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UN warns 14,000 infants may die in Gaza in subsequent 48 hours with out support
The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has been talking to the BBC’s Radio 4’s As we speak’s programme in regards to the dismal quantity of support Israel is letting into Gaza.
Worldwide strain over a looming famine compelled Benjamin Netanyahu to announce on Sunday night time that he would ease the devastating 11-week support blockade to stop a “hunger disaster” in Gaza – however solely to a minimal degree.
Fletcher mentioned 5 vans of support went into Gaza yesterday, however described this as a “drop within the ocean” and completely insufficient for the inhabitants’s wants.
He mentioned the help lorries, which include child meals and vitamin, are technically in Gaza however haven’t reached civilians as they’re simply on the opposite aspect of the border.
Fletcher mentioned 14,000 infants may die in 48 hours if support doesn’t attain them in time.
“I need to save as many as these 14,000 infants as we will within the subsequent 48 hours,” he instructed the BBC.
Requested how the UN arrived at this determine, he responded: “We’ve sturdy groups on the bottom – and naturally lots of them have been killed… we he nonetheless have a number of individuals on the bottom – they’re on the medical centres, they’re on the faculties…attempting to evaluate wants.”

Key occasions
Iran’s supreme chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned on Tuesday that nuclear talks with the United States have been unlikely to yield any outcomes, experiences Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We don’t suppose it should result in any final result. We don’t know what’s going to occur,” mentioned Khamenei throughout a speech, including that denying Iran’s proper to counterpoint uranium was “a giant mistake”.
Iran and america have held 4 rounds of Omani-mediated nuclear talks since 12 April, the highest-level contact between the 2 nations since Washington deserted the 2015 nuclear accord. That they had confirmed plans to carry one other spherical of discussions throughout their final assembly on 11 Might, which Iran described as “troublesome however helpful”, whereas a US official mentioned Washington was “inspired”.
Iran presently enriches uranium to 60%, far above the three.67% restrict set within the 2015 deal and shut although nonetheless wanting the 90% wanted for a nuclear warhead.
Western nations, together with the US have lengthy accused Iran of in search of to amass atomic weapons, whereas Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceable functions. Iran has repeatedly insisted its proper to keep up uranium enrichment was “non-negotiable”, whereas chief US negotiator Steve Witkoff has known as it a “purple line”.
On Sunday, Witkoff reiterated that america “can not permit even one p.c of an enrichment functionality”.
“The American aspect concerned in these oblique negotiations ought to chorus from talking nonsense,” mentioned Khamenei.
Earlier, Iran’s overseas minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi mentioned “enrichment in Iran, nevertheless, will proceed with or with out a deal”.
He mentioned in a put up on X:
If the US is concerned with making certain that Iran won’t have nuclear weapons, a deal is inside attain, and we’re prepared for a severe dialog to realize an answer that may ceaselessly make sure that final result.
The UK mentioned on Tuesday it had sanctioned numerous people and teams within the West Financial institution who it mentioned had been linked with acts of violence towards Palestinians.
Extra particulars quickly …
Syria’s overseas minister mentioned on Tuesday that the lifting of sanctions on his nation reveals an “worldwide will” to help his nation, after EU nations agreed to finish most of its sanctions, experiences Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In a press convention in Damascus alongside his Jordanian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani mentioned that “lifting sanctions expresses the regional and worldwide will to help Syria”, including that “the Syrian individuals immediately have a vital and historic alternative to rebuild their nation”.
UK’s Starmer says ‘degree of struggling’ in Gaza is ‘completely insupportable’
The PA information company has extra element on Tuesday’s feedback by the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer.
On the dispatch field, he instructed the Home of Commons:
First I’d wish to say one thing in regards to the horrific state of affairs in Gaza, the place the extent of struggling, harmless kids being bombed once more, is completely insupportable.
Starmer later added:
We’re horrified by the escalation from Israel. We repeat our demand for a ceasefire as the one strategy to free the hostages.
We repeat our opposition to settlements within the West Financial institution, and we repeat our demand to massively scale-up humanitarian help into Gaza.
The current announcement that Israel will permit a primary amount of meals into Gaza, a primary amount, is completely and completely insufficient, so we should coordinate our response as a result of this warfare has gone on for a lot too lengthy.
We can not permit the individuals of Gaza to starve, and the overseas secretary [David Lammy] will come to the home shortly to set out our response intimately.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer mentioned on Tuesday he, together with the leaders of France and Canada, was horrified by the army escalation in Gaza, repeating requires a ceasefire.
“I need to placed on file immediately that we’re horrified by the escalation from Israel,” Starmer instructed parliament, after releasing a joint assertion with French president Emmanuel Macron and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney (see 7.35am BST).
Based on Reuters, Starmer mentioned that the overseas secretary, David Lammy, would set out the UK’s “response intimately” in a while Tuesday.
France appears more and more more likely to recognise a Palestinian state after Paris, together with London and Ottawa, threatened Israel with “concrete actions” for its renewed assault in Gaza.
Requested if the UK was leaning in the direction of official recognition of a Palestinian state, Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson mentioned on Tuesday:
We’ve been clear that the UK won’t ever quit on the two-state answer, with a Palestinian state and Israel dwelling side-by-side in peace dignity and safety.
The prime minister is evident that statehood is an inalienable proper of the Palestinian individuals.
The spokesperson, in line with the PA information company, mentioned the UK was “able to work with our allies” when requested if the UK would observe France in official recognising a Palestinian state.
French president Emmanuel Macron has indicated he may do that at a coming UN summit (for context: Spain, Eire and Norway formally recognised a Palestinian state final 12 months, upsetting outrage within the Israeli authorities).
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN workplace for coordination for humanitarian affairs (OCHA), has responded to feedback made by the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, who instructed the BBC this morning that 14,000 infants in Gaza may die over the following 48 hours if support doesn’t attain them (see put up at 08.59 for extra particulars).
Talking to reporters, Laerke mentioned:
For now let me simply say that we all know for a proven fact that there are infants who’re in pressing life-saving want of those dietary supplements that want to come back in as a result of their moms are unable to feed themselves.
And if they don’t get these, they are going to be in mortal hazard. That’s as a lot as I can say proper now. If we now have extra specifics, we’ll return to you on that.
Israel isn’t solely conducting a warfare in Gaza, it is usually launching frequent assaults in Lebanon.
The Lebanese well being ministry mentioned earlier immediately that an Israeli airstrike injured 9 individuals in a drone assault on the coastal Tyre district within the south of the nation.
Three individuals at the moment are in “essential situation”, the ministry mentioned, including that two kids have been among the many injured.
Israel has continued to launch strikes on Lebanon regardless of a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which sates solely UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese military must be deployed in southern Lebanon.
Israel, nevertheless, has retained its forces in 5 areas it has declared strategic. Lebanon has known as on the worldwide group to strain Israel to finish its assaults and withdraw all its troops.
BREAKING: An Israeli strike focused a motorbike close to a college within the village of Al-Mansouri, southern Lebanon, injuring a minimum of 9 civilians, together with kids, in but a brand new breach of the November 2024 ceasefire settlement. pic.twitter.com/bKOtSOkzHp
— Quds Information Community (@QudsNen) Might 20, 2025
Listed below are a number of the newest pictures being despatched to us over the newswires from Gaza:
“We’ve requested and acquired approval of extra vans to enter immediately, many greater than have been authorized yesterday,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for UN workplace for coordination for humanitarian affairs (OCHA), instructed reporters in Geneva.
Laerke added that “we count on, after all, with that approval, lots of them, hopefully all of them, to cross immediately to a degree the place they are often picked up and get additional into the Gaza Strip for distribution.”
‘Round 100’ support vans to be allowed entry into Gaza – UN
As we’ve reported earlier within the weblog, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, mentioned solely 5 support vans have been allowed into Gaza yesterday.
The UN has simply confirmed it has been given permission to ship “round 100” support vans into Gaza immediately (for context: pre-war a median of 500 vans have been coming into per day).
Fletcher earlier acknowledged the dangers to workers who could also be caught in Israeli airstrikes as they attempt to ship the provides.
Charities have warned of a looming famine throughout Gaza brought on by Israel’s meals blockade, which was eased yesterday to a naked minimal degree solely due to fears key allies (i.e. US senators) have been distressed by pictures of “mass starvation” and will pull help over such scenes.
Israel imposed its blockade in early March, chopping off all provides together with meals, drugs, shelter and gasoline in what has been extensively condemned because the collective punishment of the civilian inhabitants in Gaza. Israel claimed the blockade was to strain Hamas into releasing hostages.
Due to the blockade, most group kitchens have now shut down. Greens and meat are inaccessible or unaffordable. The World Well being Group mentioned yesterday that two million individuals have been ravenous within the Gaza Strip whereas tonnes of meals was being blocked on the border.
Al Jazeera is reporting that a minimum of two individuals have been killed by Israeli drone fireplace within the Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza Metropolis, whereas two others have been killed by Israeli artillery shelling within the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

Jennifer Rankin
Israel has justified its blockade of Gaza by claiming that Hamas steals meals from humanitarian companies and the UN. The Israeli authorities denies concentrating on civilians and says it’s preventing a warfare of survival.
EU coverage on Israel has usually been hobbled by the difficulties to find unanimity amongst 27 member states with totally different views, from nations which have recognised Palestine, corresponding to Spain and Eire, to staunch allies of Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu, corresponding to Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Whereas the EU-Israel can solely be suspended by unanimity, key provisions, together with on commerce and Israel’s participation in Europe’s Horizon analysis funding programme will be suspended on the premise of a weighted majority vote.
EU overseas ministers to debate plans to assessment bloc’s relationship with Israel

Jennifer Rankin
Jennifer Rankin is Brussels correspondent for the Guardian
EU overseas ministers will focus on plans to assessment the bloc’s relationship with Israel, amid rising alarm in regards to the dire humanitarian state of affairs in Gaza and the West Financial institution.
Arriving at a gathering in Brussels, EU overseas coverage chief Kaja Kallas mentioned ministers would focus on a Dutch proposal to assessment the EU-Israel affiliation settlement, a commerce accord signed in 2000.
“It’s going to be a really, very laborious dialogue on Gaza,” she mentioned, noting that member states took totally different views of their strategy to Israel’s authorities.
France’s overseas minister Jean-Noël Barrot instructed native media earlier on Tuesday that Paris backed a assessment of the EU-Israel settlement to see if Israel was respecting its commitments to human rights.
In a letter to Kallas, Dutch overseas minister Casper Veldkamp mentioned Israel’s support blockade was a violation of its obligations underneath worldwide humanitarian legislation and due to this fact the EU-Israel settlement, which incorporates provisions to respect human rights. He additionally expressed concern about Israel’s plans to entrust the supply of support to Palestinians to non-public firms, moderately than the UN and humanitarian organisations.
He wrote:
All of this deserves a broader reflection on and dialogue of our relationship with Israel.
Eire’s growth minister Neale Richmond instructed reporters that ten nations now supported the choice to assessment the settlement, up from solely a handful a 12 months in the past.
Commenting on the rising momentum to assessment the settlement, he mentioned:
I can solely think about it’s as a result of different member states have eyes and ears they usually can see absolutely the horrors which are unfolding each day stay on our tv screens in Gaza.
Youngsters are dying, kids are ravenous, households are being murdered on daily basis. This isn’t acceptable and it’s clearly now time for the EU to take a look at that EU-Israel commerce affiliation and the very clear breaches of the human rights underneath article 2 [of the agreement].
He known as on Kallas to offer “a transparent message [that] we gained’t stand for the established order”.