US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said he is willing to consider alternative proposals to get aid into Gaza, after the UN condemned a plan put forward by a private foundation backed by Israel and Washington.
His comments came a day after the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it would begin getting food into the enclave by the end of May, almost three months after Israel cut off all food and supplies to the Palestinian territory, leading to famine-like conditions.
The UN has criticised the foundation as not being neutral. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday called the plan a “cynical sideshow” and a “fig leaf for further violence and displacement”, warning it forces mass displacement and restricts aid to only part of Gaza, turning starvation into a “bargaining chip”.
Mr Rubio told reporters in Turkey that he had heard the criticism of the plan.
“We’re troubled by the humanitarian situation [in Gaza],” he said. “We’re open to an alternative if someone has a better one. We are for all the aid we can get without Hamas being able to steal it from people.”
The GHF has said it will distribute food for 1.2 million Gazans, only about half the population, in an initial phase through four secure distribution sites. Rations, hygiene kits and medical supplies will move through secure corridors and will be monitored to prevent Hamas looting.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said the “distribution plan does not accord with our basic principles, including those of impartiality, neutrality, independence, and we will not be participating in this".
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said the foundation would start to operate “very soon”.
“Israel … will not be the one giving the aid … it will be done by the fund itself, led by the US,” he said, calling on the UN to rethink its position and help distribute aid.
Tommy Pigott, the deputy spokesman at the US State Department, said the US endorses the GHF plan “in the sense that we want to see creative solutions".
But “if there are better options to get aid in there, we'd like to see those options provided".
Mr Pigott said the US was not providing funding and that David Beasley, a former governor of South Carolina and ex-executive director of the UN's World Food Programme, would be a “fantastic” choice to join the GHF's leadership.
Mr Beasley was head of the WFP when it won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. His role at GHF has not been confirmed.
The entire population of Gaza is at critical risk of famine, with half a million people facing starvation, a global hunger monitor said on Monday.
Adla Massoud at the UN contributed to this report
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Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
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KYLIAN MBAPPE 2016/17 STATS
Ligue 1: Appearances - 29, Goals - 15, Assists - 8
UCL: Appearances - 9, Goals - 6
French Cup: Appearances - 3, Goals - 3
France U19: Appearances - 5, Goals - 5, Assists - 1
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
