UAE President allocates vaccines, funding for polio vaccination drive in Gaza

LONDON: UN World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain has rejected Israeli government claims that Hamas is looting aid trucks arriving in Gaza, The Independent reported.

The widow of late US Sen. John McCain has repeatedly advocated for Israel to allow more aid into the Palestinian enclave, which was placed under a months-long blockade in March.

The first aid trucks began arriving in the territory last week, but the Israeli government accused Hamas of disrupting the distribution process, claiming to have killed six people affiliated with the group near an aid point at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Friday. Hamas said the armed men were guarding against looting.

An Israeli military spokesperson told Reuters: “Hamas constantly calls the looters ‘guards’ or protectors’ to mask the fact that they’re disturbing the aid process.”

Speaking to “Face the Nation” on CBS on Sunday, McCain was asked by host Margaret Brennan: “Have you seen evidence that it is Hamas stealing the food?”

McCain replied: “No. Not at all. Not in this round. Listen, these people are desperate, and they see a World Food Programme truck coming in, and they run for it. This doesn’t have anything to do with Hamas or any kind of organized crime, or anything.”

She described the situation in Gaza as a “catastrophe,” and said the WFP would continue work urgently to transport food and fresh water into the enclave.

So far, the aid trucks that have entered Gaza are “a drop in the bucket as to what’s needed,” she told CBS.

“Right now, we have 500,000 people inside of Gaza that are extremely food insecure, and could be on the verge of famine if we don’t help bring them back from that.”

Contrary to Israeli claims that many of the aid trucks entering Gaza are being hijacked, McCain said they are being swarmed by “desperate” people. “Having been in a food riot myself some years ago, I understand the desperation,” she added.

GAZA: A Palestinian source familiar with negotiations aimed at securing a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza said Monday that a new proposal involved the release of 10 hostages, a 70-day ceasefire and a partial Israeli withdrawal.
The outline of the new potential deal comes as Israel ramps up its offensive in the Palestinian territory, and follows previous rounds of talks that have failed to reach a breakthrough ever since a two-month ceasefire fell apart in mid-March.
“The new proposal, which is considered a development of the path and vision of US envoy Steve Witkoff, includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a 70-day truce, a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (and) the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners,” the source close to negotiations told AFP.
The source added that mediators presented the proposal “over the past few days,” without specifying whether it came from the United States, Egypt or Qatar, all of which have been involved in the ceasefire talks throughout the war.
The proposal would involve the release of “five living Israeli hostages during the first week of the agreement’s implementation, and five others before the end of the truce period.”
A second Palestinian source familiar with the talks told AFP that “Israel and Hamas will study the proposal and both sides will respond to the mediators.”
Israel said last week that it was recalling its senior Gaza hostage negotiators from Doha “for consultation,” while leaving some of its team in the Qatari capital.
Israel has recently intensified its campaign in Gaza, calling it an “expansion of the battle” against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The last ceasefire between the sides fell apart amid disagreements over how to move forward, with Israel resuming its operations in Gaza on March 18.
On March 2, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on the territory that it said was aimed at forcing concessions with Hamas, with UN agencies since warning it has created critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.
Israel partially eased the blockade last week, and aid trucks have begun to trickle back into Gaza, though humanitarian groups have urged it to allow more supplies to enter faster.