Gazans mark somber Eid al-Adha in shadow of famine, deadly attacks
GAZA CITY
Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip brace for Eid al-Adha under the shadow of hunger and deadly attacks — a grim reality intensified by the postponement of aid operations by a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group that had planned to reopen its facilities on June 5.
This will be the fourth religious holiday Gazans observe since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, now under even harsher conditions, as hunger grips the population more severely than ever.
Though Israel pledged to allow aid following an 11-week-long blockade, the newly established aid mechanism largely failed to deliver. Over 100 people have also been killed by Israeli army fire during chaotic aid deliveries.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) delayed its planned reopening, as the Israeli military declared the roads leading to these centers “active combat zones.”
The decision to close on June 4 and 5 came after a string of deadly incidents near sites it operates that drew sharp condemnation from the United Nations.
Israeli bombardment on June 4 killed at least 48 people across the Gaza Strip, including 14 in a single strike on a tent sheltering displaced people.
Food shortages in Gaza have propelled fresh international calls for an end to the war, but a truce between Israel and Hamas remains elusive.
The United States, Israel's key ally, used its veto power at the U.N. Security Council on June 4 to block a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, posting on social media: "That is the only way to destroy the Hamas terrorists" holding hostages in Gaza.
"Today, the United States sent a strong message by vetoing a counterproductive U.N. Security Council resolution on Gaza targeting Israel," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement after the 14 to 1 vote.
He said Washington would not support any text that "draws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas or disregards Israel's right to defend itself."
"The United States will continue to stand with Israel at the U.N.," he added.
Hamas condemned the veto as "disgraceful" and accused Washington of "legitimizing genocide" in Gaza.
U.N. Security Council members also criticized the United States. It was the 15-member body's first vote on the situation since November 2024, when the United States also blocked a text calling for an end to fighting.
Pakistan's ambassador to the U.N., Asim Ahmad, meanwhile, said the failed resolution would "remain not only a moral stain on the conscience of this council, but a fateful moment of political application that will reverberate for generations."
