90% of Gaza’s Population faces malnutrition amid severe aid restrictions, UN warns
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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned on Wednesday that 90 percent of Gaza’s population is suffering from varying degrees of malnutrition, as Israeli restrictions continue to block essential humanitarian aid from entering the territory.
UNRWA spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna said in a press briefing that Israeli authorities are preventing “hundreds of types of aid” from reaching the enclave, adding that no assistance has entered through the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza.
Abu Hasna cautioned that Gaza is on the verge of a major humanitarian catastrophe, particularly with the onset of winter and the widespread deterioration of makeshift tents sheltering displaced families after months of intense conflict.
His comments echo earlier warnings by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which said that despite a ceasefire, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critically dire.
MSF emergency coordinator Caroline Seguin accused Israeli authorities of obstructing the entry of medical supplies, hygiene kits, shelter materials, and other essential items, describing the scale of suffering as “entirely preventable.”
Seguin said thousands of displaced people are living in overcrowded, deteriorating tents lacking water and electricity, with growing piles of waste and rising cases of skin, respiratory, and gastrointestinal diseases as temperatures drop.
READ: UNICEF says Israel blocking one million syringes needed to vaccinate Gaza children
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Israeli forces seal doors of Palestinian homes in Hebron, residents left trapped inside
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Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday sealed the doors of several Palestinian homes in the Old City of Hebron, blocking residents from entering or leaving, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
WAFA reported that soldiers used oxygen welding to shut the main entrances of homes belonging to members of the Idris family in the Jaber neighbourhood, near the Ibrahimi Mosque (Tomb of the Patriarchs). Residents were prevented from accessing their properties after the doors were sealed.
The Jaber, Salaymeh, and Wadi al-Hussein neighbourhoods have already been cut off for more than a year, after Israeli forces closed all connecting roads with barbed wire, isolating hundreds of families from the rest of Hebron’s southern sector.
According to local sources, more than 750 Palestinian families living in Hebron’s Old City face harsh and deteriorating conditions under intensifying restrictions imposed by Israeli forces and armed settler groups.
Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have imposed nightly curfews on approximately 11 neighbourhoods, barring residents from leaving their homes during evening hours. Severe daytime restrictions remain in place as well, with movement allowed only during limited time windows.
Residents report daily incidents of abuse, harassment, and intimidation by soldiers and settlers, as Israel continues to tighten control over the Old City, one of the most heavily militarised zones in the occupied West Bank.
READ: Israeli military prepares target bank in West Bank ahead of possible escalation
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ICC president urges global cooperation to enforce arrest warrants
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The president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday urged UN member states to uphold their obligations under the Rome Statute and assist in the execution of outstanding arrest warrants, Anadolu agency reported.
Presenting the ICC’s 2025 Annual Report to the UN, Judge Tomoko Akane told the UN General Assembly that 33 publicly known arrest warrants remain unexecuted.
“The Court strongly urges States Parties to continue to fulfil their statutory obligations in line with the commitment made when signing the Rome Statute,” she said.
Akane listed one of the Court’s most closely watched investigations, including arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the onslaught in Palestine.
“The Court has continued efforts to enhance its tracking capabilities but arrest warrants cannot be executed without the cooperation of states.
“Again, the Court urges all UN member states to assist the Court by cooperating on the arrest and transfer of individuals subject to outstanding ICC arrest warrants,” she said.
READ: UNICEF says Israel blocking one million syringes needed to vaccinate Gaza children
Reaffirming the ICC’s commitment to victims, Akane emphasized that victims of mass atrocities remain “at the center” of ICC proceedings, describing their participation as essential to the Court’s mission.
“The Court gives victims a voice, a space to tell their stories, and the hope that truth will be acknowledged and responsibility established. Providing suffering humanity with hope and truth is at the very core of the Court’s raison d’être,” she said.
She highlighted the ICC’s work on reparations and restorative justice, which aim not only to provide compensation but also to help rebuild communities shattered by conflict.
Akane reaffirmed that despite mounting political and operational challenges, the ICC remains steadfast in its mission to uphold accountability and international justice.
“Despite all the challenges, the International Criminal Court will continue to carry out its judicial mandate to deal with individual criminal responsibility, with full independence and impartiality. In so doing, the Court hopes to offer its contribution to the rule of law in the international community,” she said.
READ: Qatar denies ICC-linked allegations, says claims aim to undermine its Gaza mediation efforts
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Israeli defence minister says he intends to close public radio station
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Israel’s defence minister said on Wednesday he planned to close publicly funded Army Radio in what he described as an attempt to preserve the military’s nonpartisan character, but the decision was denounced by the station’s chief as a blow to press freedom.
The minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement he would soon submit a proposal to the country’s right-wing government to close the station, which is editorially independent, and he expected it to end its broadcasts by 1 March.
Army Radio’s chief, Tal Lev Ram, said the move was unexpected and not a professional process that prioritised the interests of soldiers.
“We see this as a real, regrettable, and dramatic blow to the people’s army, to Israeli society, and to freedom of the press in a democratic state,” he said in a statement.
“I intend to fight this grave decision by every means,” he said.
READ: White House dismisses report on alleged US military base on Gaza border
Army Radio is among two state-funded news outlets in Israel, the other being the public broadcaster KAN which operates a television news channel and several radio news stations.
Both are editorially independent of the government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been critical of Army Radio and KAN, sometimes accusing them of being biased against state institutions.
Katz said Army Radio had aired many opinions attacking the military and soldiers. The station is staffed by both soldiers and civilians and is widely popular among the Israeli public. A communications ministry spokesperson declined to comment.
The government has sought to privatise KAN, a move that some critics say is because KAN is critical of the government.
Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid on X condemned the decision to close Army Radio, saying it was driven by “an anxious government that fears criticism”. He accused the government of trying to “change the rules of the game” ahead of next year’s election.
Israel’s journalist union said that it would fight to overturn Katz’s “harmful” decision.
It was not immediately clear when Katz would submit the proposal to the entire government.
Public opinion polls frequently show that Netanyahu’s coalition, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, would not win enough seats to form a government if an election were held today.
READ: Israeli military prepares target bank in West Bank ahead of possible escalation
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