Yemen’s Houthis claim attack on sinking cargo ship in Red Sea
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Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility on Monday for an attack on the bulk carrier Magic Seas in the Red Sea, which has left the vessel taking on water and is expected to sink, Anadolu reports.
In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the vessel was hit by “two unmanned boats, five ballistic and cruise missiles, and three drones” on Sunday.
“The operation directly hit the ship, leading to water ingress. It is now exposed to sink,” Saree said. “Our forces allowed the crew to safely evacuate.”
The Houthi spokesman said the Magic Seas and its affiliated company violated what the group called a “ban on entering occupied Palestinian ports,” in reference to Israeli ports. He did not name the vessel’s owner or operator.
Saree added that the attack followed several warnings sent to the ship, which he said were ignored by the crew.
The Houthis have intensified missile and drone strikes on Israel since the Israeli military resumed attacks on Gaza in March after two months of a shaky ceasefire.
Since November 2023, the group has also targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 57,500 people have been killed in an Israeli onslaught.
READ: Houthis fire 2 missiles at Israel in response to strikes on Yemeni ports and power station
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‘We can no longer wait’: French foreign minister calls for ceasefire in Gaza
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday called for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza, stressing that they can “no longer wait”, Anadolu reports.
“I believe we can no longer wait, and it seems to me that the conditions are now in place to finally achieve an immediate ceasefire,” Barrot said during a brief press interaction.
He called for the “unhindered” release of all hostages and the “large-scale” access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, “where the Palestinian civilian population is suffering.”
As the EU accelerates its efforts to strike a transatlantic trade deal with the US, Barrot said: “We support the negotiations being led by the European Commission. We want a balanced agreement.”
READ: ‘Thousands of babies in Gaza lack proper nutrition’: UNICEF chief
“We do not want an asymmetrical agreement that would place us in a position of vassalage.”
He further voiced “hope” for reaching an agreement that “safeguards the interests of all parties,” stressing neither the US nor Europe wants a trade war.
Barrot further reassured that the French Embassy in Tehran is “fully aware” and “mobilized” over the disappearance of an 18-year-old French citizen in Iran.
Lennart Monterlos, who was cycling to Japan, has been reportedly missing since June 16, according to the broadcaster BFM TV.
READ: No reports of Hamas stealing aid in Gaza: EU Commission
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PM faces protests in his own constituency
https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/pm-faces-protests-his-own-constituency
Protesters in Camden… KEIR STARMER is facing mass rejection within his own constituency as a large demonstration of Palestine supporters took to the streets to demand he quits.
Two thousand joined a noisy and vibrant protest through the PM’s Holborn and St Pancras seat on Saturday, marking the first anniversary of his re-election as local MP by telling him that the community had turned against him.
In a message to the concluding rally, local campaigner Andrew Feinstein, who secured 7,000 votes standing against Sir Keir as a pro-Palestine independent last year warned: “If he dares stand again we as a community will decide the best candidate to stand against him and we as a community will end his political career.”
…
Article continues at https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/pm-faces-protests-his-own-constituency
Starvation Being Used as Weapon of War as ‘Israel’s Genocide Has Continued Unabated in Gaza,’ Says Amnesty
Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
Human rights organization Amnesty International has released a horrifying new report alleging that the Israeli government is still deliberately allowing civilians in Gaza to starve as a “weapon of war.”
In its report released on Thursday, Amnesty cites “heartbreaking testimonies gathered from medical staff, parents of children hospitalized for malnutrition, and displaced Palestinians struggling to survive” to document “acute levels of starvation and desperation in Gaza.”
The report pins the primary blame for this situation on Israel’s insistence on running what Amnesty describes as a “militarized” system for delivering humanitarian aid via the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that has resulted in hundreds of Palestinians being killed and thousands more being injured by Israeli forces who have opened fire on civilians seeking food in multiple instances.
Amnesty charges that the Israeli government has barred the United Nations and other international humanitarian assistance organizations from operating inside Gaza and has transformed the process of receiving aid into a “booby trap” for civilians who risk getting shot while standing in line for food. Compounding the problem, writes Amnesty, is that Israel is delivering a level of aid that is “way below the humanitarian needs of a population that has been experiencing almost daily bombings for the last 20 months.”
This slow trickle of aid is despite the fact that hundreds of trucks containing aid are stationed near the Egyptian border with Gaza but are barred from entering the territory, writes Amnesty.
“As the occupying power, Israel has a legal obligation to ensure Palestinians in Gaza have access to food, medicine and other supplies essential for their survival,” said Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International. “Instead, it has brazenly defied binding orders issued by the International Court of Justice in January, March and May 2024, to allow the unimpeded flow of aid to Gaza. Israel has continued to restrict the entry of aid and impose its suffocating cruel blockade and even a full siege lasting nearly eighty days.”
Amnesty released its report hours after the Associated Press reported that two American contractors who are helping to distribute aid in Gaza are alleging that Israeli forces have been deploying “live ammunition and stun grenades” on unarmed civilians seeking food. In one instance, a contractor alleged he saw members of Israeli forces firing bullets in “all directions—in the air, into the ground, and at times toward the Palestinians.”
“There are innocent people being hurt,” said one contractor, who wished to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation for revealing information on their employer’s internal operations. “Badly. Needlessly.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry defended its aid program to Gaza in a post on the social media platform X and baselessly accused Amnesty of being in league with the terrorist organization Hamas.
Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
- UN Experts Say ‘Targeted Starvation Campaign’ by Israel Has Led to Famine Across Gaza
- ‘Complete Madness’: Israel Blocks Food Aid as More Gaza Children Starve to Death
- ‘Civilized People Do Not Starve Children to Death’: Sanders Rips US-Backed Israel’s 68-Day Gaza Aid Blockade
- ‘Genocide in Action’ as 60-Day Blockade Plunges Gaza Into Mass Starvation
- Amid Forced Starvation in Gaza, NGO Coalition Decries Israel’s New Registration Rules
- ‘The Never-Ending Hunger Games of Gaza’: IDF Kills 70+ Palestinians Trying to Get Food Aid
- ‘War-Crime Starvation Strategy’: Israel Blocks All Humanitarian Aid into Gaza