6 h. ago Democrats blast state department for lack of ‘basic oversight’ of controversial Gaza food organization

Letter by senior Democrats asks state department to reveal details behind financing of Gaza Humanitarian FoundationSenior Democratic senators have called on the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to reveal details behind the financing and oversight of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) amid concerns over rising death tolls near aid sites, the group’s apparent coordination with the Israeli army and its reported use of private military contractors linked to intelligence operations.The letter, co-signed by senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch, accuses the state department of an “inability to answer basic questions about GHF in a timely manner” and said that the department’s “overriding of internal protocol and staff warnings is particularly concerning given it is unlikely to be able to conduct basic oversight of the funds it provided to GHF”. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago US Democrats warn that controversial Gaza food organisation may be cover for intelligence operations

Letter by senior Democrats asks state department to reveal details behind financing of Gaza Humanitarian FoundationSenior Democratic senators have called on secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to reveal details behind the financing and oversight of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as concerns grow that the organization is acting as a front for intelligence and political operations.The letter, co-signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch, accuses the state department of an “inability to answer basic questions about GHF in a timely manner” and said that the department’s “overriding of internal protocol and staff warnings is particularly concerning given it is unlikely to be able to conduct basic oversight of the funds it provided to GHF”. Continue reading...

Events

32 h. ago Scottish Food & Drink September returns to celebrate innovation across the sector

Scotland Food & Drink, the leadership organisation for the nation’s food and drink industry, has officially launched ‘Scottish Food & Drink September’ – a month-long celebration of Scotland’s world-class food and drink.

Politics

5 d. ago Donald Trump could stop Gaza’s famine. Instead he’s following Biden’s lead | Mohamad Bazzi

A hunger-monitoring group has confirmed what we already knew about Palestinians’ suffering. The US has the power to end itA global hunger-monitoring group declared last week that Gaza’s largest city and its surrounding area were suffering from an “entirely man-made” famine, mostly caused by Israel’s deliberate starvation strategy and continued siege of the territory. This news won’t surprise anyone who has paid even scant attention to the images and videos of emaciated children and desperate parents that have been coming out of Gaza for months.But the first confirmation of famine by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which includes the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization and other aid agencies, is an important institutional marker. Years from now, it will serve as a reminder of how Israel used starvation as a weapon of war while western powers did nothing. And it will be a source of shame for all those who will inevitably claim that they didn’t ...

Politics

9 d. ago The one food that nutrition expert always buys organic as they taste 'incredible'

While organic food is normally a bit pricier, there is one product Tim Spector is always happy to stump up a bit more for.

Politics

2 w. ago One in five children in Gaza City malnourished, UN warns – Middle East crisis live

Malnutrition has reached 21.5% in Gaza City, meaning around one in five young children are suffering from malnutrition, Unrwa has saidTwo former officials that worked under Joe Biden’s administration have said they received no evidence that “Hamas was physically diverting US-funded goods provided by the World Food Programme or international nongovernmental organizations”.The remarks were made in a joint op-ed in Foreign Affairs by Jacob Lew, who served as US ambassador to Israel from 2023 to 2025, and David Satterfield, former US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues from 2023 to 2024.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) warned that malnutrition in Gaza City has reached 21.5%, meaning about one in five young children are now malnourished.The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said earlier this week that almost 13,000 new admissions of children for acute malnutrition treatment were recorded in July 2025 across Gaza.Two more people were ki...

Events

3 w. ago Gaza latest: Israel draws outrage after Al Jazeera journalists killed in ‘targeted assassination’

Anger grows in Israel and outside over Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plan to take over Gaza

Events

3 w. ago Gaza latest: Netanyahu defends plan to occupy Gaza City as UN warns of ‘calamity’

Anger grows in Israel and outside over Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plan to take over Gaza

Events

3 w. ago UN warns Gaza faces ‘starvation, pure and simple’ as child deaths mount – latest updates

Humanitarian office says 37 children have died from acute malnutrition since July, as overall toll nears 100See all our Middle East crisis coverageIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to hold a press conference with international media in Jerusalem at 4:30pm local time (13:30 GMT; 14:30 BST).He will likely be asked about the security cabinet’s controversial decision on Friday to expand its assault on Gaza and take control of Gaza City.Following the alerts activated in the Gaza Envelope, it is likely that two launches from the Gaza Strip crossed into the country’s territory, interception attempts were made, and their results are under review. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Netanyahu claims his Gaza City takeover plan is fastest way to end war – latest updates

Israeli PM’s plan to escalate war has drawn international condemnationSee all our Middle East crisis coverageIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to hold a press conference with international media in Jerusalem at 4:30pm local time (13:30 GMT; 14:30 BST).He will likely be asked about the security cabinet’s controversial decision on Friday to expand its assault on Gaza and take control of Gaza City.Following the alerts activated in the Gaza Envelope, it is likely that two launches from the Gaza Strip crossed into the country’s territory, interception attempts were made, and their results are under review. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Netanyahu to give press conference after announcement of Israeli plan to escalate war on Gaza – latest updates

PM has ignored military advice and warnings that move could endanger hostages and will lead to further destruction and suffering for PalestiniansSee all our Middle East crisis coverageIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to hold a press conference with international media in Jerusalem at 4:30pm local time (13:30 GMT; 14:30 GMT; 15:30 BST).He will likely be asked about the security cabinet’s controversial decision on Friday to expand its assault on Gaza and take control of Gaza City.Following the alerts activated in the Gaza Envelope, it is likely that two launches from the Gaza Strip crossed into the country’s territory, interception attempts were made, and their results are under review. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Médecins Sans Frontières calls for immediate closure of US and Israelibacked aid group in Gaza – Middle East crisis live

MSF says it has rarely ‘seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians’ as it has at GHF aid sitesThe medical NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for the immediate closure of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US- and Israeli-backed aid organisation operating in Gaza, describing GHF-run food distribution sites in Gaza as having become sites of “orchestrated killing and dehumanisation”.In a social media post on Thursday, MSF wrote:“In MSF’s nearly 54 years of operations, rarely have we seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians.”The GHF-run food distributions in Gaza, Palestine, have become sites of “orchestrated killing and dehumanisation”, not humanitarian aid.During those seven weeks, our teams treated 71 children for gunshot wounds, 25 of whom were under the age of 15. Faced with no alternatives to find food, starved families frequently send teenage boys into this lethal environment, as they are often the only males in the ...

Politics

4 w. ago Only 1.5% of Gaza cropland left for starving Palestinians due to Israel’s war, UN says

Figure down from 4% in April, suggesting Israel has continued to target farmland in once-abundant Gaza StripIsrael’s destruction of Gaza has left starving Palestinians with access to only 1.5% of cropland that is accessible and suitable for cultivation, according to new figures from the UN.This is down from 4% in April, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), suggesting Israel has continued to target Palestinian farmland since initiating a complete blockade in early March, severely restricting aid from entering the Gaza Strip, where 2 million starved people are trapped. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago We published a photo of a malnourished child in Gaza. It made an impact globally – and created controversy | Elisabeth Ribbans

Initially, we did not know that Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq had cerebral palsy. But his medical details do not diminish his suffering, or that of other children in GazaBetween April and mid-July this year, more than 20,000 children in Gaza were admitted to hospital for treatment for acute malnutrition, 3,000 of whom were severely malnourished, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global initiative whose members include UN agencies such as the World Health Organization, World Food Programme and Unicef, as well as NGOs and research institutes.Over this period, and in the weeks since, the Guardian has published many images of hungry children, among them at least 20 shown in an emaciated condition. (It does so working to an editorial code that gives special protection to children, publishing on matters that may intrude into their welfare only when there is a strong public interest to do so.) But one photograph, which appeared on the homepage of ...

Culture