Humanitarian aid to Gaza halted after Israel resumes attacks

Residents of the Hamad Town residential complex in the southern Gaza Strip gather their belongings and prepare to flee after news of an imminent Israeli strike. Pic/AFP

The Palestinian Media Office at the Rafah crossing announced that Israel's resumption of attacks on the Gaza Strip has halted the entry of humanitarian supplies from Egypt. "Gaza did not receive any aid trucks today after the temporary humanitarian ceasefire, which lasted for a week, ended," the media office said in a press statement late Friday.

Meanwhile, Lynn Hastings, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, called on all parties to protect civilians and ensure aid workers' access to provide assistance throughout Gaza, according to news agencies. She said on her X platform that "aid and the release of hostages must continue unconditionally, and the UN will remain present, continuing to provide food, water, medical assistance, and other vital supplies to save lives."

Humanitarian operations within Gaza have largely halted, except for services within shelters and limited distributions of flour in areas south of Wadi Gaza. The evacuation of wounded people and dual nationals to Egypt, and the return of Gazans stranded in Egypt, have also stopped. The temporary humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, initially lasting four days and extended twice for three days, ended on Friday morning with Israel resuming its attacks on various areas in the Gaza Strip.

Susan Sarandon issues apology after anti-Israel remarks

Veteran Hollywood actor Susan Sarandon has issued an apology after saying at a pro-Palestine rally that people feeling afraid of being Jewish at this time were "getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence". The actor's comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict drew widespread criticism.

Also read: Israel-Palestine war: Truce ends, war restarts

In a statement posted on Instagram on Friday night, Sarandon said she had been trying to communicate her concern for rising hate crimes. "This phrasing was a terrible mistake, as it implies that until recently Jews have been strangers to persecution, when the opposite is true. As we all know, from centuries of oppression and genocide in Europe, to the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, PA... Jews have long been familiar with discrimination and religious violence which continues to this day," she said.

She added,"I deeply regret diminishing this reality and hurting people with this comment. It was my intent to show solidarity in the struggle against bigotry of all kinds, and I am sorry I failed to do so."

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever