Gaza running out of specialised food to save malnourished children, UN agencies say
Gaza is on the brink of running out of the specialised therapeutic food needed to save the lives of severely malnourished children, United Nations and humanitarian agencies say.
“We are now facing a dire situation, that we are running out of therapeutic supplies,” Salim Oweis, a spokesperson for Unicef in Amman, Jordan, told Reuters on Thursday, saying supplies of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a crucial treatment, would be depleted by mid-August if nothing changed.
“That’s really dangerous for children as they face hunger and malnutrition at the moment,” he added.
Oweis said Unicef had only enough RUTF left to treat 3,000 children. In the first two weeks of July alone, Unicef treated 5,000 children facing acute malnutrition in Gaza.
Nutrient-dense, high-calorie RUTF supplies, such as high-energy biscuits and peanut paste enriched with milk powder, are critical for treating severe malnutrition.
“Most malnutrition treatment supplies have been consumed and what is left at facilities will run out very soon if not replenished,” a World Health Organization spokesperson said on Thursday.
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France’s highest court ruled on Friday that an arrest warrant for former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was invalid as it was issued when he was still in office, but said a new warrant can now be issued as he is no longer a sitting head of state, Reuters reports.
French investigating magistrates had issued the warrant in November 2023 following a French investigation into chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian city of Douma and Eastern Ghouta district in August 2013 that killed more than 1,000 people.
Then-President Assad’s government denied using chemical weapons during the country’s civil war that broke out in 2011. Assad was toppled in December last year by Islamist rebels whose leader is now the interim president.
The Court of Cassation’s decision overturns one made by the Paris Court of Appeal, which had ruled last year that the warrant was valid. Prosecutors, who would need to ask police to carry out the warrant, had challenged its validity.
The Court of Cassation said in a statement:
“The arrest warrant issued at a time when this person was the head of state of Syria is therefore invalid … However, an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity can now be issued since this person no longer holds the position of Head of State.”
ShareUN chief criticises international community’s ‘lack of compassion’ for Palestinians in GazaUN secretary general António Guterres at a press conferece in June. Photograph: Manon Cruz/Reuters
UN secretary general António Guterres on Friday criticised the international community for turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians starving in the Gaza Strip, calling it a “moral crisis that challenges the global conscience”, AFP reports.
“I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community – the lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity,” Guterres said in a speech via videolink to Amnesty International’s global assembly.
ShareHamas says US accusations over Gaza deal failure ‘run counter’ to talks
A Hamas official on Friday accused US envoy Steve Witkoff of distorting reality after he announced Washington’s withdrawal from Gaza truce talks and accused the group of blocking a deal.
“The negative statements of the US envoy Witkoff run completely counter to the context in which the last negotiations were held, and he is perfectly aware of this, but they come to serve the Israeli position,” said Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim in an interview with AFP.
ShareItaly can ‘no longer accept carnage and famine’ in Gaza – foreign minister
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday his country cannot accept “carnage and famine” in Gaza, criticising Israel but stating that Italy was not ready to recognise the state of Palestine.
Italy’s hard-right government has been criticised by the opposition for its stance on Israel but, like many EU countries, has become increasingly concerned the humanitarian situation in Gaza, AFP reports.
“We can no longer accept carnage and famine,” Tajani said, according to Italy’s ANSA news agency, while adding that Rome can only recognise Palestine “at the same time as their recognition of the state of Israel”.
“The time has come for an immediate ceasefire,” Tajani said, speaking at a political party congress.
Tajani used the word “famine” as aid groups warned of starvation spreading in Gaza and as Britain, France and Germany were to hold an “emergency call” on the crisis.
ShareTrump dismisses Macron’s plan to recognise Palestinian state
Donald Trump on Friday dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September Reuters reports.
“What he says doesn’t matter,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “He’s a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn’t carry weight.”
Israeli forces have arrested more than 200 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank over the past three months, according to a statement from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
The IDF said seven reserve battalions had carried out “hundreds of targeted operations” across the West Bank, claiming to have “confiscated hundreds of various weapons” and “eliminated terrorists who posed a threat”.
In addition to the arrests, the IDF said it had thwarted dozens of planned attacks during the deployment, which it said aimed to “protect the residents of Judea and Samaria” – otherwise known as the West Bank.
Israel’s military operations in the West Bank have drawn mounting criticism, with rights groups accusing the IDF of colluding with Israeli settlers in attacks on Palestinians.
Earlier this month, the United Nations human rights office confirmed there has been an increase in killings and attacks against Palestinians by settlers and security forces in the occupied West Bank.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has described scenes of starvation in Gaza as “deplorable” as pressure mounts on the UK government to recognise Palestinian statehood.
Speaking during a visit to a Rolls-Royce factory near Glasgow, Reeves said the immediate priority was ensuring life-saving aid reached those in need.
We’ve all seen the scenes unfolding in Gaza, it is incredibly depressing and deplorable what is happening there.
To avoid a further humanitarian crisis, we must get that food, those medical supplies and aid in to Gaza.
Reeves reaffirmed the government’s support for a two-state solution, calling it “the only way to having enduring peace in the Middle East – a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and peaceful Palestinian state.”
France’s decision to formally recognise Palestine has intensified calls on the UK government to act, with momentum also building within Westminster for Britain to follow suit.
Scottish first minister John Swinney said he “very much welcomed” Emmanuel Macron’s announcement and urged London to act. “Anyone looking at the suffering of the people of Palestine … must come to the conclusion that an immediate solution is required,” he said.
“The solution also is the movement towards a two-state solution, which involves the recognition of an independent Palestinian state.”
Updated at 09.49 EDT
Donald Trump has said Hamas “did not want to make a deal” on a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, the US president’s comments echoed those of his Middle East peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, who said yesterday the Trump team had pulled its negotiators for consultations following Hamas’s latest proposal.
Meanwhile, Israeli media report that Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Hamas for the deadlock, saying in a statement: “Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal. Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home.”
AP reported earlier that ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume next week. Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Friday that an Israeli delegation was due to leave for consultations early next week.
Updated at 09.47 EDT
Palestinian Health Ministry says 89 killed in 24 hours
The death toll from Israeli military operations in Gaza has reached 59,676, according to the latest update from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
In the past 24 hours alone, 89 people were killed and 467 were injured, the ministry said in its daily report. Emergency crews are reportedly still unable to reach victims trapped under rubble or left in the streets.
Since March 18, 2025, 8,527 people have been killed and 31,924 injured, the ministry added.
Victims attempting to collect aid continue to be among the dead and wounded.
Over the past day, nine such deaths and more than 45 injuries were recorded, bringing the total number of fatalities related to Palestinians collecting aid to 1,092, and more than 7,320 injuries, according to the ministry.
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Here is a recap of events so far today:
Gaza is on the brink of running out of the specialised therapeutic food needed to save the lives of severely malnourished children, United Nations and humanitarian agencies say. Salim Oweis, a spokesperson for Unicef in Amman, Jordan, told Reuters supplies of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a crucial treatment, would be depleted by mid-August if nothing changed.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Friday that a quarter of all young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women screened at its clinics in Gaza last week were malnourished, blaming Israel’s “policy of starvation”. MSF said that “rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have tripled in the last two weeks alone”, AFP reports.
Israeli army radio, citing a military official, reported that Israel would allow foreign countries to parachute aid into Gaza starting on Friday, Reuters reports.
Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are expected to resume next week, AFP reports. Hamas official, Bassem Naim said on Friday that he was told an Israeli delegation would depart for consultations early next week.
Israel, with its US allies, is now considering alternative options to bring its hostages home, end Hamas’ rule in Gaza, and secure lasting peace for Israel, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, Reuters reports.
France’s plan to formally recognise a Palestinian state runs counter to the stance held by Palestinian militant group Hamas, Paris said Friday. “Hamas has always ruled out a two-state solution. By recognising Palestine, France goes against that terrorist organisation,” foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X.
The recognition of a Palestinian state must occur simultaneously with the recognition of Israel by the new entity, the Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday.
The UN has urged the UK to repeal “disproportionate” Palestine Action ban, AFP reports.
Germany said on Friday it had “no plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term”.
An internal US government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of US-funded humanitarian supplies, Reuters reports. A State Department spokesperson disputed the findings.
Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf Arab states on Friday welcomed President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France would recognise the state of Palestine, and urged other countries to follow suit, AFP reports.
Iran said it would continue nuclear talks with European powers after “serious, frank, and detailed” conversations on Friday, the first such face-to-face meeting since Israel and the US bombed Iran last month.
ShareIsrael and US considering alternative options to bring hostages home, end Hamas’ rule – Netanyahu
Israel, with its US allies, is now considering alternative options to bring its hostages home, end Hamas’ rule in Gaza, and secure lasting peace for Israel, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, Reuters reports.
A Lebanese pro-Palestinian communist militant has arrived in Lebanon following his release after more than 40 years in detention in France, AP reports.
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, 74, was serving a life sentence for complicity in the murders of two diplomats, one American and one Israeli, in Paris in 1982.
The Paris court of appeal ruled last week that Abdallah could be released on the condition that he leave the country and never return.
Abdallah was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for complicity in the assassinations of US army Lt Col Charles Ray, who was stationed in Paris as an assistant military attaché, and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov.
Syria, the United States, and France said in a joint statement on Friday that they had agreed to engage quickly on efforts to ensure the success of Syria’s transition, unity and territorial integrity, Reuters reports.
The three parties agreed on the need to ensure that Syria’s neighbours do not pose a threat, and that Syria will not pose a threat to its neighbours.