Stampede, shots fired at Gaza aid delivery
An aid delivery in northern Gaza descended into chaos, with a Red Crescent paramedic reporting five dead and dozens injured by gunfire and a stampede.
An aid delivery in northern Gaza descended into chaos, with a Red Crescent paramedic reporting five dead and dozens injured by gunfire and a stampede, as talks were due to resume in Egypt aimed at brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas.
Witnesses said shots were fired both by Gazans overseeing the aid delivery and Israeli troops nearby, and panicked truck drivers drove quickly away, hitting people trying to get the food. The Israeli military said it had “no record of the incident described”.
Aid deliveries have become increasingly fraught as the needs of Gazans increase. Foreign powers have ramped up airdrops of aid but several people have been killed by falling crates or stampedes or drowned while trying to retrieve packages from the sea.
UN agencies have said repeatedly that overland deliveries were the only way of supplying aid in the volume needed. They have also warned that northern Gaza is on the verge of famine, calling it a man-made crisis because aid trucks are backed up on the Egypt-Gaza border awaiting long checks by Israeli officials. Israel has denied responsibility.
Two charities have organised aid deliveries by sea from Cyprus, with their second mission in just over two weeks setting sail on Saturday (Sunday AEDT).
Organisers said the flotilla, which had been repeatedly delayed by bad weather, was carrying about 400 tonnes of supplies, a fraction of Gaza’s needs.
The top UN court has ordered Israel to allow in aid and the UN Security Council has adopted a resolution demanding an “immediate ceasefire” but neither has affected the situation on the ground.
Israel and Hamas have been unable to agree to a truce in indirect talks in Qatar, with each side blaming the other.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the go-ahead on Friday for a new round of talks in Doha and Cairo this week.
His office said Mr Netanyahu had spoken to Mossad chief David Barnea about the talks, but did not elaborate on whether Mr Barnea would be travelling to either city.
A central plank in the talks in Qatar has been negotiating the release of the about 130 hostages – including 34 who are presumed dead – alongside a truce and access for humanitarian aid.
The talks had appeared deadlocked despite a push by the US, Egypt and Qatar to secure a truce for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, now more than halfway through.
Washington has urged Mr Netanyahu to abandon his plan for a full ground invasion of Rafah, the southern Gaza city where most of the population has fled.
Israel’s siege, sparked by a Hamas massacre on October 7, brings nightly airstrikes and in recent days major operations around several hospitals, which it says are used by Palestinian militant groups – claims denied by Hamas.
The Hamas press office said “civilian houses” had been hit by dozens of Israeli strikes overnight on Friday. The Israeli military said it had struck dozens of targets, including militants and their compounds.
With the healthcare situation increasingly dire, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said about 9000 patients needed to leave Gaza for “lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments, kidney dialysis and other chronic conditions”.
The WHO said Gaza had 36 hospitals before the war but now had only 10.
The army on Saturday said it had “continued to eliminate” militants around Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, with about 200 reported killed after 13 days of its operation.
The WHO chief said the hospital was no longer functioning but 100 patients and 50 health workers were reportedly still inside with fighting continuing around them.
“We are extremely worried about their condition and safety,” he said, adding that the agency had been forced on Saturday to postpone a fourth attempt to reach the hospital.
AFP
Eggheads crack ‘periodically cooked’ recipe for perfection
Switching between hot and cool water will produce the optimal boiled egg balance between a firm white and creamy yolk – for those who can be bothered.
Trump offers to build $159m ballroom at White House
The US president, who has criticised the practice of hosting foreign dignitaries in ‘old, rotten tents’ on the lawn, said he would pay for the extension himself.