I agree the current food aid situation in Gaza is a fiasco and more needs to be done. At the same time Hamas is stealing nearly all the food aid that is sent into Gaza and reselling it -- this issue needs to be addressed as well in order to provide effective food aid at scale. A new plan needs to be arrived at involving non-UNRWA aid organizations which will need to distribute the food for free in Gaza without Hamas interference. How to do this is a good question. World Food Programme director calls food situation in Gaza ‘a catastrophe’ “We need to get in, and we need to get in at scale,” Cindy McCain said. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/25/cindy-mcain-food-situation-gaza-catastrophe-00369715 The executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme is urging that more aid be allowed into Gaza as Israel continues its renewed offensive on the territory. “Right now, we have 500,000 people inside of Gaza that are extremely food insecure, and could be on the verge of famine if we don’t help bring them back from that,” Cindy McCain told CBS’ Margaret Brennan on Sunday on “Face the Nation.” “We need to get in, and we need to get in at scale, not just a few dribble of the trucks right now, as I said, it’s a drop in the bucket,” she said. Israel launched an 11-week block on aid to Gaza after the collapse of negotiations to extend an early 2025 ceasefire. But even though food is now coming back in, McCain told Brennan that it isn’t enough. 600 aid trucks a day entered Gaza during the ceasefire. Now, that number is at around 100 trucks a day, she said. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s revived military offensive into Gaza to root out Hamas only further complicates matters, while threatening to deteriorate a worsening humanitarian situation on the ground. “The roads that are the better roads, the ones that can get us further along, aren’t open at all,” McCain said. “It’s complicated right now and again, I will tell anybody who will listen, we need to get in and get in at scale and be allowed to feed these people before further catastrophe occurs.” McCain disputed the notion that Hamas is behind a recent spate of lootings of aid trucks, chalking that up to “poor souls” that “are really, really, really desperate.” McCain, the widow of former Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said she has not seen details of a purported U.S.-Israeli plan that would replace the U.N. with hubs run by American companies and security contractors. Israel has pushed to assert more control over aid distribution in Gaza. But McCain maintained that her organization is best placed to lead operations. “I’ve not seen a plan from anybody,” McCain told Brennan. “We continue to operate, doing what we do best, and we are the largest and the best at what we do, I might add.” She added: “We really don’t know what’s coming around the bend. We will continue to operate. We will work with anybody, if it will feed people.”
Just Hamas playing its typical stupid games. Hamas tries to pull fast one on Trump’s Middle East envoy after latest cease-fire proposal: ‘Disappointing and completely unacceptable’ https://nypost.com/2025/05/26/world...al-disappointing-and-completely-unacceptable/ Hamas appears to have tried to pull a bait-and-switch on the latest cease-fire deal by altering the terms of the proposal that were sent to the terror group, according to President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. Hamas claimed on Monday that it had been presented with a new US proposal that would see a 70-day ceasefire and the release of five live hostages on the first and final days of the truce, a Hamas-tied Palestinian official told Reuters. The deal Hamas claimed to have received would also include a partial withdrawal Israeli from the Gaza Strip, the official said. This supposed deal would also include the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel, many serving lengthy prison sentences. But a “disappointed” Witkoff blasted Hamas, claiming that the terms of the deal he had actually sent to Hamas were very different from their response. The latest Witkoff proposal includes the release of 10 living and 19 dead hostages in return for 45 to 60 days of ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners. “What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,” Witkoff, a New York real estate billionaire, told Axios. He said Israel agreed to the terms of the deal he proposed, and that it would offer a path to a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. “I agreed to lead these negotiations. There is a deal on the table, and Hamas needs to accept it,” Witkoff told CNN Monday.The ceasefire “will lead to meaningful negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire,” he added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismissed the Hamas deal as “a US proposal” on Monday. “No responsible Israeli government could accept it,” the statement from Netanyahu’s office read.The last ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas, which began in January, effectively ended on March 18 when Netanyahu’s forces renewed its military campaign in Gaza. Hamas responded with rocket attacks and strikes on Israel two days later. The terror group has asserted it will only free all of the remaining Israeli hostages seized in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and agree to a permanent ceasefire if the Jewish state pulls out of Gaza completely. Netanyahu’s office has insisted that the war will only end once Hamas is eradicated.
If I recall rightly, Israel has said if or when all hostages are released, Israel's bombing campaign would not discontinue. I'm sure Hamas are incentivised by this. Oh by the way, when we talk about Hamas, make sure not to mention Israel continual stealing land, the settlers rampaging and who are protected by gummint and the ongoing brutalising of civilians. Forget to mention Biden and Trump supplying the killing mechanisms despite hundreds or thousands of documented war crimes by Israel. Don't talk about Israel's wholesale killings and starvation methods. What I would suggest is STFU supporting Israel.
The deal that was in place was that Hamas would release all of the living hostages and provide the bodies of all the dead hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released and a ceasefire remaining in place. There were defined phases for the releases. Hamas backed out of the deal and stopped releasing hostages after the first release. Leading to an end of the ceasefire and the resumption of hostilities. Israel has stated multiple times now that the ceasefire would only resume when Hamas lives up to its agreements and releases all the hostages (living or dead). The proposed agreements made by Trump's envoy mean little since Israel simply is not going to change its position -- which is what makes Hamas trying to pull a fast one on the proposed U.S. brokered agreement so laughable. Let's see what Netanyahu stated at the end of the article -- to underline Israel's position -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismissed the Hamas deal as “a US proposal” on Monday. “No responsible Israeli government could accept it,” the statement from Netanyahu’s office read.The last ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas, which began in January, effectively ended on March 18 when Netanyahu’s forces renewed its military campaign in Gaza. Hamas responded with rocket attacks and strikes on Israel two days later. The terror group has asserted it will only free all of the remaining Israeli hostages seized in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and agree to a permanent ceasefire if the Jewish state pulls out of Gaza completely. Netanyahu’s office has insisted that the war will only end once Hamas is eradicated.
Admittedly the entire aid situation with Gaza is a mess. However Hamas instructing Palestinians to not cooperate with new aid organizations which will not allow Hamas to steal the aid -- is not helping the situation. Hamas preventing Gazans from receiving food aid, agency says “It is clear that Hamas is threatened by this new operating model and will do everything in its power to see it fail,” the foundation said in its statement. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-855559 Civilians in the Gaza Strip have begun moving toward IDF humanitarian aid distribution centers established in Rafah, Tel al-Sultan, and Morag on Tuesday. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it has begun distributing food aid in the Gaza Strip, as approximately 388 trucks carrying aid entered the strip this week. In a statement, the foundation also condemned threats from Hamas targeting humanitarian organizations supporting aid distribution at GHF’s Safe Distribution Sites. It further accused the terror group of trying to prevent Palestinians from accessing humanitarian supplies at the designated locations. “It is clear that Hamas is threatened by this new operating model and will do everything in its power to see it fail,” the foundation said in its statement. “The safety and security of aid workers and civilians is non-negotiable. GHF and its partners are committed to protecting the teams on the ground who risk their lives to bring critical aid to those who need it most. These threats will not deter us. We are taking every measure to ensure secure operations and will continue working with trusted partners to deliver aid with integrity.” On Monday, the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Interior Ministry called on Gaza residents not to cooperate with the new aid mechanism initiated by Israel, The Jerusalem Post previously reported. The terror organization reportedly claimed that the new aid distribution mechanism is an intelligence operation aimed at collecting information and creating internal division, and that, according to them, Israel is using food as a weapon of war: "Resistance will force Israel to return to the old mechanism," the Post quoted. New interim executive director of the foundation named Additionally, in its statement, GHF announced that John Acree has been named interim Executive Director of the Foundation. This was after Jake Wood, founder and executive director of GHF, resigned from his position on Monday. In his resignation statement, Wood announced that he no longer supports the activities of the humanitarian foundation because he has determined that the program cannot be executed in a way that “upholds the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, and independence.” Wood concluded his statement by noting his belief that the only path to a sustainable peace is to release all hostages, end the fighting, and provide dignity for all people in the region.
We are back to another proposed ceasefire.... which neither side will accept. It is a futile exercise. New Gaza ceasefire proposed as aid distribution system collapses The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and an impending famine pushed Palestinians to loot a World Food Programme warehouse on Wednesday. https://www.newarab.com/news/new-gaza-ceasefire-proposed-aid-distribution-system-collapses
The food distribution moves forward in a completely chaotic situation in Gaza. Hamas faces 'legitimacy crisis' as desperate Gazans flock to US-backed aid centers Food boxes distributed despite Hamas warnings that Palestinians 'will pay the price' https://www.foxnews.com/world/hamas...-desperate-gazans-flock-us-backed-aid-centers The terrorist group known as Hamas has long plagued the Gaza Strip but is facing a point of crisis as its influence and support, which was already far from sweeping, continues to drop amid internal pressure to end the war and return the hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. "Hamas’s current posture reveals a critical inflection point in its grip over the Gaza Strip," Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst and editor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies "Long War Journal" and an expert on Palestinian terrorist groups, told Fox News Digital. "By opposing the new aid distribution mechanism, one that is coordinated by the U.S. and Israel, Hamas is signaling that its primary concern is not the well-being of Palestinians but the preservation of its authority." Despite the months long aid blockade on the Gaza Strip by Israel and the images of starvation, Hamas this week threatened any Palestinian civilians who accept food aid for their families and warned they "will pay the price, and we will take the necessary measures." Despite the threats, Palestinians have flooded the aid sites erected by the U.S.-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), reportedly resulting in scenes of chaos as desperate civilians overran one distribution location on Tuesday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its "troops fired warning shots in the area outside the compound," adding, "Control over the situation was established … and the safety of IDF troops was not compromised." The U.N. Human Rights Office claimed some 47 people were injured during the gunfire, while the Hamas-run health ministry said one person was killed and 48 others were wounded, reported the BBC, though Fox News Digital could not independently verify the casualty count. On Wednesday, GHF said in a statement that, contrary to reports, no Palestinians have been questioned or detained while receiving aid. Additionally, GHF said that no Palestinians had been shot or killed while trying to get aid. "As we have repeatedly cautioned, there are many parties who wish to see GHF fail. Their goal is to force a return to the status quo, even if it means risking lifesaving aid to the people of Gaza," the GHF said in a statement. "Reports to the contrary originated from Hamas and are inaccurate." Truzman explained that it is in Hamas interest to portray the aid delivery as negatively as possible, and to use the chaos to promote its return to power. "Hamas had significant influence over aid flows, which it used not only for governance but also as leverage to reinforce loyalty, reward patronage networks, and maintain internal control," the expert explained. "The erosion of this influence poses both a symbolic and operational threat to the group. "With Hamas becoming sidelined from the aid process, the group is facing a legitimacy crisis," Truzman added. Despite the chaotic scenes that arose as aid finally returned to Gaza, the GHF said Tuesday that it had distributed about 8,000 food boxes totaling 462,000 meals so far. On Wednesday, eight trucks worth of aid were delivered, which equates to some 378,262 meals. "Operations will continue to scale up tomorrow," the GHF confirmed. One Gazan told the Center for Peace Communications that the failure of Hamas, which serves as the local government, to secure affordable and accessible food has driven civilians to the American distribution site. "In fact, they were good to us," he said. "They were handing out rations cards and started to tell us to take them. Unlike those ruling Gaza who don't do anything for us. "We, as a people, are telling you that we need anyone, anyone who can provide us with these necessities," he added. "Otherwise, no one would be going to the American distribution point. If Hamas is listening to us, get off the people's backs. "The people are dying," the man added. In recent months, civilian populations have not only been turning to external actors for relief where possible, they have increasingly called on Hamas to return the hostages, stop the war and even leave the Gaza Strip. "This shift undermines Hamas’s image as the authority in Gaza and exposes its weakened state," Truzman said. "However, any assumption that Hamas might yield under these conditions must be tempered by the nature of its surviving leadership," he warned. "Those who remain at the helm are among the most ideologically entrenched and militarily committed members of the organization." Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007 after it defeated its rival party, Fatah, which is part of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Despite the plurality vote nearly two decades ago, Hamas has struggled to maintain control and stability for years and its support – even in the lead up to the 2023 attacks that prompted the largest-ever war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza – was reportedly lacking and its leadership growing increasingly unpopular. Israel and Egypt have limited the flow of goods into the Gaza Strip for the last two decades, and border crossing restrictions have been heavily enforced since the 1980s. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2025. However, according to a report by the Wilson Center, only a fraction of the population prior to the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks blamed food shortages on external factors like sanctions, while a third blamed the Hamas-run government for mismanagement, while another quarter of the population blamed inflation. The report also found that nearly half of Palestinian civilians said they had no trust in Hamas' leadership, while roughly a third of the population threw their support behind the group. Support is believed to have dropped in the nearly 600 days that followed the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks, and the subsequent devastation brought to the Gaza Strip. "If the new aid mechanism succeeds in improving living conditions for Palestinians, surpassing what Hamas has been able to provide during wartime, it is unlikely to reverse the growing public dissatisfaction with the group," Truzman told Fox News Digital. "Even an imperfect but externally managed aid system may further expose Hamas’s governance failures, particularly its prioritization of power retention over the welfare of the population. "While tangible improvements will take time to materialize, the mere perception that life can improve without Hamas may be enough to shift public attitudes further against the group," he added.
Surprising no one, Hamas rejects another internationally brokered ceasefire plan. Created by the U.S., backed by Egypt and Qatar, and already accepted by Israel. Hamas to reject US Gaza ceasefire plan https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/05/30/hamas-will-reject-us-gaza-ceasefire-plan/ Hamas will reject the latest US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, a senior official from the Palestinian terror group said. On Thursday, the US said that Israel had agreed to the plan and that it was waiting for a response from Hamas. Israeli officials said the deal would see Hamas hand over 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in two phases across 60 days. Around 1,200 Palestinian prisoners would also be released in return. A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the proposed deal did not satisfy the group’s demands, which included a permanent end to the war. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, told hostages’ families on Thursday evening that he had accepted the deal, which is guaranteed by Donald Trump, Egypt and Qatar. Israel has agreed to increase aid into Gaza under the terms of the deal. It would be delivered by groups such as the Red Crescent and UN. It is designed to facilitate further negotiations across 60 days in order to achieve a permanent end to the war. Once that is achieved, the remaining 30 of the 58 Israeli hostages would be released. Israel would also end all military operations in Gaza as soon as the deal comes into effect. Basem Naim, a Hamas political bureau member, said on Thursday that the deal meant “the continuation of killing and famine... and does not meet any of our people’s demands, foremost among them halting the war and famine”. “Nonetheless, the movement’s leadership is studying the response to the proposal with full national responsibility,” he added. Negotiations have been ongoing after the previous ceasefire deal collapsed in March. Israel under pressure Hamas has repeatedly rejected Israel’s demand to surrender its weapons and called on Mr Netanyahu to withdraw his troops from the war-torn Palestinian Strip. Steve Witkoff, the US presidential envoy who has led negotiations, told reporters on Wednesday that he believed a long-term deal was close. “I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict,” he said. Israel has intensified its offensive in recent weeks, sending in more troops in an attempt to seize the entire Strip, while also preventing aid deliveries. On Thursday, it also announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, putting further strain on relations with the international community. It has come under increasing pressure from its allies, including the UK, France and Canada, who earlier this month demanded Israel stop its offensive and increase the flow of aid into the Strip. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an aid group backed by the US and Israel, expanded its distribution of aid on Gaza on Thursday. It has been criticised for allegedly politicising aid by the UN, which has warned that two million people are at risk of famine following an 11-week aid blockade. The expansion of aid on Tuesday was chaotic as thousands of Palestinians rushed to distribution points and forced security contractors to retreat. Doctors at al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah reported that two people died after being crushed in the crowd and two others were shot dead. It was not clear who was responsible for the gunfire.
Ongoing land theft...... Israel announces major expansion of settlements in occupied West Bank 1 day ago David Gritten BBC News Reporting from London Yolande Knell Middle East correspondent Reporting from Jerusalem https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j5954edlno AFP Israeli ministers said the settler outpost at Homesh will be retrospectively legalised (file photo from May 2023) Israeli ministers say 22 new Jewish settlements have been approved in the occupied West Bank - the biggest expansion in decades. Several already exist as outposts, built without government authorisation, but will now be made legal under Israeli law. Others are completely new, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Settlements - which are widely seen as illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this - are one of the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians. Katz said the move "prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel", while the Palestinian presidency called it a "dangerous escalation". The Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now called it "the most extensive move of its kind" in more than 30 years and warned that it would "dramatically reshape the West Bank and entrench the occupation even further". Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem - land Palestinians want, along with Gaza, for their hoped-for future state - in the 1967 Middle East war. An estimated 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them. Successive Israeli governments have allowed settlements to grow. However, expansion has risen sharply since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022 at the head of a right-wing, pro-settler coalition, as well as the start of the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. On Thursday, Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich - an ultranationalist leader and settler who has control over planning in the West Bank - officially confirmed a decision that is believed to have been taken by the government two weeks ago. A statement said they had approved 22 new settlements, the "renewal of settlement in northern Samaria [northern West Bank], and reinforcement of the eastern axis of the State of Israel". It did not include information about the exact location of the new settlements, but maps being circulated suggest they will be across the length and width of the West Bank. Katz and Smotrich did highlight what they described as the "historic return" to Homesh and Sa-Nur, two settlements deep in the northern West Bank which were evacuated at the same time as Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005. Two years ago, a group of settlers established a Jewish religious school and an unauthorised outpost at Homesh, which Peace Now said would be among 12 made legal under Israeli law. Nine of the settlements would be completely new, according to the watchdog. They include Mount Ebal, just to the south of Homesh and near the city of Nablus, and Beit Horon North, west of Ramallah, where it said construction had already begun in recent days. The last of the settlements, Nofei Prat, was currently officially considered a "neighbourhood" of another settlement near East Jerusalem, Kfar Adumim, and would now be recognised as independent, Peace Now added. Katz said the decision was a "strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel, and serves as a buffer against our enemies." "This is a Zionist, security, and national response - and a clear decision on the future of the country," he added. Smotrich called it a "once-in-a-generation decision" and declared: "Next step sovereignty!" But a spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - who governs parts of the West Bank not under full Israeli control - called it a "dangerous escalation" and accused Israel of continuing to drag the region into a "cycle of violence and instability". "This extremist Israeli government is trying by all means to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Reuters news agency. Lior Amihai, director of Peace Now, said: "The Israeli government no longer pretends otherwise: the annexation of the occupied territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal." Elisha Ben Kimon, an Israeli journalist with the popular Ynet news site who covers the West Bank and settlements, told the BBC's Newshour programme that 70% to 80% of ministers wanted to declare the formal annexation of the West Bank. "I think that Israel is a few steps from declaring this area as Israeli territory. They believe that this period will never be coming back, this is one opportunity that they don't want to slip from their hands - that's why they're doing this now," Mr Ben Kimon told the BBC's Newshour programme. Israel effectively annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, in a move not recognised by the vast majority of the international community. AFP Israeli soldiers accompanied settlers establishing the Homesh outpost in May 2023 This latest step is a blow to renewed efforts to revive momentum on a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict - the internationally approved formula for peace that would see the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel - with a French-Saudi summit planned at the UN's headquarters in New York next month. Jordan's foreign ministry condemned what it called a "flagrant violation of international law" that "undermines prospects for peace by entrenching the occupation". UK Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer said the move was "a deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood". Since taking office, the current Israeli government has decided to establish a total of 49 new settlements and begun the legalisation process for seven unauthorised outposts which will be recognised as "neighbourhoods" of existing settlements, according to Peace Now. Last year, the UN's top court issued an advisory opinion that said "Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful". The International Court of Justice (ICJ) also said Israeli settlements "have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law", and that Israel should "evacuate all settlers". Netanyahu said at the time that the court had made a "decision of lies" and insisted that "the Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land".