UN says 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in next 48 hours under Israeli aid blockade
Australia, UK, France and Canada warn Israel of action if ‘egregious’ conduct in Gaza continues.
– Jem Bartholomew – The Guardian – 20 May 2025
This speaks for itself, even in the number were half of that. What makes this tragedy as bad is Ukraine Russia is that it has killed more or as many proportionally. Israel and Palestine together have 15 million people. Russia and Ukraine have 185 million twelve times the number as in the European war. (11 times the population). 62,000 Palestinians have been killed, fewer than 3000. Russia and Ukraine each have more than 200,000 war dead and another 700,000 injured. The Ukrainbs have uo to 1,000,000 war dead.
A boy in Gaza is fed with food from a community kitchen at the Muwasi camp for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis on 18 May. Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
Good morning.
The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, told the BBC this morning that 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in 48 hours if aid did not reach them in time. Five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday but Fletcher described this as a “drop in the ocean” and totally inadequate for the population’s needs.
It followed the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying yesterday that 2 million people were starving in the Gaza Strip while “tonnes of food is blocked at the border” by Israel.
The leaders of the UK, France and Canada yesterday condemned Israel’s “egregious actions” in Gaza and warned of joint action if Israel continued. Meanwhile, Palestinians began fleeing Khan Younis as Israel ordered people to “evacuate immediately” before an “unprecedented attack” that the military says is targeting Hamas infrastructure.
Israel targets Nasser hospital as Netanyahu vows to take control of all of Gaza – video
What else is the UN saying about Israel’s aid blockade, in place since 2 March? A UN-backed report recently estimated that one in five people in the territory were facing starvation. The UN posted a statement on Monday reading: “Everyone in Gaza is hungry. Without immediate action, nearly a quarter of the population could be pushed into famine. Food aid must be allowed into Gaza now to prevent a catastrophe.”
Here’s what the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said: Israel decided on Sunday to resume the entry of a “basic quantity” of food, after coming under increasing international pressure. But yesterday Netanyahu hit back at the UK, France and Canada for condemning Israel, calling on them to follow Donald Trump’s example.
What’s the latest with Israel’s ongoing military bombardment? Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israel had killed at least 44 people in Gaza today. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces bombed a pharmaceutical laboratory. Hundreds of people have been killed in the past week, many of them women and children, as Israel’s attacks have intensified.
Trump and Putin hold two-hour phone call but Kremlin refuses Ukraine ceasefire
Beyond Trump’s optimistic rhetoric, no breakthrough appears in sight. Composite: EPA
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a rare two-hour phone call yesterday, but the Russian leader declined to support a US-proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire, to which Ukraine had already agreed.
Putin also suggested his country’s maximalist objectives in the war with Ukraine were unchanged. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, insisted Ukraine was ready for a full ceasefire and direct negotiations with Moscow, but said: “If the Russians are not ready to stop the killings, there must be stronger sanctions.”
How did Trump try to spin the call? He posted optimistically on Truth Social: “The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent … Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”
But … Trump later suggested the US could abandon its involvement, telling reporters that if there was no progress, “I’m just going to back away”.
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