🕊️ "A Pause That Isn’t" — Gaza’s Starvation Window
Despite Israel’s so-called “tactical pauses,” children starve, wounded die, and Gaza’s agony deepens as attacks continue and aid struggles to break through.
Israel began “tactical pauses” in fighting for “humanitarian purposes” from 10am to 8pm (07:00-17:00 GMT) in al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City, starting on Sunday. Reacting to Israel’s announcement of pauses in fighting in some areas of Gaza and secure routes for the entry of humanitarian aid, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher says the UN’s teams on the ground will use the opportunity to reach those in need. “In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window,” Fletcher wrote in a social media post. The director general of the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, Munir al-Bursh, says the humanitarian pauses in fighting are a time “to save those still alive…Amid a temporary truce suffocated by hesitation and international silence, the wounded are crying out for help, children are starving, and mothers are collapsing over the ruins of what remains of life,” al-Bursh said in a statement on Telegram. In a series of demands, al-Bursh called for the urgent evacuation of those with serious injuries, including those who need complex surgeries and patients at risk of death if not transferred - Al Jazeera
The World Food Programme said it welcomed Israel’s announcement to open corridors for desperately-needed food aid. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Rome-based organization said: “WFP welcomes the news that Israel is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses, and that designated humanitarian corridors will be created, to facilitate the safe movement of UN convoys delivering emergency food supplies and other aid to people in Gaza. WFP has enough food in - or on its way to - the region to feed the entire population of 2.1 million people for almost three months…..An agreed ceasefire is the only way for humanitarian assistance to reach the entire civilian population in Gaza with critical food supplies in a consistent, predictable, orderly and safe manner -- wherever they are across the Gaza Strip.”
Despite the pauses, Israeli forces have killed at least 53 Palestinians in attacks on Gaza since the early hours of Sunday, as six more Palestinians starve to death.
Israel has also seized the Freedom Flotilla’s Handala ship, detaining its 21 crew members, as they attempted to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
Food aid is the only real way for most people inside Gaza to eat. A third of the population is not eating for days. Some 470,000 people are enduring famine-like conditions. 90,000 women and children need urgent nutrition treatment. People are dying due to a lack of humanitarian assistance - Word Food Programme
Cambodia is continuing to attack Thailand and deploy more weapons near the border despite its claimed intention to cease fire, according to Thai authorities. The Bangkok Post reported that Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Sunday that Cambodia had opened fire on Thai soil and Thailand had called for a ceasefire long before Cambodia did. Cambodia attacked Thailand and just called for a ceasefire while claiming that Thailand was the invader, he said. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had called the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand, pressing them for an immediate ceasefire following border clashes. At the beginning of a private visit to his Scottish golf courses, the US president wrote on Truth Social that both nations "have agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE!" Both countries - which had been threatened many weeks ago with high U.S. tariffs- reportedly thanked him for his concern and efforts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s anti-corruption policies may cost the country a portion of its foreign aid from the European Union. The EU said on Friday that it would withhold 1.5 billion euros, or $1.7 billion, from an overall fund of 4.5 billion euros whose disbursement is dependent on achieving good governance standards and that can’t be used for military purchases. The decision is not final, however, and the funding can be restored if Ukraine meets certain benchmarks. Mr. Zelensky had no public comment on the aid cut, which nevertheless was a setback for Ukraine’s leader, who is depending on European financial support to fill gaps left by the Trump administration’s refusal to underwrite Ukraine’s war effort. While holding back Western aid to spur reform was common before Russia’s invasion, Friday’s decision seemed to signal a new willingness by the bloc to admonish Mr. Zelensky’s government on domestic policy during the war. It also raised questions about whether the glow around Mr. Zelensky might be beginning to dim among Ukraine’s Western allies - NYT
Russia held subdued ceremonies honoring its navy on July 27 in St. Petersburg, citing security concerns, and authorities in the surrounding region reported that air defense forces shot down several drones they said were fired by Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia kept up its assault on Ukraine, where officials said the military shot down 78 of the 83 attack drones or decoys fired overnight and into the morning, including several whose fragments damaged buildings in the Poltava region, which lies between Kyiv and the front lines in the east. Russian President Vladimir Putin revived a Navy Day parade of ships on the Neva River in his hometown of St. Petersburg in 2017, part of continuing efforts to celebrate the military and whip up patriotic sentiment. But the naval parade was canceled this year, a decision announced by local authorities late last week. On July 27, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that "it's linked to the overall situation, security reasons, which are above all else.” Russian officials said more than 10 drones were shot down in the morning in the Leningrad region, which surrounds St. Petersburg, and the governor said one woman was slightly injured by falling debris. Dozens of flights were suspended at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport. Almost 100 drones were shot down in various Russian regions overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said - RFE/RL
Putin was in St. Petersburg and received reports on a four-day naval exercise that ended on July 27 and involved vessels from the Baltic Sea, off St. Petersburg, to the Pacific. He pledged to build more warships and step up naval training, saying that “the navy's strike power and combat capability will rise to a qualitatively new level.”
When world leaders, diplomats, business leaders, scientists and activists go to Brazil in November for the United Nations’ annual climate negotiations, poverty, deforestation and much of the world’s troubles will be right in their faces — by design. In past conference cities — including resort areas and playgrounds for the rich such as Bali, Cancun, Paris, Sharm El-Sheikh and Dubai — host nations show off both their amenities and what their communities have done about climate change. But this fall’s conference is in a high-poverty city on the edge of the Amazon to demonstrate what needs to be done, said the diplomat who will run the mega-negotiations in Belem known as COP30, or Conference of Parties. What better way to tackle a problem than facing it head on, however uncomfortable, COP30 President-designate André Corrêa do Lago, a veteran Brazilian diplomat, said in an interview with The Associated Press at United Nations headquarters. “We cannot hide the fact that we are in the world with lots of inequalities and where sustainability and fighting climate change is something that has to get closer to people,” do Lago said. That’s what Brazilian President President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has in mind, he said. “When people will go to Belem, you are going to see a developing country and city with considerable infrastructure issues still with, in relative terms, a high percentage of poverty and President Lula thinks it’s very important that we talk about climate thinking of all the forests, thinking of poverty and thinking of progress,” do Lago said. “He wants everybody to see a city that can improve thanks to the results of these debates.” The rich and powerful — as well as poorer nations, activists and media — are already feeling a bit of that discomfort even before getting to Belem. Even with two years of notice, Brazil is way behind in having enough hotel rooms and other accommodations for a global conference that has had 90,000 attendees. The official United Nations COP30 website says Brazil would have an official booking portal by the end of April. But specific plans weren’t announced till last week when Brazil said it arranged for two cruise ships with 6,000 beds to help with lodging, saying the country is ensuring “accommodation for all countries” and starting a system where 98 poorer nations have the option to reserve first. Skyrocketing lodging costs are a problem, do Lago conceded. Some places have been charging $15,000 a night for one person and activists and others have talked of cutting back. But he said prices “are already going down,” even as local media report otherwise. Do Lago said it will be a local holiday so residents can rent out their homes, adding “a significant supply of apartments.” - AP
Turkey's Environment Ministry said meteorologists had registered a reading of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southeast of the country, setting a nationwide record. The record temperature was registered on Friday at Silopi, the ministry said in a post on X on Saturday. Silopi is 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Turkey's borders with Iraq and Syria. The previous heat record, registered in August 2023, was 49.5 degrees Celsius. Turkey is sweltering under a heat wave that has hit much of the eastern Mediterranean since Monday and is expected to last several more days. The Environment Ministry said 132 weather stations across Turkey registered record temperatures for July. Temperatures are up to 12 degrees Celsius higher than seasonal averages, Turkey's meteorological service said earlier this week. Hospitals have reported a surge in cases of dehydration, heatstroke and foodborne illnesses, according to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet. Temperatures above seasonal norms have been exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions, resulting in dozens of wildfires across the country. A new fire broke out on Friday close to high-rise apartments in the popular Mediterranean resort city of Antalya in southern Turkey - DW
Greece is continuing to battle wildfires that have destroyed homes and sparked evacuations for a second day. Fires were still raging Sunday morning in the Peloponnese area west of the capital, as well as on the islands of Evia and Kythera, with aircraft and helicopters resuming their work in several parts of the country at dawn. According to officials, eleven regions of Greece still face a very high fire risk. There were numerous flare-ups overnight on the island of Evia, near Athens, where the flames have laid waste to swathes of forest and killed thousands of farm animals. Greece has endured heatwave conditions for almost a week, with temperatures passing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many areas.
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