# Israel
Last month
March 2024
EU calls on Israel to open additional crossings to allow more aid to reach Gaza
It comes as the first boat loaded with 200 tonnes of food aid makes slow progress towards the Gaza Strip.
UN told Israel is using 'starvation' in Gaza as a 'weapon of war'
Josep Borrell told the UN Security Council that the humanitarian crisis is “man-made”.
A Spanish charity vessel has begun its journey to Gaza from Cyprus, towing a barge with 200 tonnes of aid.
US charity World Central Kitchen has said work is "underway" on a jetty to unload the shipment.
Aid groups have been warning of the risk of famine in besieged Gaza for weeks.
Varadkar on Biden-White House visit: 'I'm not here to tell him off or tick him off'
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says he believes the US president would get the same welcome in Ireland as he did last year.
President Michael D Higgins issues strongly worded statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza
The President said the “world has been warned” of the consequences of inaction in Gaza.
Hamas chief says still open to truce talks as Ramadan begins and US vessel sets sail with aid
The Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan begins tomorrow.
American officials said it is likely to be weeks before the pier is operational.
Meanwhile, Biden said he believes Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel”.
The health ministry in Gaza today said the number of deaths in Israel's bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza had risen to 31,045.
Aid ship from Cyprus 'ready' to sail for Gaza through maritime corridor
The head of the European Commission expressed hope that a maritime corridor could open tomorrow, although details remained unclear.
US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the US military would build a "temporary pier" off Gaza's coast to bring in aid.
A humanitarian aid airdrop in the north of Gaza killed five people and wounded 10 yesterday.
US to build port off Gaza for emergency aid, Biden announces
Biden urged Israel to let more assistance into Gaza, though he still defended its military operation against Hamas.
Israel slams South Africa's new request for UN court orders as Gazans face 'catastrophic' hunger
China has called the humanitarian crisis a “disgrace for civilisation”.
Yesterday, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said this was the worst humanitarian crisis he has ever seen.
The health ministry in Gaza has said 20 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration, at least half of them children.
Envoys continue to push for ceasefire in Gaza before start of Ramadan
US President Joe Biden had urged Hamas to accept a ceasefire plan with Israel before the Muslim fasting month begins.
The UN World Food Programme has warned that hunger has reached "catastrophic levels" in northern Gaza.
At a parliamentary party meeting this evening, Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the situation as the worst humanitarian crisis he has ever seen.
The Palestinian health ministry said Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 30,717 people, mostly women and children.
Planning underway for Ireland to provide aid for international air drops into Gaza
Department of Foreign Affairs officials in the Middle East are involved in the operation and it is believed they have requested some military assistance.
Mediators push for ceasefire but differences still remain as fighting rages on in Gaza
Envoys from the United States, Qatar and Hamas have reportedly arrived in Cairo for the latest talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.
All sides have been scrambling to lock in a truce before Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month that begins on 10 or 11 March.
The health ministry in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said at least 90 Palestinians had been killed in the past 24 hours.
US begins air-dropping aid into Gaza, as over a dozen children die from malnutrition
On Thursday, Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinian civilians as a crowd rushed towards aid trucks in Gaza City.
Gaza's health ministry said more than 100 people were killed in the shootings.
A UN team that visited some of the wounded in Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital yesterday saw a "large number of gunshot wounds".
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that "every effort must be made to investigate what happened and ensure transparency".
February
February 2024
Over 100 people killed as Israeli soldiers fire on Gazans rushing to aid trucks, health ministry says
Witnesses said Israeli soldiers opened fire as people pulled flour and canned goods off trucks.
Israeli officials have denied blocking supplies.
The reported attack comes as aid agencies intensified warnings over Gaza's humanitarian situation, with famine threatening.
More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, health ministry says
Mediators say a truce deal between Israel and Hamas could be just days away.
Aid agencies have raised serious concerns of a looming famine in Gaza's north.
Negotiators are hoping a truce can begin by the start of Ramadan in March.
However, a senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that there is still a long way to go because an agreement could be reached.
Israel prepared to pause attacks during Ramadan if hostage deal reached, says Biden
Negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar are working on a framework deal under which Hamas would free some of the dozens of hostages it holds.
