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☆ Rafah evacuation: Israel’s IDF tells Gazans in parts of eastern Rafah to ‘evacuate immediately’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Helen Regan | Sophie Jeong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Northern Gaza is already experiencing a “full-blown famine” which is rapidly spreading across the strip after almost seven months of war, the World Food Programme warned over the weekend. Three IDF soldiers were killed and three critically injured in the rocket attack which was claimed by Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. It was not clear whether the call for evacuation was in response to the attack at Kerem Shalom, and the border crossing remained closed on Monday. The IDF would also not put an exact timeframe for how long people in eastern Rafah have to evacuate or offer assurances that the area they would move to would not be shelled. As I said, we’re having real-time situational assessments and assessing the situation,” said the IDF’s Shoshani.

Persons: CNN —, ”, ” Avichay Adraee, Adraee, Salam, Tiba Zaraa, Jens Laerke, Nadav Shoshani, Israel, Yoav Galant, Al, we’re, Shoshani, “ Organizations: CNN, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, Defense Army, Food, Israeli, IDF, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Rafah, Gaza, “, Al, Geneva . Northern Gaza, ”, Egypt, Israel, Kerem Shalom

CNN —Northern Gaza is experiencing a “full-blown famine” which is rapidly spreading across the strip after almost seven months of war, the executive director of the World Food Programme has said. “Whenever you have conflicts like this, and emotions rage high, and things happen in a war, famine happens,” the WFP’s Cindy McCain told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in a clip released ahead of the interview airing on Sunday. More than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza as of May 1, according to the Gaza health ministry. Concerns are also heightened over an anticipated Israeli military operation in southern Gaza’s Rafah, prompting renewed calls for a ceasefire. People in southern Gaza queue to receive a bowl of food for their families from charity organizations, on May 3, 2024.

Persons: Cindy McCain, NBC’s “, ”, “, ” McCain, Doaa, they’re Organizations: CNN, WFP, UN, Getty, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Northern Gaza, Cairo, Palestinian, Gaza, Israel, US, Gaza’s Rafah, Anadolu, Rafah

CNN —Time is running out to prevent starvation in Darfur, in western Sudan, a UN agency has warned, as escalating violence devastates the African nation. People have been forced to consume “grass and peanut shells,” the regional director for Eastern Africa of the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. More than 8.7 million people have been displaced by the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF, according to the UN. At least 500,000 of those sheltering in the city have been displaced from violence elsewhere in Sudan, according to the UN’s children’s agency (UNICEF). More than 8.7 million people, including 4.6 million children, have been displaced by the war in Sudan and 24.8 million need assistance, according to OCHA.

Persons: ” Michael Dunford, Cross, Dan Kitwood, Toby Hayward, Hayward, Fasher, Catherine Russell, ” Russell, El Fasher Organizations: CNN, UN, Food Programme, Rapid Support Forces, ICRC, UNICEF, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, WFP Locations: Darfur, Sudan, Eastern Africa, South Darfur, Chad, Adré, North, El, El Fasher, Chad’s Tine, –, ”, Port Sudan

☆ Images show US military building floating pier off Gaza. Pentagon says it will cost $320 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Helen Regan | Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Construction of the temporary pier began at sea last week and the images show crew from several military vessels building the platform. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday the pier will cost the US about $320 million. The temporary pier is intended to help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Instead, the Israel Defense Forces will partner with the US military to anchor the causeway to the shore in Gaza “on day one,” the military official said. A working-level Israeli delegation of intelligence agencies and military officials is expected to travel to Cairo on Tuesday, the Israeli source and another Israeli official said.

Persons: Sabrina Singh, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Israel Organizations: CNN, United States Central Command, Planet Labs, Pentagon, Gaza . U.S . Central Command, U.S . Central Command, Israel Defense Forces, British Navy, Royal Navy, Food Programme, USAID, United Nations, PBC CNN, Integrated Locations: Gaza, Gaza . U.S, ”, Cardigan, Cyprus, British, Gaza’s Rafah, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, Cairo

☆ Ship with 400 tons of food aid destined for Gaza has left Cyprus
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Zeena Saifi | Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The United Arab Emirates has now partnered with an aid agency to send crucial assistance to Gaza via the Israeli port of Ashdod. A UAE official told CNN Saturday that the vessel laden with critical food aid left on Saturday through a relationship with American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA). Itayam told CNN the 400 tons of aid would undergo Israeli security clearance upon arrival. The plan is for most of the food aid to be delivered to northern Gaza, but Itayam said that depending on the security situation, ANERA might consider sending a shipment to the south as well. The United States has already begun construction of the pier, intended to help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN —, Jennifer, ”, Itayam, Kerem Shalom, ANERA, Grant Shapps, “, ” Matthew Hollingworth Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, United Arab, UAE, CNN, American, East Refugee, West Bank, Mohenad, ANERA, of, Britain’s Royal Navy, United, Pentagon, Royal Navy, ”, British, Food, Integrated Locations: Jerusalem, Gaza, Cyprus, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Ashdod ., Larnaca Port, Israel’s Ashdod, Kerem, Territories, UAE, Cardigan, United States, ”

CNN —An Egyptian delegation is in Israel in an effort to advance stalled negotiations aimed at releasing hostages and implementing a ceasefire in Gaza, Egyptian and Israeli officials told CNN on Friday. The delegation is also set to continue discussions with Israeli officials on security coordination around a potential Israeli operation in Rafah, another Israeli official said. Despite months of talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt, Hamas and Israel have failed to reach an agreement over differences on key demands. Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/APAnother sticking point in the negotiations is the number of Israeli hostages set for release in the first phase of the agreement. A senior Hamas official criticized the statement as a show of “ironic international politics” and called for the signatory countries to put pressure on Israel to accept a deal.

Persons: Al Jazeera, Khalil Al, Hayya, –, Israel –, “, ”, Abed Rahim Khatib, Basem Naim, Hersh Goldberg, Polin, ” Goldberg, ” Matthew Hollingworth Organizations: CNN, US, UN, Al, Hamas, Food Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Qatar, United States, Tel Aviv

☆ Haiti’s prime minister resigns as transitional council is sworn in
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Rob Picheta | Duarte Mendonca | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation on Thursday, handing power over to a transitional council that will seek to gain control of the violence-ravaged nation. The Caribbean nation’s finance minister Michael Patrick Boisvert has been appointed as interim prime minister until a new government is formed, according to an X post from Henry’s office on Thursday. Ralph Tedy Ero/Reuters/FileA transitional council, composed of seven voting members and two non-voting observers, has been tasked with the responsibility of naming a new prime minister and cabinet. Henry announced in March his plans to step down once a decision on the country’s future leadership was made, and the transitional council was set up soon after. I don’t think that’s sunk in,” Jean-Martin Bauer, the World Food Programme’s country director for Haiti, told CNN last month.

Persons: CNN —, Ariel Henry, Henry, “, ”, Michael Patrick Boisvert, Ralph Tedy Ero, ” Jean, Martin Bauer Organizations: CNN, CNN — Haiti’s, . Police, Prince, Caribbean, United Nations, UN Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, Port, ”

Instead, the Israel Defense Forces will partner with the US military to anchor the causeway to the shore in Gaza “on day one,” the military official said. Dire humanitarian situationThe pier’s construction comes as the humanitarian situation in Gaza has become dire, a senior administration official said Thursday. The official confirmed that USAID will be working with the UN to distribute the aid once it reaches Gaza. Two command and control cells have been set up to facilitate the delivery of the aid via the pier, the military official said. The US role in the effort has been complex, with the military carrying out a high-stakes construction mission in a warzone and diplomats helping to organize a dangerous and highly politicized aid distribution operation.

Persons: ”, Patrick Ryder, Joe Biden, Biden, “ Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, USNS, Israel Defense Forces, US Army, IDF, US Navy, USAID, UN, United Locations: United States, Gaza, ”, Cyprus, Cypriot, Israel, Hatzor, Ashdod, American, Cardigan

☆ Opinion: I loved my Lunchables as a kid. Now, all I see is what’s in them
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Opinion Hasan Merali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

So why are we now feeding Lunchables to children as part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)? We are proud of Lunchables and stand by the quality and integrity that goes into making them,” Kraft Heinz said. In Canada, for example, a country that often outperforms the US in public health measures such as vaccination rates, there is no national food program for children. Meals that adhered to a higher nutritional standard were also thrown away less, according to a study published in Childhood Obesity in 2015. A modeling study published in Public Health Nutrition in 2022 estimates a 20% tax would reduce purchases of UPFs by 24%.

Persons: Hasan Merali, ”, Hasan Merali Chris Hartlove, Kraft Heinz, Lunchables, Fresh, ” Kraft Heinz, UPFs, Tony Organizations: of Pediatrics, McMaster University, CNN, Consumer, British Medical, American, Clinical Nutrition, Public Health Nutrition Locations: Canada, Lunchables, America, Colombia, Chile, France

The World Food Programme (WFP) will support distribution of aid from the pier following weeks of diplomatic wrangling, the organization said Saturday. The US role in the effort has been complex, with the military carrying out a high-stakes construction mission in a warzone and diplomats helping to organize a dangerous and highly politicized aid distribution operation. US military and commercial ships will be able to transport aid to the US military pier, a defense official said, but only the US military will be allowed access to the causeway. “Everyone is wary of being too close to the IDF” for both security and political reasons, one humanitarian official told CNN. Fogbow is willing to use the US military pier to get aid onto shore, the sources said, but also won’t need to use it in order to carry out its operations.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, CNN –, ”, Joe Biden, “, Bashar al Masri, Masri, Scott Paul, ” Paul, Kerem Shalom, ” Fogbow, Cameron Hume, Fogbow, Paul Organizations: CNN, UN, Food Programme, US, Israel Defense Forces, WFP, United Nations, Food, Palestinian, Palestine Development, Investment Company, IDF, Oxfam, Maritime Humanitarian Aid Foundation, Qatari, Fogbow Locations: Gaza, American, Israel, Cyprus, Israel’s, Palestinian, Rafah, Kerem, Geneva, Algeria, South Africa, Indonesia, Qatar, Gaza’s

☆ Southern Africa’s drought and floods could push tens of millions into hunger
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The country’s top priority “is securing food for all Zimbabweans,” the president told journalists at the state house in Harare. Kb Mpofu/ReutersIn Zambia, Malawi and Central Mozambique, extreme drought has damaged more than 2 million hectares of crops, Oxfam said. Zambia declared its drought a disaster on February 29. In Mozambique — a country accounting for only 0.2% of global emissions — 3 million people face hunger, according to Oxfam. The country’s capital, Maputo, experienced devastating floods in March, after Tropical Storm Filipo hit followed a few weeks later by further intense rainfall.

Persons: South Africa CNN —, Emmerson Mnangagwa, El Niño, Zimbabwe —, Filipo, ” Teresa Anderson, Machinda Marongwe, ” Marongwe Organizations: South Africa CNN, Oxfam, Reuters, Democratic, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, United States Agency, International, Systems Network Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Harare, “, Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Pumula East, Bulawayo, Central Mozambique, ” Southern Africa, Maputo

☆ Hunger in Haiti is spreading amid gang violence, aid workers warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Hira Humayun | Caitlin Stephen Hu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

I don’t think that’s sunk in,” Jean-Martin Bauer, the World Food Programme’s country director for Haiti, told CNN last week. A server ladles soup into a container as children line up to receive food at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, March 14, 2024. “We’re completely cut off from all supplies, food, medical supplies, you name it,” he said. “Conflict and hunger are closely linked,” Laure Boudinaud, Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping Officer for WFP in Haiti said. Haitian citizens try to get goods at Liceo Marie Jeanne shelter in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 21 March 2024.

Persons: CNN —, Prince, Ariel Henry, ” Jean, Martin Bauer, Odelyn Joseph, –, ”, Catherine Russell, Dr, Ralph Ternier, Zanmi Lasante, he’s, Ternier, ” Ternier, Hopital Albert Schweitzer, Jean Marc deMatteis, “, ” Laure Boudinaud, Liceo Marie Jeanne, Mentor David Lorens, Bauer, we’ve, that’s, ” Bauer, you’re Organizations: CNN, American, UNICEF, United Nations, Roads, Hopital, World Food Programme, Liceo Marie, WFP, “ Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, Port, Prince, Mirebalais, Artibonite Valley, Artibonite

☆ Famine in northern Gaza is imminent as more than 1 million people face ‘catastrophic’ levels of hunger, new report warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Mousa Salem/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians transport bags of flour on the back of trucks as humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza City on March 6. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians wait to receive food at a refugee camp in Rafah on January 27. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Humanitarian aid packages are dropped from the air by Jordanian army planes in Gaza City on March 1. Abed Zagout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images A funeral prayer is performed for Yazan al-Kafarneh, the 10-year-old Palestinian child who died of malnutrition, on March 4. Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Children suffering from malnutrition receive treatment at a health-care center in Rafah on March 5.

Persons: Israel, Antonio Guterres, ”, Cindy McCain, it’s, Josep Borrell, Israel “, Trucks, ” Borrell, Loay, Fadi, Kamal Adwan, Omar Qattaa, Saher, Ahmed Qannan, Mohammed Salem, Said Khatib, Dawoud Abo, Jehad, crouches, Abed Zagout, Yazan, Rabie Abu Noqaira, Mohammed Abed, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yasser Qudih, Fatima Shbair, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Stringer, Khan Younis, “, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Integrated, IPC, United Nations, Ministry of Health, Food, UN, Washington Post, Kamal, Anadolu Agency, Getty, AFP, Reuters, US Air Force, UPI, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Aid, ”, Gaza, National Locations: Gaza, UN, ”, Israel, Rafah, Mousa Salem, Gaza City, AFP, Jordanian, Territories, Deir, Egypt, United States

☆ Food Aid From Cyprus Reaches Starving People in Northern Gaza, Says Charity
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NICOSIA (Reuters) - A U.S.-based charity said a consignment of almost 200 tons of food aid had reached starving people in northern Gaza on Tuesday, a week after being despatched via a maritime route from the Cypriot port of Larnaca. World Central Kitchen (WCK), working with the United Arab Emirates and Spanish charity Open Arms, sent the food via the 200-mile (322-km) sea route from Larnaca to a makeshift jetty off Gaza. War in Israel and Gaza View All 222 ImagesA U.N.-backed report said on Monday that famine was "imminent" in the northern Gaza Strip, where some 300,000 people are trapped by fighting. Across the whole Gaza Strip, the number of people facing "catastrophic hunger" has risen to 1.1 million - half the population. "WCK is ready to send tonnes of food weekly to Gaza with support from the international community," WCK said in a statement.

Persons: WCK, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Michele Kambas, Gareth Jones Organizations: United Arab, Spanish, Food Programme Locations: NICOSIA, U.S, Gaza, Cypriot, Larnaca, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Cyprus

Video shows RSF soldiers humiliating men from a village in Jazira state. Displaced people fleeing from Jazira state arrive in Gedaref, in the east of war-torn Sudan, on December 22, 2023. The RSF told him they would only return his car if he worked for them, Farouk recalled. Displaced people fleeing from Jazira state arrive in Gedaref, in the east of war-torn Sudan, on December 22, 2023. The RSF’s violent advances in Jazira state, their targeted destruction of warehouses, Sudan’s gene bank and irrigation systems will inevitably further exacerbate Sudan’s massive food shortages,” she said.

Persons: CNN —, “, Sudan’s, ”, Alex de Waal, Mohamed Badawi, Luis Tato, Sidiq Farouk, Farouk, ” Farouk, hasn’t, ‘, ’, Hala Al, Al Karib, Tomoya Obokata, Leni Kinzli, ” Kinzli, Omar Marzoug, geolocated, Waal, Médecins, Anette Hoffmann, You’re, ” CNN’s Benjamin Brown Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, United Nations, Peace Foundation, African Center for Justice, Peace Studies, Getty, Food Programme, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Hala, Initiative, Women, UNICEF, WFP, “, ” CNN, ”, Farmers ’ Alliance, Clingendael Institute, Agriculture Organization Locations: Al Jazira, Sudan’s, Darfur, Jazira, Sudan’s breadbasket Jazira, Sudan, Khartoum, of, Sudanese, Renk, South Sudan, AFP, Chad, Gedaref, Hala Al Karib, Horn of Africa, Omdurman, Al, of Africa

☆ Netanyahu says he’s trying everything to get more aid to Gaza. Aid groups say that’s not true
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In his interview with CNN, Netanyahu made several claims about his country’s aid policy in Gaza. The Israeli leader’s claim contradicts statements he made previously, in which he boasted about permitting “minimal humanitarian aid” to enter Gaza. “We provide minimal humanitarian aid,” Netanyahu said at a press conference in January. The first 15 days of March saw an average of 165 aid trucks per day cross into Gaza, UNRWA reported Sunday. The UN and other aid groups have reported some of their aid trucks had been looted, but haven’t ascribed any blame for it.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN’s Dana Bash, Netanyahu, Israel, ” Netanyahu, ”, Yoav Gallant, “, “ I’ve, Janti Soeripto, – we’ve, Martin Griffiths, Long, haven’t, Sameh Shoukry, Netanyahu lauds, Philippe Lazzarini, Israel hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Israeli, United Nations, European Union, Children, ” Trucks, UN, Food Programme, Palestine, UNRWA, Amnesty International, Aid, Palestinian, CNN Sunday, Israeli Defense Force Locations: Gaza, United States, Territories, Rafah, Israel, Egypt, Arish, airdrops

☆ First ship carrying aid approaches Gaza Strip as Israel accused of stalling supplies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Dalya Al Masri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Video footage from the AFP news agency showed the ship visible off the shore of the Gaza Strip on Friday morning London time. Israel last year agreed to work with Cyprus in setting up an aid corridor across the sea between the European Union member and the Gaza Strip. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid and food supplies at the Kerem Shalom Crossing on the Israel-Gaza border. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said it continues to expand its efforts to enable the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Earlier this month, Refugees International released a report that alleges that Israel is obstructing the entry of life-saving supplies into the Gaza Strip.

Persons: —, Juliette Touma, Ahmad Hasaballah, Nebal Farsakh, Farsakh, Israel, Touma, Menahem Kahana, Philippe Lazzarini, Jesse Marks, Jordan, José Andrés, Jose Andres, Sen, Chris Coons, Peter Welch, Andres, Chip Somodevilla Organizations: Afp, Getty, AFP, European Union, Israeli Foreign Ministry, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, CNBC, Palestinian Health Ministry, Palestine Red Crescent Society, West Bank, Bloomberg, Israel Defense Forces, United Arab Emirates, ., IDF, Palestinian, Refugees International, UN, Gaza, Arms, U.S, Capitol Locations: Cypriot, Larnaca, Gaza, Spanish, Cyprus, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, Palestine, Israeli, Kerem, U.S, United States, Israel's, Morocco, Israel's Ben Gurion, WASHINGTON, DC, Washington ,

☆ Aid is being shipped to Gaza by sea. But a new maritime corridor is unlikely to stop the looming famine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

With Palestinians in Gaza in dire need, any aid is welcome, but aid groups say maritime and air-dropped aid should be complementary to land deliveries, not a substitute. How do maritime aid deliveries compare to other methods? The US and other countries have meanwhile been air-dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza, a method aid agencies have criticized as ineffective given the scale of need in Gaza. Mousa Salem/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians transport bags of flour on the back of trucks as humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza City on March 6. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Humanitarian aid packages are dropped from the air by Jordanian army planes in Gaza City on March 1.

Persons: WCK, Israel, ”, Michael Fakhr, Jamie McGoldrick, ” WCK, Joe Biden, Mahmud Hams, Lior Haiat, “, COGAT, Menahem Kahana, McGoldrick, Josep Borrell, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Loay, Fadi, Kamal Adwan, Omar Qattaa, Saher, Ahmed Qannan, Mohammed Salem, Said Khatib, Dawoud Abo, Jehad, crouches, Abed Zagout, Yazan, Rabie Abu Noqaira, Mohammed Abed, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yasser Qudih, Fatima Shbair, ” Juliette Touma, ” Touma Organizations: CNN, Gaza, Spanish, European Commission, United Arab, Israel, Aid, UN, Pentagon, AFP, Getty, Crescent, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Foreign, European Union, Food Programme, Gaza Ministry, Health, Washington Post, Kamal, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, US Air Force, UPI, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Communications Locations: Cyprus, Gaza, United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Israel, Port, Rimal, Gaza City, UAE, Palestinian, AFP, Cypriot, Territories, Kerem, Rafah, Egypt, Mousa Salem, Jordanian

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, aid ship headed for Gaza, ceasefire talks stall
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

A ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza is en route from Cyprus, according to nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which said it was the first maritime shipment of humanitarian aid to the enclave. The departure comes after announcements that Cyprus, the European Union, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom were working to establish a maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza. World Central Kitchen said it planned to distribute supplies for roughly 500,000 meals once the vessel reaches Gaza, including rice, flour, beans, lentils, and canned meats. The UN welcomed the news of the shipment but stressed it was “not a substitute” for overland assistance to Gazans on the verge of famine. The UN World Food Programme said a food convoy reached Gaza City on Tuesday —the first to successfully access the northern part of the enclave since February 20.

Organizations: European Union, United Arab, UN, Food Locations: Gaza, Cyprus, United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Gaza City

☆ Food Aid for Sudanese Refugees in Chad Could End Next Month, WFP Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - Food aid for hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees in Chad, some of whom are close to starvation, will be suspended next month without more funding, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. But the WFP says it is struggling to feed them all and many are already skipping meals. Nearly half of Sudanese refugee children under five-years-old are suffering from severe anemia. A supply route from Chad into Sudan's Darfur, where hunger is worsening, is also at risk due to funding shortages, WFP said. With more resources, WFP would be able to position food stocks ahead of the rainy season when some refugee populations in Chad get cut off from supplies by muddy rivers.

Persons: Pierre Honnorat, Emma Farge, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Food Programme, WFP's Locations: GENEVA, Chad, Sudan, Chad into Sudan's Darfur

☆ Open Arms ship carrying aid to Gaza departs from Cyprus, World Central Kitchen
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Scott Mclean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza has departed the port city of Larnaca in Cyprus, according to World Central Kitchen, a non-profit which said it is the first maritime shipment of aid to the war-torn strip. The non-profit said it had partnered with the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus and the Spanish charity Open Arms to coordinate the dispatch. The aid dispatch comes as Cyprus, the European Commission, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom are working to establish a maritime corridor to deliver aid assistance directly to Gaza. World Central Kitchen says it has served more than 35 million meals in Gaza since October, and is working with almost 400 locally-hired staff. Humanitarian workers and government officials working to deliver urgently needed aid for Gaza say a clear pattern has emerged of Israeli obstruction.

Persons: ” WCK, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, WCK, Jose Andres, Kamal Adwan Organizations: CNN, Arms, United Arab, Spanish, European Commission, UN, Food, Kamal Locations: Gaza, Larnaca, Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, United States, United Kingdom, Cypriot

☆ This Ramadan, American Muslims say they feel urgent need to send aid to Gaza as threat of mass starvation looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Monica Haider | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On Friday, the European Union announced it’s opening an emergency maritime aid corridor from Cyprus to Gaza with allies including the US. The day prior, President Joe Biden announced the US Military is planning to build a temporary port along the Gaza coast to try to deliver much-needed humanitarian relief. In 2023, the nonprofit Islamic Relief raised more than $30 million in online donations during Ramadan, according to a spokesman for the organization. The charity, Human Appeal, has provided humanitarian relief in Gaza since 1991, according to Samina Taj, the organization’s associate director of communications. Since the start of the war in Gaza, Taj said their teams have mobilized to try to meet the desperate need for aid.

Persons: Nadia Duwaik, Duwaik, Joe Biden, Israel, Rashid, Dawoud Abo, Jad Shaheen, they’re, ”, ” Duwaik, she’s, Awrad Saleh, “, ” Saleh, Khan, It’s, it’s, Allah, Nasma, Shehadeh, ” Shehadeh, Ashraf Amra, Taj, Ramadan, Noor Traina, Traina Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Health, United Nations, European Union, Military, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Anadolu Agency, Getty, West Bank, Palestinian Children’s Relief, United Nations Agency, Islamic Relief, Islamic, The United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees Locations: Israel, Gaza, United, Cyprus, al, Gaza City, Palestinian American, West, Palestine, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Bethlehem, New York, East, Egypt, Washington , DC, Libya

☆ US, Germany and EU embassies begin evacuating staff as violence spirals in gang-plagued Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Caitlin Stephen Hu | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Dajabon, Dominican Republic CNN —The United States and other diplomatic missions have begun evacuating personnel from Haiti, as gang violence in the Caribbean nation’s capital Port-au-Prince continues to spiral. US Southern Command said the move was consistent with “standard practice for Embassy security augmentation worldwide.” No Haitians were on board the military aircraft, it added. Another source with knowledge of the operations told CNN there have been at least 12 helicopter evacuation flights into Port-au-Prince over the past three days, all evacuating diplomatic and humanitarian staff. However, shots fired nearby after the last flight’s take off on Sunday have called into question the viability of continuing the evacuation flights, the source said. The World Food Programme suspended its maritime transport services in Port-au-Prince from distributing aid across Haiti due to the instability.

Persons: Dajabon, ”, Joe Biden, Peter Sauer, Stefano Gatto, —, Prince, Gang, Jimmy Cherizier, Ariel Henry, Stephane Dujarric, Henry Organizations: Dominican Republic CNN, CNN, US State Department, US Southern Command, Southern Command, National Security Council, CNN Helicopter, European Union, EU, Caribbean Port Services, Dominican, United Nations, US Department of Treasury, Food, UN, OCHA, Kenya, Kenyan, Caribbean Locations: Dominican Republic, United States, Haiti, Caribbean, Port, Dominican, Haitian, Santo Domingo, Petionville, Haiti’s, Puerto Rico, CARICOM, Kingston

☆ The US is dropping aid into Gaza. Here’s why that will do little to ease a humanitarian crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The US has joined several other countries in airdropping aid into Gaza, which is grappling with a humanitarian crisis. But despite this advantage, aid agencies say their drawbacks overwhelmingly outweigh their benefits. “Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are good photo opportunities but a lousy way to deliver aid,” Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group’s UN Director said. Aid agencies have consistently said not enough aid is reaching Gaza. “When countries use airdrops and these maritime piers is usually if not always in situations when you want to deliver humanitarian aid into enemy territory.

Persons: We’ve, ” Richard Gowan, Michael Fakrhi, “, ” Fakrhi, John Kirby, ”, ” Kirby, Mahmoud Shalabi, Shalabi, Abdel Qader Al Sabbah, Kerem Shalom, Michael Fakhri, Israel, Dave Harden, ” Avril Benoît, CNN’s Louis Mian, Sana Noor Haq, Nadeen Ebrahim, Lauren Kent Organizations: CNN, UN, Food Programme, Islamic, “, Crisis, White, Medical Aid, Palestinian, Food, US Aid, Biden, MSF Locations: Gaza, warzones, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Iraq, Beit Lahia, Palestinian, Israel, Kerem, Rafah

☆ The extravagant Ambani pre-wedding party was an affront to the millions of Indians in poverty, critics say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Joshua Zitser | Spriha Srivastava | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But critics say it showed a telling disregard for the struggles of the many millions of Indians living in poverty. Spanning three days, the pre-nuptial event included a private performance by Rihanna, which estimates suggest cost up to $9 million. AdvertisementTripathi pointed out that 800 million of India's 1.4 billion population receive monthly food rations of wheat or rice. Sohini Kar, an associate professor at the London School of Economics, whose work focuses on urban India, told BI she agrees. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant serve traditional Gujarati food to villagers ahead of their pre-wedding celebrations on the outskirts of Jamnagar, India.

Persons: —, Anant Ambani, Asia's, Radhika Merchant, Rihanna, Nita Ambani, Shyam Bihari, WaterAid, Haldia, Rakhi Tripathi, Tripathi, Sohini Kar, Kar, St Louis Fed, Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Nita, Stringer Organizations: Service, Business, Bank, New, of Management, London School of Economics, BI, Oxfam International, St, Bloomberg, Architectural Digest, Reliance Foundation, Reuters Locations: India, Delhi, Asia, Mumbai, Jamnagar, Gujarat

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