“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is devastating and the needs are acute,” Johan Forssell, Sweden’s Minister for International Development, said in a statement on Saturday. He added: “We will monitor closely to ensure that UNRWA implements what it promised.”
Canada also announced it would lift the “temporary halt in funding” to UNRWA, noting on Friday that it was “deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza that is getting worse by the hour.”
Earlier this week, UNRWA Director-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that the agency was “on the brink of collapse” after several countries, including the United States, halted its funding. The agency also reported Friday that 162 staff members have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza, describing this as the largest number of UN team members ever killed in any conflict or natural disaster.
UN officials have warned that more than a quarter of Gaza's population is on the brink of famine, and several countries, including the United States, have resorted to airdropping aid into the besieged enclave. The Biden administration also announced plans to build a temporary dock off the coast of Gaza to enable increased aid deliveries by sea.
Central Command said in a statement that the US military conducted another airdrop of aid into northern Gaza on Saturday, adding that C-130 aircraft delivered more than 41,000 ready-to-eat meals and 23,000 bottles of water.
The handover came as Gaza's Health Ministry announced that the death toll from malnutrition and dehydration in the Strip had risen to 25. At least 30,960 people have been killed and 72,524 wounded in Gaza since the war began, according to the ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Israel said on Saturday that the head of the Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, met with CIA Director William Burns the day before to discuss a potential hostage deal that would also lead to at least a temporary ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that talks were continuing but he blamed Hamas for the latest delay, saying the militant group that previously controlled Gaza was “not interested” in reaching an agreement before the holy month of Ramadan.
“It looks tough,” President Biden said Friday when a reporter asked him if there would be a ceasefire by Ramadan. Which starts on Sunday.
Here's what else you should know
An airstrike hit the tallest building in Rafah overnight, causing severe damage. Al-Masry Tower is a 14-storey residential building. It is considered the tallest and oldest tower in the city of Rafah, and was built in the 1990s. There were no immediate reports of casualties, and a Washington Post photographer at the scene said residents had been told to evacuate the place before the raid. The Israeli army said that it “accurately targeted a military site” in Rafah, which it claimed was being used by Hamas, stressing that “non-combatants in the area were evacuated before the raid was carried out.”
The Pentagon said building a pier and bridge off Gaza could take up to 60 days and require about 1,000 US troops. The temporary dock, which Biden announced on Thursday, aims to enable the delivery of two million meals a day to Gaza, which has been subject to an Israeli naval blockade since 2007. to caution The dock is not an alternative to delivering aid by land, and he urged Israel to reopen its land border crossings with Gaza.
Five people died on Friday after a parachute malfunction during an aid airdrop caused a loaded box to fall on people. According to the Civil Defense spokesman in Gaza. Several countries have dropped air aid to Gaza in recent weeks, including the United States. US Central Command He said Friday that it was “aware of reports of civilian deaths as a result of humanitarian airdrops” and that the incident was not the result of US airdrops.
Central Command said early Saturday that the Houthis carried out a “large-scale” attack with drones. To the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Central Command said that US and coalition forces in the region shot down 15 attack drones in one direction. The Houthis are targeting ships in the waterway in protest against the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, upending global shipping routes.
