1.4 million Palestinians face acute food
insecurity in Gaza ---- as medicine
shortages deepen
August 3rd, 6:24pm
(PressTV)
Around 1.4 million Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip face
acute levels of food insecurity, while medicine shortages
have reached 47%, officials say.
Palestinian Minister of Social Development Samah Hamad
stated that 74,200 children require urgent treatment for
acute malnutrition.
She made the remarks during a news conference in the
occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, where she
presented the findings of the Integrated Food
Security Phase Classification (IPC) report
alongside UN humanitarian officials.
“A relative improvement shown in the report does not mean
the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has ended, but rather...
reflects the direct impact of continued humanitarian
aid flows,” Hamad said.
She warned that any reduction in assistance
could quickly reverse the limited gains.
“Palestinians in Gaza are not facing a temporary food shortage,
but a systematic Israeli policy targeting the foundations of life
through the blockade and restrictions on the entry of food,
water and medicine,” she said.
Citing the IPC report, Hamad noted that more than 212,000 people
are facing emergency levels of food insecurity, while 24,600
pregnant and breastfeeding women require urgent
nutritional support. The findings, she stressed,
underscore the continued fragility of the
humanitarian situation ---- despite
limited improvements.
Separately, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that shortages of
medicines have reached 47%, medical consumables 58%,
and laboratory testing materials 85%.
The ministry warned that these shortages threaten to bring key
diagnostic and life-saving treatment services close to a halt.
Medicines for cancer and blood disorders are among the most
critically affected, with shortages at 61%, placing patients
at serious risk from treatment interruptions.
Shortages also include 56% for maternal and child health
medicines, 55% for primary health care medicines, 46%
for kidney and dialysis medicines, 35% for mental
health and neurology medicines. plus 33% for
emergency and intensive care medicines,
39% for surgical supplies, and 47% for
orthopedic surgery supplies.
The ministry said the lack of essential laboratory tests,
including complete blood counts, blood gas analysis,
and clinical chemistry tests, is severely impairing
medical teams’ ability to treat critically ill and
wounded patients.
It called on the United Nations and humanitarian organizations
to facilitate the entry of medicines, medical consumables,
and laboratory supplies..... into Gaza.
Gaza’s health sector has been severely weakened during the war
by damage to hospitals and health facilities, plus restrictions on
the entry of medicines, medical supplies, and fuel, the
ministry added.
UN warns Gaza food security improvement remains fragile
Ramesh Rajasingham, deputy emergency relief coordinator for the
Middle East peace process and UN resident and humanitarian
coordinator in the occupied Palestinian territory, said the
IPC report should be interpreted with caution.
The improvement was achieved --- only because of sustained
humanitarian aid deliveries and does not indicate that living
conditions have recovered or that essential services have
been restored.
Around 67% of Gaza’s population, nearly 1.4 million people,
remain in IPC Phase 3 or higher, while more than 200,000
are in IPC Phase 4, classified as emergency levels of
food insecurity, he said. Continued humanitarian
assistance remains essential to maintaining
the limited improvement.
Rajasingham called for border crossings ------ to be opened on a
sustained basis, the resumption of commercial and economic
activity, the restoration of livelihoods, and the launch ---- of
early recovery programs.
Shaun Hughes, the World Food Programme’s representative and
country director in Palestine, said the IPC assessment was
prepared independently by more than 60 experts from
over 20 institutions and was based on the largest
nutrition survey conducted in Gaza since the
start of the brutal Israeli aggression.
“The relative improvement in indicators should not be interpreted
as the end of the crisis, but as a direct result of continued relief
operations,” Hughes said.
He noted that the WFP ..has reached approximately 75% of Gaza’s
population each month since November through food assistance
and cash transfers, warning that any decline in funding or aid
deliveries .........would likely lead to a rapid deterioration in
food security.
The Israeli genocide has already killed more than 73,000
Palestinians, wounded over 171,000, and destroyed
around 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure, according
to Gaza authorities.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, Israeli
attacks have continued, resulting in 1,250 deaths and
4,110 injuries across the besieged region.
Reconstruction has barely begun across most of Gaza, with only
a fraction of the estimated $17 billion in pledged funds actually
secured. Wealthy donors have largely refused to finance
projects in areas still under Israeli control, viewing
such efforts as legitimizing the occupation.
Israel’s weaponization of starvation in Gaza
amounts to ‘war crime’: World Assembly
of Islamic Awakening
The World Assembly of Islamic Awakening slams Israel’s use
of starvation..... as a weapon of war against Palestinians
in the Gaza Strip.
Trump’s post-genocide Gaza plan collapses
as international 'peacekeeping' force
shrinks to a handful of troops.
A Western media report says the US is struggling
to deploy 20 foreign troops in Gaza .........
after pledging 20,000.
_______________________________________________
US underestimates impact of
closure on world economy:
Economist
August 3rd, 4:05pm
(PressTV)
In an interview economist and author Steve Keen
sheds light on the economic risks of prolonged
disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, warning
that oil prices will rise significantly....
if the closure continues.
_______________________________________
Data shows immigration from Israeli-
occupied lands hit record levels
in 2025
August 3rd, 3:44pm
(PressTV)
A new report says an unprecedented wave of immigration from the
Israeli-occupied territories - fueled by ongoing political instability,
economic woes -- and protracted military confrontations across
West Asia, has persisted without interruption throughout 2025.
Data from an analysis of Central Bureau of Statistics data by Tel
Aviv University researchers --- finds that 90,922 people left the
occupied lands for 3 consecutive months or more, last year.
The figure found 91,499 who left for extended
periods in 2024, and 86,509 in 2023.
In comparison, the average number of annual departures
was approximately 60,000 each year during the decade
from 2010 to 2019.
In contrast, during the three-year period a decade earlier,
from 2013 to 2015, only 183,219 settlers departed
for comparable durations.
The research was conducted by Prof. Itai Ater of the Coller
School of Management at Tel Aviv University; Prof. Nittai
Bergman of Tel Aviv University School of Economics;
and Doron Zamir, a doctoral candidate at the Coller
School of Management.
“The figures tell a gloomy story,” Ater said. “I fear ---- that more and
more people, among them doctors, tech workers, and academics,
no longer see Israel as their home or are in serious doubt about
the matter. Many are waiting to see what happens in the
election. My children serve in the army, I’m worried.
So we’re ringing all the bells.”
‘Entire emigration movement’: 200,000
Israeli settlers leave ------- since 2023
Israeli opposition chief warns that the regime has faced an
unprecedented wave of negative migration, with roughly
200,000 settlers having left the occupied territories
since the onset of the genocide on Gaza.
Over the past two years, Israel has experienced an unusual
and considerable net migration deficit, characterized by
a greater number of individuals departing from the
occupied territories, than those arriving.
According to Sergio Della Pergola, a prominent expert on
Jewish demographics, there have only been specific
times during the 1950s and 1980s when the
number of Jews immigrating to the
occupied lands ...exceeded the
number of those departing.
Data from CBS reveals that during 2024 and 2025, almost
50,000 more individuals ------- left the Israeli-usurped
territories, than those who arrived to live there.
Historically, a significant portion of Israel's emigration has
been characterized by the quest for improved economic
prospects overseas.
Nevertheless, a considerable number of individuals
departing from the occupied lands currently, cite
discontent with the administration as the
primary reason for their choices.
__________________________________
Israel removing debris from Gaza
to wipe genocide traces:
Rights monitor
August 3rd, 2:54pm
(PressTV)
A report shows that the Israeli regime is accelerating efforts
to remove rubble caused by its genocidal war in Gaza.
The Israeli regime is removing huge quantities of rubble
from Gaza to wipe traces of its genocidal war against
Palestinians, says a human rights monitor.
The lengthy report published by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
on Monday showed that private Israeli companies, enjoying
protection from Israeli forces, have been loading some
100 trucks per day of debris from neighbourhoods
that they have destroyed in southern and
eastern Gaza, transporting it to areas
the regime controls.... within
occupied Palestine.
The report said the Israeli regime has been carrying out the
clearing operation without notifying world organizations or
allowing inspections into the sites where the regime
committed appalling crimes in Gaza.
It said ----- the removal can conceal traces of genocide, including
summary executions, the killing of unarmed civilians, bombings
that targeted entire families.... as well as sites believed to
contain mass graves or bodies buried within destroyed
homes, hospitals, shelters, and civilian facilities.
“These sites need careful examination and thorough criminal
investigation before any intervention that might change or
erase their features,” said the report.
“These sites --- hold evidence critical for identifying the weapon,
attack sequence, victim and attacker positions, firing ranges,
cause and manner of death, as well as fragments,
projectiles, spent cartridges, biological
traces, and personal belongings.”
At least 13 people, including several children, were killed
in Israeli strikes on Gaza City, Khan Younis, and
Deir al-Balah, Palestinian officials said.
The operation can also cause the failure of efforts to identify
and locate thousands of persons missing since the Israeli
genocidal war began nearly three years ago.
Gaza’s Civil Defence said in a statement in July that
the number of those missing because of the war
could amount to nearly 8,500.
The war on Gaza ---- has killed more than 73,000 people
and injured hundreds of thousands, while displacing
nearly two million people inside the largely
devastated territory.
A joint report by the World Bank, the United Nations, and
the EU released in April 2026 estimated that the Israeli
bombardments have left behind ---- some 68 million
metric tons of rubble across Gaza.
A recent estimate by Euro-Med Monitor showed that at
least 10 million tons of rubble in Gaza have been
removed, crushed, or moved from their original
sites within areas still occupied by Israeli
forces, which account for.... nearly two-
thirds of the Mediterranean territory.
_____________________________________
IRGC shoots down US MQ-9 Reaper
drone --- over the Strait of Hormuz
August 3rd, 10:36 am
(PressTV)
Iran ------ has destroyed over two dozen MQ-9s
since the start of the terrorist US-Israeli war.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) -- has announced that
its aerospace force - shot down a US' MQ-9 Reaper drone over the
Strait of Hormuz using a “modern advanced” air defense system.
The IRGC stated Monday that further details
would be announced subsequently.
The downing, confirmed by the IRGC’s official Sepah News outlet,
marks the latest in a series of devastating losses for the US
military’s premier armed reconnaissance platform.
The MQ-9 Reaper, which the US Air Force has called the “most
valuable player” of its campaign against Iran --- has suffered
catastrophic attrition since the war began in late February.
According to Bloomberg, Iran has destroyed over two dozen MQ-9s
since the start of the terrorist US-Israeli war --- nearly 20 percent
of the Pentagon’s pre-war inventory. At $30 million per airframe,
the total damage is estimated at approximately $1 billion.
The Air Force’s operational Reaper fleet - has fallen to roughly 135
aircraft, well below its own minimum floor of 189 ---- according to
congressional testimony cited by Bloomberg and The War Zone.
General Atomics, the manufacturer, has confirmed that fewer
than 10 new airframes remain available for purchase, and
the production line for the MQ-9A has been shut down.
Since the Ramadan War began, Iran and its allies in the region
have destroyed more than 40 US MQ-9 Reaper drones – over
90 in total across all theatres – reducing the fleet to 35-50
percent below the Pentagon's minimum floor.
The IRGC has documented at least 41 to 42 Reapers destroyed
in flight over Iranian territory, over the Persian Gulf, and on the
ground - at US bases in Kuwait and Jordan.
In the latest wave of its retaliatory Operation Nasr-2, the IRGC
reported to have destroyed eight MQ-9s still in canisters at
Jordan’s King Faisal Air Base, along with additional
aircraft on runways.
“We are exploring options to acquire as many MQ-9A aircraft as
possible right now,” Air Force Lieutenant General David Tabor
told Congress, acknowledging the urgent need to replenish
a fleet that has been systematically dismantled by Iranian
air defenses and missile strikes.
The Reaper, designed for low-threat environments, has proven
vulnerable against Iran’s layered, domestically produced air
defense systems — including the 358 loitering interceptor,
which has also been used by Yemen’s Ansarullah forces
to down nearly 30 Reapers since 2023.
US officials have conceded that the drone’s survivability
in high-threat environments is now in question, even as
it remains central to intelligence, surveillance, and
strike missions across the region.
_____________________________________
Israel ramps up strikes in southern Lebanon,
employs white phosphorus bombs
August 3rd, 10:09am
(PressTV)
Israeli occupation forces have significantly intensified their
military offensives across southern Lebanon over the past
hours, conducting a series of aerial bombardments that
struck multiple towns inhabited by civilians along the
border with the occupied territories.
In the most recent escalation of hostilities, Israeli troops
launched an attack against the town of Taybeh,
deploying substantial firepower in the area -
as part of an ongoing aggression against
Lebanese border communities.
The bombardment, which targeted residential neighbourhoods,
marks a serious escalation in the military strategies of the
occupying Tel Aviv regime, and comes amid already
heightened tensions throughout the region.
Additionally, Israeli warplanes executed low-altitude sorties
over several regions, dropping a stun grenade in proximity
to the town of Mansouri in an apparent attempt to instill
fear among the civilian population and disturb their
daily lives.
In yet another violation of Lebanese sovereignty, an Israeli
aircraft - dropped an explosive device in the Ali al-Taher
area, further aggravating the tense security situation
along the border.
Local media outlets also reported that Israeli forces used
white phosphorus and incendiary munitions in their
attacks against Krom el-Zeitoun and al-Snoubar
areas ----- in the southern Lebanese towns of
Yaroun and Haroun, and Bint Jbeil district.
Reports by international human rights organizations show
that white phosphorus attacks are “putting civilians at
grave risk” and “contributing to displacement.”
Injuries from white phosphorus can be intensely painful
and lead to necrosis. If the burns are not immediately
covered and kept covered, the oxides can reignite
in the skin - due to exposure to oxygen.
Other potential symptoms, might involve intense respiratory
difficulties, acute lung injuries, severe damage to the eyes,
second- or third-degree burns, or even serious bone
disorders, such as the necrotic condition termed
‘Lucifer’s jaw.’
Lebanese sources also reported explosions in the town
of Haddatha, as well as two powerful blasts in the
al-Masha’a neighbourhood of Majdal Zoun.
Two explosions rocked the town of
al-Taybeh, as well.
Moreover, Israeli artillery units shelled Shamaa village
and set fire to several houses in the al-Masha’a area.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, Israel’s
ongoing assaults in Lebanon since March 2 have
claimed the lives of at least 4,333 people and
left 12,236 others wounded.
During the current offensive... Israeli forces advanced
over 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory.
_____________________________________
Hormuz talks limited to Oman,
no negotiations underway
with US: Tehran
August 3rd, 10:15am
(PressTV)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says talks with Oman on
ensuring safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are
bilateral between the two littoral states, adding that
Tehran is not currently engaged in negotiations
with the US.
Speaking at his weekly press conference on Monday, Esmaeil
Baghaei responded to a question about remarks by Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi regarding the finalization of an
understanding - and whether indirect consultations
through mediators are aimed at restoring all the
provisions of the Islamabad Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) that Washington.....
has violated.
Baghaei said Iran’s ongoing talks --- are exclusively with Oman and
are focused on agreeing on a temporary route to ensure the safe
passage of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Our negotiations are with Oman. We are focused --- on reaching an
understanding.. on a framework that would ensure the safe transit
of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Our goal is to determine,
as soon as possible and in consultation and cooperation with
Oman, a route that will temporarily facilitate maritime
navigation,” he said.
The spokesman stressed that the discussions are bilateral between
the two littoral states, although other actors could play either a
constructive or disruptive role.
“The understanding with Oman on a safe shipping route is a
necessary condition for reopening the Strait of Hormuz,
but it is not a sufficient one,” Baghaei said.
“The Strait was not closed because of disagreements between
Iran and Oman. It has faced disruption since last March due to
the military aggression of the United States and the Zionist
regime,” he added.
Baghaei said no significant change in the status of the strategic
waterway should be expected as long as, US military actions
and a naval blockade continue.
“As long as US hostile actions continue, a naval blockade against
Iran remains in place, US military aggression against Iran and its
interests persists, and the United States continues to violate its
commitments, there will naturally be no significant change in
the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
He added that the current negotiations with Oman are limited to
maritime transit issues, while matters concerning Iran and the
US would be addressed at a later stage ........depending on
future developments.
“We are not currently holding negotiations
with the United States,” Baghaei said.
Iran-Oman shipping understanding no
green light for Hormuz reopening:
Foreign Ministry spokesman
Iran says talks with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz.. are
unrelated to any third party, stressing that conditions
there - will not return to their pre-war state.
On Saturday, Trump announced that he had agreed to
cancel a planned attack on Iran, claiming that
Tehran and other regional countries..... had
requested a pause after “the perimeters
of a deal” had been reached.
The reported plans emerged amid continued tensions
following Iran’s resistance to US pressure tactics
and military aggression... with Iranian officials
repeatedly warning that any new attack by
Washington or Tel Aviv would trigger a
strong response.
During a phone conversation on Saturday, Araghchi told
his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan that Tehran
remained prepared to defend its sovereignty,
territorial integrity and national security.
“Any hostile action by the US, or Israel, or participation
or cooperation by regional countries in such actions,
would be met --- with a decisive and proportionate
response from Iran’s powerful armed forces,”
Araghchi said.
Ball in US court
Responding to a question about efforts to bring the US back
into compliance with the agreement and the status of
indirect message exchanges, Baghaei said Iran had
never been the first to violate any understanding.
“The ball has been in the US court for quite some time,” he
said, adding that Washington announced on July 7, that it
would no longer honour all of its commitments under the
June 17 MoU.
Pakistan mediating Iran-US contacts
Baghaei said Pakistan is serving as the mediator on issues
between Iran and the United States, while Qatar assists
when necessary.
He dismissed reports that China had become a new mediator
between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz,
saying Beijing remains a close partner of Iran and is
making diplomatic efforts to prevent any further
regional escalation - because it is concerned
over US unilateralism - and the growing
insecurity in the region.
“China, like several other countries, is helping to prevent
escalation, but it would not be accurate to describe it
as a new mediator,” he said.
US military presence brings
insecurity --- to the region
Commenting on regional countries’ positions regarding the recent
military aggression, Baghaei reiterated that Iran does not seek
to attack its neighbours and that its military operations are
purely defensive, targeting the bases and points --- from
which attacks against Iran are launched.
Baghaei said Tehran hopes the experience of the past five months
has demonstrated that “the continued US military presence in
these countries brings nothing but insecurity, division and
discord ---- among the countries of the region.”
He added that regional states, as permanent neighbours,
should work together to establish a security framework
based on mutual trust and constructive cooperation
that would ensure the security of all countries in
the region.
______________________________________________
Top Bahraini cleric denounces Arab states
for serving US-Israeli agendas to
deepen regional divisions
August 3rd, 8:13am
(PressTV)
Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, the leader of Bahrain’s Shia
community, has denounced regional Arab and Muslim
states for contributing to US and Israeli efforts to
deepen divisions across the region.
Speaking about recent regional developments and the state
of the global Muslim Ummah (Nation) on Sunday... Sheikh
Qassim sharply criticized the subservience of a number
of Arab and Muslim states to Washington and Tel Aviv.
“It is no secret to any of the regimes in the Arab and Muslim world
that the United States and the Zionist regime ...have sinister and
conspiratorial positions, agendas, and plans. We are witnessing
a poisonous culture of division being promoted through their
media ..........with the aim of dismantling the unity of the
Muslim Ummah,” he stated.
“Such an approach -- is intended to deepen divisions among official
regimes at the regional and national levels, with an intense focus
on religious and sectarian dimensions, in order to create the
most severe forms of discord -------- and to perpetuate the
creation of problems, and the outbreak of destructive
and incendiary conflicts,” he added.
The cleric said that substantial financial resources are being
devoted to these “conspiratorial plans,” whose objective is
to fuel destructive and devastating conflicts that drain the
resources of Arab and Muslim nations ...and target their
common existence.
Despite being aware of the ongoing conspiracy, a significant
number of the regional countries participate in fomenting
conflicts and civil wars... while presenting them as
disputes rooted in sectarian or religious
differences, he said.
The conduct of these countries, he added, amounts to
a willingness ---- to see the Arab and Muslim world
be consumed by conflict.
“They take pleasure in seeing the Arab-Islamic world burn, and
their eyes will not be satisfied until the Arab and Islamic
peoples become like humiliated slaves, submitting to
the will of American hegemony and tyranny and
that of the usurping Zionist regime.”