RAFAH, Gaza Strip: A report released Thursday by the UN finds that more than half a million people in Gaza are “starving” because of not enough food entering the territory since the outbreak of war more than 10 weeks ago.
“It is a situation where pretty much everybody in Gaza is hungry,” said World Food Program chief economist Arif Husain.
He warned that if the war between Israel and Hamas continues at the same levels and food deliveries are not restored that the population could face “a full-fledged famine within the next six months.”
The report released Thursday by 23 UN and nongovernmental agencies found that the entire population in Gaza is in a food crisis, with 576,600 at catastrophic — or starvation — levels.
UN relief workers on Thursday reported “unbearable” scenes in two hospitals in northern Gaza, where bedridden patients with untreated wounds cry out for water, the few remaining doctors and nurses have no supplies, and bodies are lined up in the courtyard — signs of the worsening humanitarian crisis after 10 weeks of war between Israel and Hamas.
The relief workers spoke after delivering supplies a day earlier to Ahli and Shifa hospitals, which are located in the heart of the north Gaza battle zone where Israeli troops have demolished vast swaths of the city while fighting Hamas militants.
Bombardment and fighting continued Thursday, but with Gaza’s Internet and other communications cut off for a second straight day, details on the latest violence could largely not be confirmed.
Israel says it is in the final stages of clearing out Hamas militants from northern Gaza, but that months of fighting lie ahead in the south. The war sparked by Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 rampage and hostage-taking in Israel has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians. Some 1.9 million Gaza residents — more than 80 percent of the population — have been driven from their homes.
With supplies to Gaza cut off except for a small trickle, the World Food Program has said 90 percent of the population is regularly going without food for a full day.
A blast Thursday morning hit the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into Gaza, forcing the UN to stop its pickups of aid there, according to Juliette Touma, spokesperson of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. At least four people were killed, the nearby hospital reported.
Israel had begun allowing aid to enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom only days earlier for the first time in the war, under pressure from the United States to ensure more help gets to Palestinians. Palestinian authorities blamed Israel for the blast, but its cause could not immediately be confirmed.
Only nine of Gaza’s 36 health facilities are still partially functioning — and all are located in the south, the World Health Organization said.
In the north over recent weeks, Israeli forces have raided a series of health facilities, detaining men for interrogation and expelling others. In other facilities, patients who are unable to be moved remain along with skeleton staff who watch over them but can do little beyond first aid, according to UN and health officials
Ahli Hospital is “a place where people are waiting to die,” said Sean Casey, a member of the WHO team that visited the two hospitals Wednesday. Five remaining doctors and five nurses along with around 80 patients remain in Ahli, he said.
All of the hospital buildings are damaged except two buildings were patients are now being kept — the orthopedics ward and a church on the grounds, he said. He described entering the compound, strewn with debris, and a crater from recent shelling in the courtyard. Bodies were lined up nearby, but doctors said it was too unsafe to move them with fighting still outside, he said.
Inside the church, it was “an unbearable scene,” he said. Patients with traumatic wounds were struggling with infections. Others had undergone amputations. “Many patients said they hadn’t changed their clothes in weeks,” he said. “Patients were crying out in pain but were also crying out for us to give them water.”
Hamas fired a large barrage of rockets at central Israel on Thursday, showing its military capabilities remain formidable. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, but the rocket attack set off air raid sirens in Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv.
Hamas militants have put up stiff resistance lately against Israeli ground troops, and its forces appear to remain largely intact in southern Gaza, despite more than 2 1/2 months of heavy aerial bombardment across the territory.
Israel has vowed to continue the offensive until it destroys Hamas’ military capabilities and returns scores of hostages captured by Palestinian militants during their Oct. 7 rampage. Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and captured around 240 others.
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has continued to support Israel’s campaign while also urging greater efforts to protect civilians.
But in some of the toughest American language yet, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said “it’s clear that the conflict will move and needs to move to a lower intensity phase.” The US wants Israel to shift to more targeted operations aimed at Hamas leaders and the tunnel network.
UN Security Council members are negotiating an Arab-sponsored resolution to halt the fighting in some way to allow for an increase in desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.
A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again on Wednesday in the hopes of getting the US to support it or allow it to pass after it vetoed an earlier cease-fire call.
The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.
Israel’s military says 137 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. Israel says it has killed some 7,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.
More than 570,000 people in Gaza now ‘starving’ due to fallout from war: UN report
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More than 570,000 people in Gaza now ‘starving’ due to fallout from war: UN report
- UN relief workers on Thursday reported “unbearable” scenes in two hospitals in northern Gaza
- World Food Program has said 90 percent of the population is regularly going without food for a full day
More Palestinians forced onto jeep bonnet by Israeli soldiers: BBC report
LONDON: Two Palestinian men shot during a military operation in the occupied West Bank told the BBC how Israeli soldiers forced them onto the bonnet of an army jeep and then drove along village roads at high speeds.
Their testimonies come in the wake of footage showing 23-year-old Mujahid Abadi Balas clinging to the bonnet of what appears to be the same Israeli army jeep which has sparked international outrage.
Samir Dabaya, currently hospitalized in Jenin, recounted how he was shot in the back by Israeli forces during the operation in Jabariyat on Saturday. He said he lay face-down for hours, bleeding, until soldiers approached him. On finding the 25-year-old alive, they allegedly beat him with a gun before lifting him onto the vehicle.
“They took off my (trousers). I wanted to hold onto the car, but [one soldier] hit my face and told me not to. Then he started driving,” said Dabaya. “I was waiting for death.”
Dabaya provided the BBC with security camera footage purportedly showing him semi-naked on a fast-moving jeep which was marked with the number 1.
Another Palestinian, Hesham Isleit, also told the BBC he was shot twice during the Jabariyat operation and forced onto the same jeep.
Isleit described there being “shooting from all sides” and said he was collected by an army unit as he tried to flee after being shot in the leg.
He said the jeep was so hot “it felt like fire.”
“I was barefoot and undressed. I tried to put my hand on the jeep and I couldn’t, it was burning hot. I was telling them it was very hot, and they were forcing me to get on — telling me that if I didn’t want to die, I should do it,” he said.
Responding to the original video of Balas, the Israeli army stated he was tied to the jeep in “a violation of orders and procedures” and that an investigation would be conducted into the incident.
Gaza hospital chief among Palestinians freed by Israel
- Mohammed Abu Salmiya, other freed detainees cross back into Gaza from Israel just east of Khan Younis
JERUSALEM: Israel released the head of Gaza’s biggest hospital, who had been detained for more than seven months, among dozens of Palestinian prisoners returned Monday to the besieged territory for treatment.
His release was confirmed on social media by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and by a medical source inside the Gaza Strip.
Al-Shifa director Mohammed Abu Salmiya was detained in November.
Successive raids have seen the hospital where he worked largely reduced to rubble since Israel launched its assault on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel.
Salmiya and the other freed detainees crossed back into Gaza from Israel just east of Khan Younis, a medical source at the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir El-Balah said.
Five detainees were admitted to Al-Aqsa hospital and the others were sent to hospitals in Khan Younis, the source added.
An AFP correspondent at Deir El-Balah saw some detainees have emotional reunions with their families.
Israel’s military said it was “checking” reports about the prisoner release.
However, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir confirmed the release when he posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Salmiya’s release “with dozens of other terrorists is security abandonment.”
Israel has accused Hamas of using hospitals in the Gaza Strip as a cover for military operations and infrastructure.
The militant group, which has run the territory since 2007, denies the allegations.
In May, Palestinian rights groups said a senior Al-Shifa surgeon had died in an Israeli jail after being detained. Israel’s army said it was unaware of the death.
The war started with Hamas’s October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,877 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Israel army says Gaza militants fire barrage of ‘20 projectiles’
- Armed wing of Islamic Jihad says it had fired the salvo that targeted several southern Israel communities along the border with Gaza
JERUSALEM PRESSE: Israel’s military said Palestinian militants fired on Monday a barrage of some “20 projectiles” from Gaza’s main southern city Khan Younis, and that forces were striking the suspected launch site.
“Approximately 20 projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Khan Younis. A number of the projectiles were intercepted and some of the projectiles fell inside southern Israel,” the military said, reporting no casualties.
The armed wing of Islamic Jihad said it had fired the salvo that targeted several southern Israel communities along the border with Gaza.
“We bombed ... the settlements along the Gaza Strip with a missile barrage in response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our Palestinian people,” the Al-Quds Brigades said in a statement.
Iran election shows declining voter support amid calls for change
- Of 61 million eligible voters, only about 40 percent cast ballots, marking record-low turnout in country
- Iran has been reeling from economic impact of international sanctions, contributing to inflation, unemployment
TEHRAN: The first round of Iran’s presidential election revealed shrinking support for reformists and conservatives even though some voters are pushing for change by backing the sole reformist candidate, analysts say.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the reformist contender and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, led the polls held on Friday to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month.
Friday’s vote, marked by a historically low turnout, “clearly shows that both reformists’ and conservatives’ bases have considerably shrunk,” said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group think tank.
In the lead-up to the election, Iran’s main reformist coalition supported Pezeshkian, with endorsements by former presidents Mohammed Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, a moderate.
FASTFACT
The combined votes of Saeed Jalili and Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf totaled 12.8 million.
“The reformists brought out the big guns and tried their best to mobilize their base,” Vaez said on social media platform X, but “it was simply insufficient.”
Likewise, the conservatives failed to garner sufficient votes “despite the tremendous resources they deployed,” he added.
Vaez pointed out that the combined votes of Jalili and conservative parliamentary speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, who came in third, totaled 12.8 million.
That figure was well below Raisi’s nearly 18 million votes in the 2021 election.
Of the 61 million eligible voters, only about 40 percent cast ballots, marking a record-low turnout in the country where some people have lost faith in the process. More than 1 million ballots were spoiled.
For Vaez, the decline in turnout, from around 49 percent in 2021, was “a real embarrassment for the leadership” in Iran, where ultimate political power lies with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Political commentator Mohammed Reza Manafi said Pezeshkian’s lead reflected a push for “fundamental changes” regarding the economy and relations with the rest of the world.
However, those favoring Pezeshkian “do not expect a miracle or a quick solution but hope he can gradually prevent conditions from worsening,” Manafi added.
Iran has been reeling from the economic impact of international sanctions, contributing to soaring inflation, high unemployment, and a record low for the Iranian rial against the US dollar.
The vote also came amid heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas and diplomatic tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.
Pezeshkian, an outspoken heart surgeon who has represented the northwestern city of Tabriz in parliament since 2008, came out on top thanks to his “clean record without any accusations of financial corruption,” said Manafi.
Official figures showed Pezeshkian had 42.4 percent of the vote, against 38.6 percent for Jalili.
The reformists have urged “constructive relations” with Washington and European capitals to “get Iran out of its isolation.”
In contrast, Jalili is widely recognized for his uncompromising anti-West stance.
He is a former nuclear negotiator and a representative of Khamenei on the Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s highest security body.
During his campaign, he rallied a substantial base of hard-line supporters under the slogan “no compromise, no surrender” to the West.
He staunchly opposed the 2015 nuclear deal with the US and other world powers, which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief.
At the time, Jalili argued that the pact violated Iran’s “red lines” by accepting inspections of nuclear sites.
The deal collapsed in 2018.
In a Sunday column in the ultraconservative Javan daily, political expert Ali Alavi hailed Jalili’s “honesty and truthfulness, unlike the others.”
The candidate also received support from Ghalibaf, who, after Saturday’s result, urged his support base to back Jalili in next Friday’s runoff.
Two ultraconservatives who dropped out a day before the election have also endorsed Jalili.
But on Sunday, the reformist newspaper Etemad quoted former vice president Isa Kalantari as warning against a continued conservative grip on the government.
“The country will be in peril and face numerous problems and challenges,” he said.
Vaez said the “Jalili fear factor can’t be overlooked.”
“Many who didn’t vote in this round might vote in the next one: not because they hope for better, but because they fear the worst.”
Political analyst Mohammad Marandi, however, said Jalili may not be “the sort of radical that is depicted by his opponents.”
Marandi believes that under either of the two candidates, Iran will “continue to pursue strong ties with the Global South” countries.
He added that they “will still attempt to see what can be done with the nuclear deal,” though Jalili “will just approach it with more skepticism.”
French insurance company AXA IM Alts expands global presence with first Mideast office
- Saudi Arabia’s Ammar Bukhamsin appointed as senior executive officer, co-head of MENA Client Group
- Will work with large local institutions, individuals, says Isabelle Scemama, global head of AXA IM Alts
LONDON: French multinational insurance company AXA IM Alts opened its first Middle East office in the UAE on Monday, with a Saudi Arabia national appointed to head its regional drive.
This marks the opening of its 16th office globally, which will be focused on raising capital across the company’s private and alternative assets range, the company said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia citizen Ammar Bukhamsin has been appointed as the senior executive officer of AXA IM Middle East, and co-head of the Middle East North Africa Client Group alongside Paris-based Francois Boissin.
Isabelle Scemama, the global head of AXA IM Alts, said: “The opening of our new office in Abu Dhabi marks a significant milestone in our expansion strategy and underscores the strategic importance of the Middle East in our international growth plans.
“This move marks a natural progression for our business in the region and paves the way for further successful partnerships with local investors to meet their rapidly evolving investment requirements, across AXA IM Alts’ expertise,” she added.
She told Arab News the company manages assets of $200 billion on behalf of 600 clients from around the world. The firm invests in real estate, alternative credit, infrastructure, impact investment, and natural capital, which includes reforestation projects, carbon credit trading, green transportation, climate change and energy transition.
“If I look at the capital rate over the past few years, 40 percent have been raised outside Europe, and the Middle East has always been an important area ... so the idea is it’s more of a natural evolution, and we think, to serve our clients, we have to be established in the region,” she said.
She said there was a “lot of appetite” in the region and the firm considers the Middle East a “key partner for European investment.” The idea is to be “closer to our clients” through a dedicated local presence.
On real estate development, Scemama said the opening of the new office comes “at a time where there are more and more regulations to reduce the energy intensity of building.”
The company considers this “as an opportunity in front of us and we think that it is something that is also appealing for Middle Eastern investors.”
The plan is to work with local players, large institutions and individuals. “The idea for the moment is really to be closer to our clients, (but) we have not made the decision for the moment to invest in the region — so to deploy capital there, it may happen at some point.
“But we always assist carefully our capability to deploy at scale, scale matters a lot in our market — being able to deploy a lot of capital. But also to diversify portfolio you need a significant size.
“And we know that each time you go in a new jurisdiction it’s a lot of local understanding of the regulation(s), being able to deploy capital and also to establish a team,” Scemama explained.
She added: “We are very strong on alignment of interest, whether it’s on infrastructure or real estate, (and) we always organize co-investments and guarantee investors that they will not be treated in parallel.
“But they will have access to our pipeline and they will benefit from the co-investment capabilities we can offer, so that’s something also that is quite appealing for the institutions in the region.”
On Bukhamsin’s appointment, Scemama said the new regional head has an impressive track record and is expected to create long-term opportunities for the company.
Florence Dard, global head of the client group at AXA IM Alts, said: “Having built strong relationships in the Middle East over a number of years, the opening of an office in Abu Dhabi is a natural step forward in our strategy to both grow our presence and accelerate our business development in the region.
“As a global leading alternative player, we have actively engaged with a large number of sophisticated Middle Eastern investors who seek attractive alternative investment opportunities, especially in Europe where we have a unique sourcing, access and breadth of offering.”
Arvind Ramamurthy, the chief of market development at Abu Dhabi Global Market in the UAE capital, said: “Abu Dhabi, also known as the ‘Capital of Capital,’ has become a premier destination due to its sophisticated regulatory regimes and abundant investment opportunities.
“As an anchored asset management firm, we look forward to the various expertise and innovative capabilities that AXA IM Alts will bring to ADGM’s vibrant ecosystem and to the region.”
Before joining AXA IM Alts, Bukhamsin spent over eight years at the French-based investment banking company Natixis, including three years as the firm’s CEO for Saudi Arabia. His 20-year career includes senior sales roles at Goldman Sachs, UBS and Citi, the company said.
Boissin has spent the past nine years at AXA, first as vice president of investor relations for the group and then two years in raising capital at AXA IM Alts. He has had a 20-year career in finance and sales, the company added.
