under the rubble across the devastated territory and Hamas calling for tools and assistance to locate them.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has issued an appeal on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In a series of statements, the UN agency painted a grim picture of life for Gaza's children, saying that although the latest ceasefire had offered a brief window of survival, current aid levels remained vastly insufficient to meet the scale of destruction and need.UNICEF reported devastating statistics on the impact of the conflict, stating that more than 64,000 children have been killed or injured, while over 56,000 have lost one or both parents.The UN agency said Israel had caused widespread destruction across the territory.While acknowledging a slight increase in the flow of humanitarian aid, UNICEF insisted that the current assistance remains far from enough. The agency urged Israeli authorities to open all crossings immediately and unconditionally to ensure that humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza freely.Beyond emergency relief, UNICEF said it is working to preserve Gaza's future by supporting education.

Israeli forces carried out a "targeted strike" on an individual in central Gaza, Israel's military said Saturday.A US-backed ceasefire is in force between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas more than two years after the war in the Gaza Strip began.Witnesses said they had seen a drone strike a car and set it ablaze. Local medics said four people had been wounded, but there were no immediate reports of deaths.Witnesses said separately that Israeli tanks had shelled eastern areas of Gaza City, the Gaza Strip's biggest urban area.Several Israeli media sites said Israel, in a reversal of a policy of barring entry to foreign forces, had allowed Egyptian officials into the Gaza Strip to help locate the bodies of hostages taken captive on October 7, 2023.As part of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has said it will return all the hostages, but the remains of 18 are still in the enclave. Reuters

A number of Palestinian factions, during a meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, have affirmed their support for and continued implementation of the ceasefire agreement measures in the Gaza Strip.These measures include the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Strip, the complete lifting of the blockade imposed on it, the opening of all crossings, including the Rafah crossing, the entry of all humanitarian and health supplies, and the initiation of a comprehensive reconstruction process that will restore normal life to the Strip and end the suffering of its residents.The factions explained in a statement Friday that their meeting in Cairo came at the invitation of Egypt, complementing the efforts of mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye to stop the war on Gaza and address its repercussions.The statement noted that the meeting aimed to discuss developments in the Palestinian issue and the second phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to stop the war on the Gaza Strip, as part of the preparations for holding a comprehensive national dialogue to protect the Palestinian national project.According to the statement, the attendees expressed their appreciation for Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, including those of President Trump, to halt the war on Gaza.They emphasised that the current phase requires a unified national stance and a political vision based on unity of voice and destiny, and the rejection of all forms of annexation and displacement in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.They also condemned the Israeli parliament's (the Knesset) approval of the preliminary reading of the "Applying Israeli Sovereignty to the West Bank" law, considering it a dangerous aggression against Palestinian identity and existence.They also praised the US president's decision to halt this move and his promise not to repeat it. They emphasised that Palestinian national unity is the decisive response to these policies and the need to take all necessary steps to achieve this.The statement indicated that the attendees agreed to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to an interim Palestinian committee composed of independent "technocrats" from the Gaza Strip.This committee will be responsible for managing daily life and basic services in co-operation with Arab partners and international institutions, based on transparency and national accountability.They also agreed to establish an international committee to oversee the funding and implementation of the Gaza Strip's reconstruction, while emphasising the unity of the Palestinian political system and independent national decision-making.They also agreed to take all necessary measures to maintain security and stability in the Gaza Strip, stressing the importance of issuing a UN resolution regarding the interim UN force to monitor the ceasefire.They called for an end to all forms of torture and violations against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, and stressed the need to hold the occupation to relevant international laws and conventions. They emphasised that the issue of prisoners will remain a top priority until their freedom is achieved.The Palestinian factions affirmed their continued joint efforts to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause, including calling for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy and revitalise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) to include all components of the Palestinian people and its vital forces.The participants pledged to "make this meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of the Palestinian people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom, and to safeguard the trust of the Palestinian cause and the rights of future generations, as well as their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, while ensuring the right of return for Palestinian refugees."

With Gaza's education system shattered by two years of gruelling war, Unicef's regional director says he fears for a "lost generation" of children wandering ruined streets with nothing to do."This is the third year that there has been no school," Edouard Beigbeder, the UN agency's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, told AFP in Jerusalem on Thursday after returning from the Palestinian territory."If we don't start a real transition for all children in February, we will enter a fourth year. And then we can talk about a lost generation."The devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas reduced swathes of Gaza to rubble, displaced the vast majority of its population at least once and crippled public services.The destruction "is almost omnipresent wherever you go," Beigbeder said."It is impossible to imagine 80 percent of a territory that is completely flattened out or destroyed," he added.A US-brokered ceasefire which came into effect earlier in October has allowed Unicef and other education partners to get about one-sixth of children who should be in school into temporary "learning centres," Beigbeder told AFP."They have three days of learning in reading, mathematics and writing, but this is far from a formal education as we know it," he added.Beigbeder said that such learning centres, often located in schools or near displacement camps, consisted of metal structures covered with plastic sheeting or of tents.He said there were sometimes chairs, cardboard boxes or wooden planks serving as tables, and that children would write on salvaged slates or plastic boards."I've never seen everyone sitting properly," he added, describing children on mats or carpets.Despite the ceasefire, Beigbeder said the situation for Gaza's education system was catastrophic, with 85 percent of schools destroyed or unusable.Of the buildings still standing, many are being used as shelters for displaced people, he said, with the situation compounded by the fact that many children and teachers are also on the move and looking to provide for their own families.Gaza's school system was already overcrowded before the conflict, with half the pre-war population under the age of 18.Of the schools managed by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority alone, Beigbeder said that some 80 out of 300 were in need of renovation.He said 142 had been completely destroyed, while 38 were "completely inaccessible" because they were located in the area to which Israeli troops have withdrawn under the ceasefire.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on October 18 that it was launching a "new e-learning school year" with the aim of reaching 290,000 pupils.Beigbeder said it was vital to put education "at the top of the agenda" and rebuild a sense of social cohesion for Gaza's children, almost all of whom are traumatised and in need of psychological support.Unicef said one of the priorities was getting permission at border crossings to bring in materials to set up semi-permanent schools, as well as school supplies which have been blocked as they're considered non-essential.Israel repeatedly cut off supplies into the Gaza Strip during the war, exacerbating dire humanitarian conditions, with the UN saying it caused a famine in parts of the Palestinian territory.The World Health Organisation said Thursday there had been little improvement in the amount of aid going into Gaza since the ceasefire took hold -- and no observable reduction in hunger."How can you rehabilitate classrooms if you don't have cement? And above all, we need notebooks and books ... blackboards, the bare minimum," said Beigbeder."Food is survival. Education is hope".

The US State Department on Friday appointed a career foreign service officer and the current ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, as the civilian lead for a new center working to implement a peace deal in Gaza and get humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave, the department said in a statement. The announcement came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, and pledged that more US diplomats would be joining the roughly 200 US military personnel posted there. "Ambassador Steven Fagin will serve as the civilian lead of the Civil-Military Coordination Center, which is supporting the implementation of the President's 20 Point Peace Plan for Gaza," the department said. The center was opened on October 17 by the US Central Command, with Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, commander of US Army Central, appointed as its military lead. The Civil-Military Coordination Centre was set up in southern Israelto observe the ceasefire for any violations and handle logistics including aid delivery into war-ravaged Gaza. Some 200 US troops were sent to the centre, set up in a rented warehouse, where they work with soldiers from Israel and European countries, representatives of the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and personnel from the United Nations and aid groups. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the site, which is a short drive from Gaza, on Friday and called it a "historic" undertaking. "There's going to be ups and downs and twists and turns, but I think we have a lot of reason for healthy optimism about the progress that's being made," Rubio said. Fagin has served as US ambassador to Yemen since 2022, although he has performed the role from outside the country, which is controlled by the Houthi government not recognised by Washington.

After two years of war, Gaza is buried under more than 61 million tonnes of debris and three quarters of buildings have been destroyed, according to UN data analysed by AFP.The fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which came into effect on October 10 under pressure from US President Donald Trump, opens the way for the reconstruction of the devastated territory.This will require managing the immense amount of rubble.As of July 8, 2025, the Israeli army had damaged or destroyed nearly 193,000 buildings in the densely populated territory, representing about 78 percent of existing structures before the conflict began on October 7, 2023, according to satellite analysis by the United Nations' UNOSAT programme.In an assessment of images from September 22-23 of Gaza City, the UN agency estimated that an even higher proportion -- 83 percent -- of buildings there had been damaged or destroyed.The total 61.5 million tonnes of debris is nearly 170 times the weight of New York's Empire State Building and is equivalent to over 169 kilogrammes of debris for each square metre of Gaza's small territory.Nearly two-thirds of the debris was made in the first five months of the war, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).The destruction of buildings also accelerated in the months leading up to the current ceasefire.Eight million tonnes of debris were generated from April to July 2025, mostly in the southern part of the territory between Rafah and Khan Yunis.A preliminary analysis published by UNEP in August warned the debris poses a serious health risk to the exposed population.The UN agency suggests that at least 4.9 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated with asbestos from old buildings, particularly near refugee camps such as those in Jabaliya in the north, Nuseirat and al-Maghazi in the centre, and Rafah and Khan Yunis in the south.UNEP also reports at least 2.9 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated with "hazardous waste from known industrial sites".

The UN's health agency pleaded Friday for thousands of people in desperate need of medical care to be allowed to leave Gaza, in what it said would be a "game-changer".The World Health Organisation has supported the medical evacuation of nearly 7,800 patients out of the Gaza Strip since the war with Israel began two years ago -- and estimates there are 15,000 people currently needing treatment outside the Palestinian territory.But a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 has not sped up the process -- the WHO has been able to evacuate only 41 critical patients since then.Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the Palestinian territories, called for all crossings out of Gaza into Israel and Egypt to be opened up during the ceasefire -- not only for the entry of aid but for medical evacuations too."All medical corridors need to be opened," he said, particularly to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as happened routinely before the war."It is vital and is the most cost-effective route. If that route opened, it would really be a... game-changer."Speaking via video link from Jerusalem, he told journalists in Geneva that two evacuations were planned for next week, but he wanted them every day and said the WHO was ready to take "a minimum of 50 patients per day".At the current rate, he said evacuating the 15,000 people needing treatment -- including 4,000 children -- would drag on for a decade or so.The WHO says more than 700 people have died waiting for medical evacuation since the war began.The UN health agency has called for more countries to step up and accept Gazan patients. While over 20 countries have taken patients, only a handful have done so in large numbers.Peeperkorn said only a fraction of Gaza's health system remained in service -- just 14 of 36 hospitals are even partially functional for a population topping two million.

An organisation representing international media outlets in Israel and the Palestinian territories said Wednesday it hoped Israel's Supreme Court would approve its petition demanding immediate access for journalists to Gaza.On Thursday, Israel's Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) seeking access to Gaza.Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israeli authorities have prevented foreign journalists from entering the devastated territory, taking only a handful of reporters inside on tightly controlled visits alongside its troops."For over two years, Israel has blocked foreign reporters from going into the territory, greatly hindering the media's ability to cover this devastating conflict," the FPA said in a statement ahead of Thursday's hearing, scheduled for 09:00 am (0600 GMT)."We are pleased to finally have our day in court and hope the justices will swiftly approve our request to enter Gaza," Tania Kraemer, chairperson of the FPA, said in the statement."It is high time for Israel to lift the closure and let us do our work alongside our Palestinian colleagues."The Foreign Press Association began petitioning for independent access to Gaza soon after the war broke out in October 2023 following Hamas' unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel.The FPA, which represents hundreds of foreign journalists, has on multiple occasions asked for access to Gaza over the past two years.But these demands have been repeatedly ignored by Israeli authorities.An AFP journalist sits on the FPA's board of directors.Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has joined the petition filed by the FPA.While Israel has prevented foreign reporters entering Gaza, its forces have killed more than 210 Palestinian journalists in the territory, Antoine Bernard, RSF's director for advocacy and assistance, said on Tuesday."The result is an unprecedented violation of press freedom and the public's right to reliable, independent, and pluralistic media reporting," Bernard said."The Supreme Court has the opportunity to finally uphold basic democratic principles in the face of widespread propaganda, disinformation, and censorship, and to end two years of meticulous and unrestrained destruction of journalism in and about Gaza."No excuse, no restriction can justify not opening Gaza to international, Israeli and Palestinian media," he said.On October 10, Israel declared a ceasefire and started pulling back troops from some areas of the territory, as part of US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to end the war.jd/dc/adp

The United Nations' top legal body, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on Wednesday gave an advisory opinion saying that Israel is under the obligation to ensure the basic needs of the civilian population in Gaza are met.The panel of 11 judges added Israel has to support relief efforts provided by the United Nations in the Gaza Strip, and UN entities, including UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East."As an occupying power, Israel is obliged to ensure the basic needs of the local population, including the supplies essential for their survival," presiding judge Yuji Iwasawa said. He added that basic needs include food, water, shelter, fuel and medical services.Advisory opinions of the ICJ, also known as the World Court, carry legal and political weight, but they are not binding and the court has no enforcement power.The opinion, which was requested by the UN General Assembly in December, clarified the protections states must provide for UN staff and is expected to have effects beyond the Gaza conflict.In a post on X, Israel's foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the court's findings and added "Israel fully upholds its obligations under international law".The ICJ judges on Wednesday found that Israel had not substantiated its claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are Hamas members.In April this year lawyers for the United Nations and Palestinian representatives at the ICJ accused Israel of breaking international law by refusing to let aid into Gaza between March and May, a time when Israel completely cut off all goods.Since then, some humanitarian aid has been allowed in but UN officials say it was nowhere near what was needed to ease a humanitarian disaster which crossed the threshold into famine. A ceasefire agreed this month calls for Israel to admit 600 trucks of aid per day, but the UN says far less is entering so far.The ICJ opinion found Palestinians in Gaza were inadequately supplied and stressed Israel cannot use starvation as a weapon of war.Paul Reichler, a lawyer acting for the Palestinians, said the findings meant Israel was not complying with its international law obligations."On the one hand, you have the court finding that starvation as a method of warfare is illegal, and on the other, the court found that Israel deliberately prevented food from reaching the civilian population in Gaza," he said.UNRWA, which serves millions of Palestinians by running schools and aid distribution, employs more than 30,000 people.Within hours of the ruling, Norway said it would propose a UN General Assembly resolution demanding that Israel lift restrictions on Gaza aid.And the Palestinian delegate to the ICJ, Ammar Hijazi, urged nations to ensure Israel complies with the court to let aid into Gaza."The responsibility is on the international community to uphold these values and oblige Israel, bring Israel into compliance," he told reporters.Before the ruling, Abeer Etefa, Middle East spokeswoman for the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), said 530 WFP trucks had crossed into Gaza since the ceasefire started on October 10.The trucks had delivered more than 6,700 tonnes of food, which she said was "enough for close to half a million people for two weeks".Etefa said around 750 tonnes a day were now coming through, well below WFP's target of around 2,000 tonnes daily.ICJ judges heard a week of evidence in April from dozens of nations and organisations, much of which revolved around the status of UNRWA.Hijazi told the April hearings that Israel was blocking aid as a "weapon of war", sparking starvation in Gaza.The case was separate from the others Israel faces under international law over its Gaza campaign.In July 2024, the ICJ issued another advisory opinion stating that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories was "unlawful" and must end as soon as possible.ICJ judges are also weighing accusations, brought by South Africa, that Israel has broken the 1948 UN Genocide Convention with its actions in Gaza.Another court in The Hague, the International Criminal Court, has issued arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Head of the Gaza Water Authority, Eng. Saadi Ali revealed the extent of the losses and massive destruction of the water sector and irrigation networks in the strip, which the occupation deliberately destroyed and cut off services to citizens during the aggression on Gaza.Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Ali said that the extent of the damage and losses in the water sector exceeds 85 percent, explaining that the occupation forces targeted critical water infrastructure, including sources, distribution networks, wastewater treatment facilities, sewage lines, and desalination plants, severely disrupting access to clean water for the population.He estimated the value of destroyed international water projects in Gaza at around $3 billion, encompassing infrastructure, equipment, solar energy systems, desalination pumps, and other vital assets. He also reported the destruction of 725 central water wells and 134 freshwater projects, while over 700,000 meters of water pipelines were damaged due to bombardment and ground incursions.The Head of the Water Authority warned that the Gaza Strip is facing a major crisis, affecting the entire water sector and all its components and facilities, directly negatively impacting citizens.He explained that, in light of the fuel shortage, the Water Authority, municipalities, and relevant authorities have been unable to provide services to citizens except partially and limitedly, with the remaining facilities that were not destroyed. They rely on aging energy generators that are worn out and in need of maintenance and spare parts. He pointed out that during the two years of the aggression on Gaza, no spare parts or oil have been imported for the generators, which are at risk of shutting down at any time and are only operated for six hours per day.Despite a ceasefire agreement, he stressed that no materials, equipment, or machinery have been allowed into Gaza to support the water and sanitation sectors, further deepening the crisis. Clean water remains largely unavailable across neighborhoods and displacement camps, home to thousands of displaced people.To address the crisis, the Water Authority has developed recovery plans in coordination with local and international partners. However, implementation remains stalled due to the continued closure of border crossings and restrictions on importing necessary supplies.Ali emphasized that restoring basic water services, ensuring at least 50 liters per person per day, requires urgent rehabilitation of destroyed wells, desalination facilities, and sewage treatment plants.He also warned that water and sewage systems in the neighborhoods and streets of the Gaza Strip are intertwined due to Israeli destruction and bulldozing, raising the threat of disease outbreaks, particularly among children.With winter approaching, he highlighted the risk of flooding in Gaza City, especially due to the destruction of the Sheikh Radwan water basin. Eight sewage pumps in Gaza have stopped functioning completely or partially, further compounding the risk of sewage leakage into groundwater and drinking supplies.Ali concluded by calling for the immediate reopening of border crossings to allow the entry of spare parts, pipes, and pumps essential for repairs and reconstruction, stressing that this is a cornerstone for restoring water services and preventing a full-scale environmental and health catastrophe.