Archive May 27, 2025

In the gruesome middle of the day, thousands of Palestinians have clambered over fences and pushed through crowded crowds to get supplies for life-savings, illuminating the magnitude of the humanitarian disaster that Israel’s three-month aid blockade has caused in Gaza.

As desperate crowds struggled to get to the Israeli-Israel food distribution point on its first day of operation while Israeli military gunfire rumbled in the background as military helicopters flew overhead.

Long lines of people poured into a large open field where the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) had been stacked in television footage from Rafah in southern Gaza. Later, as people made their way to the GHF distribution point, they were spotted tearing down fences as they desperately needed Palestinians, including children and women.

“We have been starving for a long time. We must provide food for our children. What other options do we have? A Palestinian father told Al Jazeera, “I could do anything to feed them.”

Even though it meant taking a risk, we watched as people ran, and we followed them. Fear, however, is not as bad as starvation.

The Israeli military claimed that its forces did not fire at the aid distribution center as it was attacked by thousands of Palestinians, but instead instead used warning shots in an area close to it. It stated in a statement that the situation had been given control and that aid distribution would continue as planned.

In light of persistent hunger and Israeli bombing of civilians, including children, Gaza officials claimed Israel was ignoring the need to provide aid.

The Government Media Office in Gaza stated in a statement following the mayhem that “what happened today is conclusive evidence of the occupation’s failure to manage the humanitarian crisis it purposefully created through a policy of starvation, siege, and bombing.”

Despite claims that the new organization lacked the experience or ability to help more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, GHF, a foundation supported by the US and supported by Israel, delivered its aid to Gaza.

According to the UN and other aid organizations, the organization violates humanitarian law and could cause Palestinians to flee their homes as a result of the country’s limited distribution of aid.

Reckless, inhumane plan:

Seeing thousands of Palestinians storm the aid facility was “heartbreaking,” according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

He told reporters, “We and our partners have a detailed, principled, and operationally sound plan supported by member states to provide aid to a desperate population.” We continue to emphasize the importance of carrying out humanitarian operations in a meaningful way to stop famine and provide for all civilians wherever they are.

The unpredictable hunger that was gripping Gaza was highlighted by the chaos. 1.95 million people in the enclave are experiencing acute food shortages, according to the most recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report.

Aid organizations have been making frequent warnings that Israel is using Gaza’s starvation as a weapon of war.

The Norwegian Refugee Council’s spokesperson, Ahmed Bayram, told Al Jazeera, “This is not how aid is done,” describing the situation in Rafah as the “inevitable consequence of a reckless and inhumane plan.”

“These are the scenes that we have been warning about for a long time.” It created chaos. It created confusion. And he claimed that this was the outcome.

“I believe the best thing to do right now is to cancel this plan, reverse it, and let us professional humanitarians from the UN and NGOs carry out our duties,” she said. Aid is in the pipeline across the border in abundance. The decision is [open the gates and keep them open.]

Israel appointed the GHF as the principal distributor of aid following back-channel meetings between Israeli-linked officials and business figures. Israel has also prevented Israel from donating money to the UN and other international organizations.

Despite being portrayed as a neutral body, the GHF’s close ties to Israel and the US have drawn widespread condemnation. The foundation’s former head abruptly resigned this week, citing the foundation’s failure to uphold “neutrality, impartiality, and independence,” its foundation’s core human rights principle.

The GHF came from “private meetings of like-minded officials, military officers, and businesspeople with close ties to the Israeli government,” according to a report in The New York Times.

Israel has stated that it does not control the physical distribution of aid, but that it supports the system’s use of biometric screening, including facial recognition, to assess the status of the recipients. It is feared by Palestinians as yet another Israeli surveillance and repression tool.

Critics have also warned that the GHF’s structure and the aid concentration in southern Gaza could lead to the Israeli military’s planned depopulation of northern Gaza.

This is undoubtedly not enough.

The GHF has set up only four “mega-sites” for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, compared to the previous UN-led distribution network, which ran about 400 sites across the strip.

According to Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, many of the food parcels distributed in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza were insufficient to provide for families.

Khoudary described a typical food box that contained four kilograms (8.8 pounds) of flour, two cans of fava beans, two tea bags, and some biscuits. Lentils and soup were present in small quantities in other food packages.

Khoudary claimed the 8, 000 food boxes, which the GHF claimed amounted to 462, 000 meals, would hardly last for a single family for very long.

In a brand-new era of “dangerous and uncertain” times, King Charles III of Canada’s Parliament delivered a rare royal speech praising the nation’s sovereignty.

The alleged “Speak from the Throne” on Tuesday was a historic moment. It marked Charles’ first official address from Canada since becoming king, and Charles’ third official speech that kicked off the parliamentary session was delivered by a British monarch, not a lower official.

Charles sought to explain the occasion in an Ottawa Senate address as occurring during a similarly historic “epoch.” The disruptive policies of US President Donald Trump, who threatened to make Canada the “51st state” of the US, dominated the statements.

In 1957, in the wake of World War II and as the Cold War grew, the king brought back Queen Elizabeth II, his mother, who had delivered the first “Speech from the Throne.”

He claimed that the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the start of the war on terror have all been historical landmarks in the decades since.

“Canada is in a critical position right now. Since World War II, there has never been a more dangerous and uncertain place in the world. Canada is dealing with difficulties that are unheard of in our lifetimes.

What were the main conclusions of the speech?

Sovereignty

Although only once in the speech was directly mentioning the Trump administration, a significant portion of the policies have been implemented since Trump took office on January 20.

In his opening statements, Charles and his wife Camilla described “Canadians coming together in a renewed sense of national pride, unity, and hope” as “a deep sense of pride.”

The government is working to “protect Canada’s sovereignty,” he said, adding that the government is rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces and strengthening alliances with Europe. “Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination, and freedom are values that Canadians hold dear.

Justin Vovk, a royal historian at McMaster University in Ontario, said the speech added pressure to Canada as it was under US pressure. Charles would have had to “approve the speech,” even though the address was actually written by Canada’s government, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Vovk remarked that he would have acknowledged his ease in repeating his words. It also affirmed that Canada does have its own identity on the global stage and that it is continuing to support its commitment to international cooperation.

Trade war

Vovk noted that Charles’ speech was notable for its careful treatment of the US, which was far from a tirade against Trump. That was especially true when Trump made references to the tensions that they have caused for the two long-term trading partners, particularly with regard to their tariffs on Canada.

Early on, Charles acknowledged that “the system of open global trade, which has contributed to Canadian prosperity for decades, is changing. The relationship between Canada and its partners is also changing.

In his only direct reference to Trump, Charles later praised the strengthening of Canada-US ties as an example of the new opportunities created by change.

He claimed that “the president of the United States and the prime minister of Canada have begun to define a new economic and security relationship between the two countries, which is based on mutual respect and has shared goals to deliver transformal benefits to both sovereign nations.”

According to historian Vovk, Vovk said that the speech struck that balance and was “actually quite remarkable.”

He claimed that there was a lot of emphasis on Canadian-American cooperation. Donald Trump should or will likely be pleased about a lot of the speech, he said.

Border problems

Trump’s mention of US-Canada border issues is one of the most notable messages.

Trump had demanded that Canada retaliate against immigration and drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl, at the border before imposing 25% tariffs on many Canadian goods.

Only 27 kg (59 pounds) of fentanyl were seized at the US-Canada border between 2022 and 2024, accounting for 0.1 percent of the drug’s seizures during that time, according to Canadian government data, making the pressure campaign extremely misguided.

Charles praised the soon-to-be-introduced legislation that would “enhance security at Canada’s borders.”

He added that law enforcement and intelligence agencies will have “new tools” to stop the flow of fentanyl and its precursors.

Charles also made reference to immigration, claiming that the government of Canada would “bring balance” to the situation.

That was in line with Carney’s campaign promise, which was to counteract opposition to former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s immigration policies.

domestically speaking,

The newly elected prime minister’s speech also addressed other important issues, including the Liberal Party’s 170 seats in the 343-member House of Commons in April, which the party won.

Charles cited Carney’s plan to ramp up construction of modular and prefabricated housing as well as the nation’s housing crisis. He cited efforts to “remove barriers to trade and labor mobility” across Canada’s 13 provinces.

He also made reference to energy projects’ plans to speed up energy development, claiming that the changes will “unleash a new era of growth that will ensure we don’t just survive ongoing trade wars, but emerge from them stronger than ever.”

Charles also cited the importance of Indigenous groups like the Metis and the Inuit, whose many agreements with the Crown date before Canada’s 1867 founding. He backed the groups’ ongoing efforts to “reparate” historical harm, or repair it, with the Canadian government.

The monarch proclaimed, “It is my great hope that in each of your communities and as a country as a whole, a path is found toward truth and reconciliation in both word and deed.”