The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has suspended the delivery of aid through a temporary US port established in the Gaza Strip after an operation was conducted by the Israeli army to recover hostages from the port, killing 274 Palestinians.
WFP Director Cindy McCain announced the suspension of aid activities on June 10, stating that rockets were fired at two warehouses of the WFP during the operation, resulting in one staff member being injured.
The statement further said that work has been stopped for now to assess the safety of aid workers.
The temporary port was established by the USA in May and operated for a week before closing for two weeks due to a hurricane.
After the sea crossing was repaired, it was reopened on June 8, but on the same day, the Israeli army attacked Gaza using the port.
Nusseirat massacre.
Four Israeli hostages who were held by Hamas since eight months were released, however, 274 Palestinians were killed at the Nusseirat refugee camp.
The director of the World Food Program said that “After the Israeli action, we are now concerned about the safety of our staff”.
“Right now we are pulling back for a while to ensure the safe delivery of aid before resuming relief operations, but work will continue in other parts of Gaza,” she added.
On the other hand, the Israeli media claimed in a report that there is a fear of a Hamas attack on the American port, due to which security measures have been tightened there.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in the Middle East today to push for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Hollywood A-lister and human rights activist Angelina Jolie, has talked about the hypocrisy in the world when it comes to human rights application.
“The world is suffering from ambivalence on the issue of human rights,” she remarked in a recent interview.
Jolie lamented the duplicity and discrimination of the world regarding human rights, saying that the scale of human rights is different for everyone, the fact is that the world works on business interests. Her comments come on the heels of her unequivocal demand for a ceasefire of Israeli attacks on Gaza.
“Human rights can be for some people and some people can never be. Accountability for some people’s crime and not at all for some people, this is the ugly face of the world.” The actress said that she does not know of any country in the world which is free from these things.
“Some people think that the colonial system has ended but the fact is that the control and exploitation of developing countries is still going on,” the actress observed.
In her statement about Gaza, the Hollywood actress said that what happened in Israel cannot be a justification for bombing the civilian population of Gaza, pointing out that a few trucks cannot meet the aid needs of the besieged population, more than 20,000 of whom have been killed by Israel while the rest are at risk of starvation and disease.
Angelina Jolie added that Gaza has a total population of two million, half of whom are children, who have been living under siege for two decades.
In a recent Instagram post, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, 43, ignited a controversy surrounding her Christmas gift-wrapping choices.
Kardashian showcased her gifts wrapped in cotton jersey fabric T-shirts from her brand SKIMS, highlighting their potential for reuse.
Kim Kardashian posted, “Wrapping gifts in our family is always such a fun family tradition to see what each family member did and their vibe for the year. Each represents us so well! I did all-white SKIMS cotton jersey t-shirt fabric. I’m excited to reuse it and make other things.”
However, social media users were quick to point out the striking similarity between the packaging style and Muslim funeral shrouds.
The controversy gained momentum when users pointed out the striking resemblance between Kardashian’s wrapped gifts and the traditional Muslim practice of wrapping dead bodies in white cloth.
This practice is a significant aspect of Muslim burial rites, and users were quick to express their disapproval of Kardashian seemingly mimicking this solemn tradition for festive gift wrapping in light of the aggression Palestinians are undergoing.
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in front of the morgue in Deir al Balah on October 31. Fatima Shbair/AP
A social media user said on X (former Twitter) “first the zombie football jerseys to mock little palestinian injured kids and now wrapping her christmas gifts in a a white cloth to mock dead palestinians. @KimKardashian has constantly proven that she’s inhumane. this is not a mere coincidence. Cancel her.”
Another user said, “Kim Kardashian hosting a Coke sponsored Christmas party. You can’t convince me this sh*t isn’t deliberate. You’re a billionaire, maybe pay for your own parties. Ones that aren’t funding a ge-no-cide.”
This is not the first time Kardashian has faced criticism for her choices related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Previously, she had attracted negative attention for her children’s Halloween costumes resembling injured Gaza children.
kim kardashian has based her empire on being on the wrong side, mocking oppressed people and then monetizing that rage. She’s intentionally mocking victims of the genocide & going against BDS publicly to profit from that outrage. The gift wrapping is so tone deaf. pic.twitter.com/gxIetbXoi0
In addition to cultural insensitivity, critics also highlighted the perceived incongruity of Kardashian’s sustainability efforts, contrasting her eco-friendly gift wrapping with her frequent use of private jets and the resulting environmental impact.
It’s worth noting that Kardashian publicly expressed her support for Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 attack, issuing a statement that has not been revisited since.
This controversy echoes recent incidents involving fashion brands such as Zara and Marks and Spencer, where insensitivity to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict sparked public outrage.
Zara faced backlash for a campaign featuring a model draped in fabric resembling shrouded bodies, while Marks and Spencer drew criticism for an advertisement depicting the burning of Palestinian flag-colored papers.
Pakistani Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram, delivered a strong statement on the war that is taking place in Gaza during the 10th Emergency Special Session on December 12.
He expressed Pakistan’s allegiance to the resolution submitted by the Arab and Islamic countries proposing an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and release of all hostages. Ambassador Munir also criticised America, one of the permanent members, for vetoing that resolution. Calling out the friend of Israel, for proposing an amendment that “condemns one side while exonerating the other”. He called it “unfair and inequitable”.
The Pakistani ambassador reminded the world that Israel has dropped 25,000 tons of explosives on Gaza which is nearly equivalent to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He stressed that “Israel’s goal is not to erase Hamas, this is a war against the Palestinian people, not just to erase people but to erase the entire idea of Palestine. It is the same as racial slaughter conducted by settler colonial power in the past.”
Munir Akram ended the speech by calling out the UN that its duty should not be “to justify the genocide that is taking place.”
Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, especially thanked the Pakistani Ambassador for his stance and the effective speech by calling him a lawyer of the Palestinian cause in the tenth emergency session. He said that Ambassador Munir Akram shredded to pieces the amendments proposed in favour of perpetrators. He praised the Pakistani Ambassador stating that due to his efforts “even one of the opposing countries voted in favour of the resolution today”.
Member states then adopted a resolution demanding an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and well as “ensuring humanitarian access”.
It passed with a large majority of 153 in favour and 10 against, with 23 abstentions.
Time magazine announced yesterday that the coveted title of ‘Person Of The Year’ 2023, went to singer Taylor Swift. The decision was met with severe backlash from the internet, who called it out as another example of how the Western media has silenced journalists in Gaza, who were risking their lives to reveal the realities of the genocide.
A Twitter user is going viral for drawing a comparison between Ukraine-Russia war and Israel’s aggression.
times person of the year when russia invaded ukraine vs when israel is committing literal genocide against palestinians pic.twitter.com/rvhzkUUXxu
Twitter users were outraged at Gazan journalists like Motaz Azaiza, Plestia, Bisan and Saleh being ignored, stressing that censorship lays bare that Gazan lives are considered disposable by the western media.
72 Journalists and their families have been killed by israel since october 7th, they are among the 20,000+ palestinians slaughtered. We can honor ukraine in 2022 but god forbid you honor the brown people risking their lives to show whats happening in Gaza. Screw this. https://t.co/uwg7mPzzSP
Today I choose to honor the real people of the year: the Journalists in Palestine. Their constant strength and courage in the midst of a genocide is something so admirable. They lose family and friends but never stop showing us what’s actually happening in Gaza. #freepalestinepic.twitter.com/jBCCdnNnWI
Many Twitter users are also criticising Taylor Swift to be a white feminist, after a quote from her article with Time went viral where she spoke about the intersection of capitalism and patriarchy.
“What has existed since the dawn of time? A patriarchal society. What fuels a patriarchal society? Money, flow of revenue, the economy. So actually, if we’re going to look at this in the most cynical way possible, feminine ideas becoming lucrative means that more female art will get made. It’s extremely heartening.”
She’s basically saying that her being rich is because of feminism and her “female art” (whatever that means) is justified in making money because it’s feminist. Guys look she’s such a feminist for using feminism to profit more money even if she’s a billionaire. White feminist https://t.co/SzaDsgZ7oG
— সব নিপীড়িত মানুষের মুক্তি Ujala/নিশিথিনী (@shimmeringolds) December 6, 2023
i’m so glad she did this interview. She’s the final (girl)boss liberal white woman, and I am saying this neutrally. stuck in a vacuum, staid politics, pussy ear hats, daughter of a witch they couldn’t burn https://t.co/kogXstlqjN
— Bolu Babalola is technically on leave & (@BeeBabs) December 6, 2023
Nobel Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai was a guest on GEO’s ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ where she spoke at length about why she stressed on the need to address the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, adding that a ceasefire in Gaza should be demanded by everyone.
Speaking to host Shahzeb Khanzada, Malala said she has consistently called for a ceasefire since the last month because targeting innocent people cannot be justified.
“There is no explanation for attacking innocent people. So many children have been killed and families have become homeless because of the attack,” stressed the girls education activist. “I’m worried that there isn’t a lot of pressure right now to stop the war.”
Malala urged audiences to pressurise their leaders to call for the UN to insert global pressure on Israel to stop the genocide.
On Tuesday, Malala was the target of outrage when during a 15 minute speech at the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, she did not call out Israel for being an apartheid state because of the ongoing Gaza genocide which has now claimed more than 20,000 lives.
Malala also spoke on the show about the Nelson Mandela event where she was the key note speaker, discussing the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, where women and girls face oppression from the Taliban.
“When I got the opportunity to speak at the Nelson Mandela event, it was important for me to speak about the gender apartheid we’re witnessing today in Afghanistan against women and girls. We can call this situation an apartheid because women and girls are being oppressed and are being deprived of their basic human rights. The state, which is responsible for protecting these women, is the one who is oppressing them.”
Malala said her lecture addressed the world and the United Nations to urgently address this matter, and to reform the definition of apartheid to include gender in it, so the conversation keeps going forward. She said she will continue to push world leaders to reflect on how women in Afghanistan cannot study, go outside their homes or even visit a doctor without permission from a man.
Malala also addressed the ongoing Afghan refugee crisis in Pakistan, calling it a “cruel decision” to send young Afghan girls back to a country where they would never be allowed to study again.
“This is a difficult time for many Afghan families who are being forcefully sent back to Afghanistan. Several of them escaped in 2021 because of the threat of the Taliban’s rise, and among them are several feminist activists whose lives are under threat if they went back. Some of these families had stayed in Afghanistan for 20 to 30 years, and have girls who were studying in schools…I am extremely worried for these girls because she will never be able to see a school if she is sent back to Afghanistan.”
Malala slammed the government decision as against our “human rights, culture and religion’. She pointed out that in Islam, Muslims are urged to take care of others. The activist urged Pakistani authorities to revoke the decision and give support to Afghan refugees, to prevent little girls from going back to a country which would rob them of their rights.
Girls education activist Malala Yousafzai was selected to give the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg. In her speech, the Noble Prize Winner spoke at length about the gender apartheid in Afghanistan against women and girls, with no mention of the genocide of Gaza where the death toll has now crossed 15,000 civilians.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Malala urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, pointing to attention to the countless schools and homes that have been bombarded in the war, and for war criminals to be held accountable.
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai renewed her call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war as the Palestinian death toll surpassed 15,000.
Nelson Mandela was a staunch pro-Palestine supporter, who famously said during his visit to Gaza in 1999 that he “felt at home among compatriots”.
“There is an apartheid state committing a genocide at the moment which you’ve been disappointingly silent on. If you take away anything from this trip, it should be the courage to speak up about what is happening in the here and now,” wrote a user.
There is an apartheid state committing a genocide at the moment which you’ve been disappointingly silent on. If you take away anything from this trip, it should be the courage to speak up about what is happening in the here and now. https://t.co/wZke0DuJqX
“Ironic that she mentioned apartheid, reason for Mandela’s struggle, yet not a word about Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians, brutal human rights violation and the ongoing genocide. Nothing but just a mouthpiece can’t be my inspiration anymore,” wrote another user.
Ironic that she mentioned apartheid, reason for Mandela’s struggle, yet not a word about Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians, brutal human rights violation and the ongoing genocide. Nothing but just a mouthpiece can’t be my inspiration anymore https://t.co/DOcUEvbPRL
“She’s visiting South Africa, a country with apartheid history and she chooses to stay silent on an ongoing genocide. Mandela would have hated her bigotry if he was alive, his resistance was against the same mindset,” said a tweet.
She’s visiting South Africa, a country with apartheid history and she chooses to stay silent on an ongoing genocide. Mandela would have hated her bigotry if he was alive, his resistance was against the same mindset. https://t.co/FxVJpg5vnl
Previously Malala released a statement on October 10 grieving for the Palestinian and Israeli children who were caught in the war. Many were quick to slam the feminist activist for failing to recognise that this was a genocide where more Palestinian lives were being lost everyday.
My theory is that everyone ‘both siding’ this conflict is actively choosing to peddle the hypocritical tone set by the global Western politics. You can just “both sides need to calm down” your way out of the guilt of knowing that Isr@31 is committing a full fledge genocide. https://t.co/scZN6VtmTY
Many have drawn comparisons between Malala’s silence and climate change activist Greta Thunberg’s outspoken resistance against the genocide of Gaza. Greta published an op-ed for The Guardian where she criticised Israel as the death toll grows in Gaza, with more children passing away from Israeli airstrikes.
The death rate in Gaza is at a historic high, with thousands of children killed in just a few weeks. Demanding an end to this inexcusable violence is a question of basic humanity. Silence is complicity. You cannot be silent in an unfolding genocide.https://t.co/Az5O7ZKYU5
Social media has been outraged after several videos went viral on the internet where Israelis can be seen dancing to Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance Film’, playing in theatres this week. At the same time, Gaza is being bombarded with severe airstrikes.
In the videos, Israelis can be seen dancing to ‘Break My Soul’, claiming it was the IDF’s new fight song against the Hamas. Twitter users expressed outrage at Beyonce’s silence on the on-going genocide, after several X (formerly Twitter) users have pleaded with her to pull the film from Israel.
“THIS is why Beyonce not allowing her film to screen in Israel mattered . This is why- even if the location of screenings was out of her control (debatable) she should have at LEAST made a Pro-Palestine statement. Now a song about Black liberation is tied to a GENOCIDE.”
THIS is why Beyonce not allowing her film to screen in Israel mattered .
This is why- even if the location of screenings was out of her control (debatable) she should have at LEAST made a Pro-Palestine statement.
Many expressed outrage on how Beyonce had the power to refuse this, but chose to let this happen.
As a woman who aligns herself with the black panther movement who supported Palestine, and has an influential political presence, you should have refused this. @beyonceYou have boycotted Israel before by denying the FWT dates in Tel Aviv, where are you now? https://t.co/IBmoT3ZrnV
Beyoncé took her own advice of staying mute truly to HEART & remained mute while we are forced to watch Israelis celebrating her film screening on stolen land while the Palestinians are being annihilated out of existence.
you all treat beyoncé like your slightly flawed, at-times morally questionable big sister or aunt instead of the multinational corporation that she is. and i don’t even care about your obsession, i just find the criticisms from people who hyper-obsess over her every move absurd!
A hip hop song ‘Charbu Darbu’, trending on Israel’s Youtube and Spotify charts, is advocating to kill Palestinians in Gaza, and saying supermodel Bella Hadid, singer Dua Lipa and adult film star Mia Khalifa, all vocal supporters of Palestine, should be killed.
Written and performed by Ness Van Stilla, the title means ‘swords and strikes’ in Syrian Arabic, referencing to raining hell down on the Hamas.
The song refers to Hamas as the Binlical Amalek, promising to obliterate them. The chorus calls for the IDF’s combat units to destroy all of Gaza.
The song ends with a list of names whom the singers promise to obliterate as they are enemies of Israel including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa and Mia Khaifa.
“Every c*nt’s last day will come/ Bella Hadid, Dupa Lipa, Mia Khalifa!”
Journalist Ahmed Eldin shared a clip of an article by The Times Of Israel on his Twitter account.
The #1 song in Israel calls for genocide against Palestinian and specifically for the IOF to kill Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Mia Khalifa. pic.twitter.com/jq8vM8WIHK
Singer The Weeknd has made international headlines after his XO Humanitarian Fund is sending $2.5 million to Gaza to provide four million meals for civilians. Israel is again bombing the vulnerable population where already more than 15,000 civilians have died. Currently, the death toll after the ending of truce is 160 Palestinians.
The artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaya, stepped into the role of the Goodwill Ambassador in 2021 in October 2021, and set up the XO Humanitarian Fund with the United Nations World Food Program.
“WFP is working round the clock to provide aid in Gaza but a major scale up is needed to address the desperate level of hunger we are seeing,” said UN WFP’s director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern European Region, Corinne Fleischer. “Our teams need safe and sustained humanitarian access, and continued support from donors to reach as many people as we can. We thank Abel for this valuable contribution towards the people of Palestine. We hope others will follow Abel’s example and support our efforts.”
On November 23, Tunasian Egyptian actress Hend Sabri announced on her Instagram account that she was resigning from her role as Goodwill Ambassador from the UN World Food Program because of the organisation’s inability to condemn the ongoing genocide of Gaza.
“Over the past weeks, I have witnessed and shared the experiences of my dedicated WFP colleagues. Their frustration at being unable to do what they do best towards children, mothers, fathers and grandparents in Gaza. They could only do so much in the face of a grinding war machine that would not stop and would not spare civilians the agony and anguish as war encircles them.”
“I had faith,” the actress wrote to her 3.3 million followers, “that WFP – which was named Nobel Peace Prize Laureate only three years ago after championing UN resolution 2417, against using hunger and starvation as a weapon of war – would use its voice forcefully as it had done in multiple emergencies and human crises. However, hunger and starvation have been used as weapons of war for over the past 46 days against more than 2 million civilians in Gaza.”
