Free Republic

Tel Aviv — The head of the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees has condemned a controversial U.S. and Israeli-backed humanitarian organization operating in Gaza, calling it "an abomination" and "a death trap costing more lives than it saves." The statement from Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for UNRWA, criticizing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) came as the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said 79 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory over the previous 24 hours, 51 of whom it said had died near GHF sites. "There is no food. The people have starved to death, and nobody gives...

Eight international aid groups have jointly rebuked Israel for not only failing "to meet any of the specific criteria" set out by the Biden administration in an Oct. 13 letter demanding that the U.S. ally drastically increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip within 30 days, but accusing Israel of taking "actions that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in Northern Gaza." The U.S. letter had threatened to cut off some U.S. military assistance to Israel if its demands were not met within 30 days — a deadline that has now passed. "Israel's actions failed...

As Vladimir Putin signed laws Wednesday formally declaring a huge swath of Ukraine part of Russia, his ambassador in Washington called the United States' plan to provide Ukraine with an additional $625 million in military aid an "immediate threat" to Russia's strategic interests. The ambassador said the ongoing provision of heavy weapons to Ukraine had cemented "Washington's status as a participant in the conflict." The latest American military aid package for Ukraine, announced Tuesday, includes additional "HIMARS" advanced rocket systems — weapons credited with helping the country gain momentum against Russia's occupying forces — as well as other artillery systems,...