The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accuses Hamas of killing five of its Palestinian staffers
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is the only organisation distributing aid in Gaza, has accused Hamas of killing five of its staffers and possibly taking others hostage.
The organisation, which has replaced the UN in the Strip, said in a statement that around 10pm local time (4am AEST) 'a bus carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation team … were brutally attacked by Hamas.'
'We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,' the GHF said.
In an email to AFP the group said all the passengers on the bus were Palestinian and all were aid workers, who were en route to GHF's distribution centre in the area west of Khan Younis.
'We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,' the group said. 'These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others.'
The organisation recently accused Hamas of threatening its drivers and staff. The Times of Israel reports the militants' threats forced GHF to close operations at its four sites on Saturday.
The privately funded aid group GHF began operations on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, aiming to prevent Hamas from stealing aid and selling it back to Palestinians to finance its war against Jerusalem.
While the plan was hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a key turning point in the conflict, the rollout has been marked by violence and disorder, with accusations the Israeli military shot into crowds of civilians attempting to pick up aid.
Israeli authorities and the GHF – which uses contracted US security – deny any such incident took place, and some Gazans said the shooting had come from Hamas militants, not the Israeli side.
Two weeks ago, as the first two distribution sites opened, Israeli media reported that Hamas had placed barriers to block access to the sites in the southern city of Rafah and falsely told Gazans Israelis were arresting residents near those areas.
The group also threatened Palestinians they would 'pay the price' if they co-operated with the organisation, and told Palestinians to stay home, claiming Israel was using the company to collect intelligence information.
'Do not go to Rafah. Do not fall into the trap. Do not risk your lives. Your homes are your fortress. Staying in your neighbourhoods is survival, and awareness is your protection,' a statement published by the Hamas-linked Home Front said.
The US-based non-profit organisation Centre for Peace Communications last week released a video of a Gazan accusing the militant organisation of killing Palestinians at aid sites run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The man in the CPC video stresses: 'No one has an interest in (carrying out) these attacks except Hamas.
'Hamas would rather we die of hunger than let the American aid distribution system succeed.'
The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to co-operate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The Wall Street Journal
A senior Israeli official warns a strike could come as soon as Sunday unless Iran agrees to halt production of fissile material that can be used to make an atomic bomb. The Wall Street Journal
Tehran's move casts shadow over nuclear talks while Donald Trump says an Israeli strike 'could very well happen' but urges Israel not to attack.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
No diplomatic breakthrough as Israel-Iran war drags on
Talks aimed at de-escalating fighting between Israel and Iran have failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough as the war enters its second week with a fresh round of strikes between the two adversaries. European ministers and Iran's top diplomat met on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, as President Donald Trump continued to weigh US military involvement and worries rose over potential strikes on nuclear reactors. European officials expressed hope for future negotiations, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue while emphasising that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. No date was set for the next round of talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. But Netanyahu's goal could be out of reach without US help. Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered to be out of reach to all but America's "bunker-buster" bombs. Trump said he would put off deciding whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran for up to two weeks. The war between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli air strikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's air defences, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Israel's defence minister said on Saturday it killed a commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the 20-month long war in Gaza. Saeed Izadi, who was commander of the Palestine Corps for the elite Iranian Quds Force, was killed in an apartment in the city of Qom. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. 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Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned Iranians to leave the area around Rasht's Industrial City, but with Iran's internet shut off - now for more than 48 hours - it's unclear how many people could see the message. The Israeli military believes it has destroyed most of Iran's ballistic missile launchers, contributing to the steady decline in Iranian attacks. But several of the roughly three dozen missiles that Israel said Iran fired on Friday slipped through the country's aerial defences, setting off air-raid sirens across the country and sending shrapnel flying into a residential area in the southern city of Beersheba, where a hospital was hit on Thursday. Talks aimed at de-escalating fighting between Israel and Iran have failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough as the war enters its second week with a fresh round of strikes between the two adversaries. European ministers and Iran's top diplomat met on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, as President Donald Trump continued to weigh US military involvement and worries rose over potential strikes on nuclear reactors. European officials expressed hope for future negotiations, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue while emphasising that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. No date was set for the next round of talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. But Netanyahu's goal could be out of reach without US help. Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered to be out of reach to all but America's "bunker-buster" bombs. Trump said he would put off deciding whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran for up to two weeks. The war between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli air strikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's air defences, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Israel's defence minister said on Saturday it killed a commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the 20-month long war in Gaza. Saeed Izadi, who was commander of the Palestine Corps for the elite Iranian Quds Force, was killed in an apartment in the city of Qom. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. Israel has not targeted Iran's nuclear reactors, instead focusing its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Iran previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Israel said its warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran on Friday, including missile-manufacturing facilities, while an Iranian missile hit Israel's northern city of Haifa, wounding at least 31 people. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned Iranians to leave the area around Rasht's Industrial City, but with Iran's internet shut off - now for more than 48 hours - it's unclear how many people could see the message. The Israeli military believes it has destroyed most of Iran's ballistic missile launchers, contributing to the steady decline in Iranian attacks. But several of the roughly three dozen missiles that Israel said Iran fired on Friday slipped through the country's aerial defences, setting off air-raid sirens across the country and sending shrapnel flying into a residential area in the southern city of Beersheba, where a hospital was hit on Thursday. Talks aimed at de-escalating fighting between Israel and Iran have failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough as the war enters its second week with a fresh round of strikes between the two adversaries. European ministers and Iran's top diplomat met on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, as President Donald Trump continued to weigh US military involvement and worries rose over potential strikes on nuclear reactors. European officials expressed hope for future negotiations, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue while emphasising that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. No date was set for the next round of talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. But Netanyahu's goal could be out of reach without US help. Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered to be out of reach to all but America's "bunker-buster" bombs. Trump said he would put off deciding whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran for up to two weeks. The war between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli air strikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's air defences, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Israel's defence minister said on Saturday it killed a commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the 20-month long war in Gaza. Saeed Izadi, who was commander of the Palestine Corps for the elite Iranian Quds Force, was killed in an apartment in the city of Qom. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. Israel has not targeted Iran's nuclear reactors, instead focusing its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Iran previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Israel said its warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran on Friday, including missile-manufacturing facilities, while an Iranian missile hit Israel's northern city of Haifa, wounding at least 31 people. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned Iranians to leave the area around Rasht's Industrial City, but with Iran's internet shut off - now for more than 48 hours - it's unclear how many people could see the message. The Israeli military believes it has destroyed most of Iran's ballistic missile launchers, contributing to the steady decline in Iranian attacks. But several of the roughly three dozen missiles that Israel said Iran fired on Friday slipped through the country's aerial defences, setting off air-raid sirens across the country and sending shrapnel flying into a residential area in the southern city of Beersheba, where a hospital was hit on Thursday. Talks aimed at de-escalating fighting between Israel and Iran have failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough as the war enters its second week with a fresh round of strikes between the two adversaries. European ministers and Iran's top diplomat met on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, as President Donald Trump continued to weigh US military involvement and worries rose over potential strikes on nuclear reactors. European officials expressed hope for future negotiations, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue while emphasising that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. No date was set for the next round of talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. But Netanyahu's goal could be out of reach without US help. Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered to be out of reach to all but America's "bunker-buster" bombs. Trump said he would put off deciding whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran for up to two weeks. The war between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli air strikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's air defences, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Israel's defence minister said on Saturday it killed a commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the 20-month long war in Gaza. Saeed Izadi, who was commander of the Palestine Corps for the elite Iranian Quds Force, was killed in an apartment in the city of Qom. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. Israel has not targeted Iran's nuclear reactors, instead focusing its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Iran previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Israel said its warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran on Friday, including missile-manufacturing facilities, while an Iranian missile hit Israel's northern city of Haifa, wounding at least 31 people. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned Iranians to leave the area around Rasht's Industrial City, but with Iran's internet shut off - now for more than 48 hours - it's unclear how many people could see the message. The Israeli military believes it has destroyed most of Iran's ballistic missile launchers, contributing to the steady decline in Iranian attacks. But several of the roughly three dozen missiles that Israel said Iran fired on Friday slipped through the country's aerial defences, setting off air-raid sirens across the country and sending shrapnel flying into a residential area in the southern city of Beersheba, where a hospital was hit on Thursday.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Bunker ‘did not exist': Aussie reporter's terrifying scramble for shelter in Israel amid missile threat
An Aussie journalist has spoken of the chilling moment she realised a bunker she'd been trying to seek shelter in 'did not exist' as Iran launched missiles at Israel amid the countries' ongoing, deadly conflict. Channel 7 Europe Correspondent Jacquelin Robson is in Israel reporting on the country's escalating conflict with Iran. Robson told Sunrise she was out filming with her crew when they received an alert to seek shelter after missiles were fired from Iran. She was forced to pull over and try to find somewhere to shelter, telling the program of the chilling moment she realised a bunker she'd been trying to take refuge in didn't exist. 'There were some locals who were calling us over to a bunker, and we soon discovered that that bunker did not exist,' Robson told Sunrise. 'The final siren then sounded, and we were forced to run to find shelter, and found some space between some buildings.' Sirens can be heard going off in the footage as Robson puts on a helmet, crouching down in a corner against a building. An explosion can be heard in the footage, with Robson saying it was the sound of a ballistic missile being intercepted. Israel last week attacked a string of Iranian nuclear and military sites, with missiles fired back and forth between the countries since. There have been reports of 224 deaths in Iran as a result of the deadly conflict. Israeli Military chief of staff Eyal Zamir on Friday warned the IDF was prepared for a 'prolonged campaign'. 'We have embarked on one the most complex campaigns in our history,' Mr Zamir said, according to SBS. 'We have embarked on a campaign to remove a threat of this magnitude and against such an enemy that requires readiness for a prolonged campaign. 'The IDF is prepared for this. 'Day by day, our freedom of action is expanding and the enemy's freedom of action is shrinking.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday said the country was 'ready to consider diplomacy once again, once the aggression is stopped', SBS reported. 'In this regard, I make it crystal clear that Iran's defence capabilities are not negotiable,' Mr Araghchi said. He said Iran's nuclear program was 'peaceful'.
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
One killed every two hours: Why is violence against children rising in armed conflicts?
The violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels in 2024, with children bearing the brunt of relentless hostilities, indiscriminate attacks, disregard for ceasefires and peace agreements, and deepening humanitarian crises, according to a new UN report. Source: Getty / Global Images Ukraine This article contains references to abuses against children. Violence against children caught up in wars and conflicts hit "unprecedented levels" last year, according to a new United Nations report. The Children and Armed Conflict report shows that with a 25 per cent increase, there were 41,370 grave violations incidents in 2024 — the highest number reported since the inception of the Children and Armed Conflict mandate almost 30 years ago. Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, notably the Gaza Strip, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti were cited as experiencing the highest numbers of child deaths. The UN has identified six grave violations against children in conflict, which it monitors and reports on: killing and maiming, recruitment or use of children as soldiers, sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools or hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access. Most of these violations rose in 2024, including attacks on schools (44 per cent), and rape and other forms of sexual violence (34 per cent). In total, 22,495 children were affected by recruitment and use, killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and abduction. Special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, said this "should keep all of us awake at night'. 'This must serve as a wake-up call. We are at the point of no return." According to the report, 4,676 children lost their lives in armed conflicts in 2024, equivalent to one child being killed every two hours. It also shows that 7,291 children were maimed, 7,402 were recruited and used in armed conflicts, 4,573 were abducted, and 1,982 were victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence. There were also 2,374 attacks on schools and hospitals, mostly in "Ukraine, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti, Afghanistan and Myanmar". According to the report, warfare strategies in 2024 "included targeted attacks on children, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and the systematic exploitation of children in hostilities and for military and sexual purposes". "Heavy bombardments, missile strikes, and the relentless use of explosive weapons in urban areas have turned homes and neighbourhoods into battlefields," Gamba said. She said that the "widespread deployment of landmines" had "dire consequences" for children. "These weapons alone account for one-quarter of all those killed or injured in hostilities," she said. The report says armed forces respecting international law, protecting hospitals, and refraining from using explosive weapons in populated areas were among measures that would prevent grave violations against children. "The best way to protect children from hostilities is to eliminate the push and pull factors leading to their involvement in armed conflict," it stated.
