![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaBogota begins water rationing amid severe droughtPublished34 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsClimateImage source, ReutersBy Max MatzaBBC NewsAbout ten million residents of the Colombian capital Bogota are being forced to ration water amid crippling shortages due to a severe drought.It comes as the El Niño climate phenomenon pushes reservoir levels to their lowest point in decades. Officials have split the region around the capital into nine zones – each zone taking turns to switch off water services for 24 hours. Hospitals and schools are exempt. The city’s mayor called the situation dire. Restrictions announced earlier in the week came into force on Thursday. Authorities will reassess the situation every two weeks under the rationing plan. “Let’s not waste a drop of water in Bogota at this time,” Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said in a press conference to announce the measure.”That will help us so that these restrictions can be lifted more quickly or reduced,” he continued.Image source, ReutersA lack of rain and unusual heat has seen Colombia’s reservoirs dry up at an alarming rate. The Chuza reservoir, part of the system which provides around 70% of the city’s water, is at less than 17% capacity.The mayor said this was the lowest point in 40 years. Colombian President Gustavo Petro took to Twitter/X on Thursday to say he had ordered “a substantial change” to protect water resources over the next 30 years. He also warned against “unhindered urbanisation” and criticised the “pillaging” of natural aquifers by the agriculture and construction industries. Meanwhile, residents are cutting down on their water usage. “There are things we can no longer do, like washing the car,” Clara Escobar, who lives in the city’s suburbs, told AFP news agency.”We shower less” and “we wash clothes [only] when necessary”, she said.Experts have tied the issue, in part, to the current El Niño period, in which global temperatures typically increase.Mexico City and Uruguay’s capital Montevideo have also faced water shortages in recent years.Climate change has also been deemed a major driver of drought, as well as rapid urbanisation and poor infrastructure.Not all droughts are due to climate change but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.Record hot March sparks ‘uncharted territory’ fearImage source, Getty ImagesImage source, ReutersRelated TopicsDroughtEl NiñoClimateSevere weatherColombiaMore on this storyRecord hot March sparks ‘uncharted territory’ fearPublished2 days agoTop StoriesOJ Simpson, NFL star cleared in ‘trial of the century’, dies aged 76Published28 minutes agoUnpaid carers shocked at having to repay thousandsPublished2 hours agoUK food production at threat after extreme floodingPublished1 hour agoFeaturesObituary: The spectacular fall of NFL star OJ SimpsonListen: Americast – The life and death of OJ SimpsonAttributionSoundsThe Papers: Trident ‘safe in Labour’s hands’ and OJ dead at 76Suicide is on the rise for young Americans. Why?’I survived the ferry disaster – but lost 17 of my family’Weekly quiz: How did ‘Hardest Geezer’ celebrate the end of his Africa run?India election: What is at stake in the world’s biggest poll?Bowen: Israel denies famine looms in Gaza, but evidence is overwhelmingHow gang violence gripped a tourist havenElsewhere on the BBCShould you be worried about getting enough protein?Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber unpick this macronutrient to find out what it does in our bodiesAttributionSounds’I’m not difficult… I just cannot take mediocrity’Explore the meteoric rise to fame and troubled personal life of the comedy pioneer Peter SellersAttributioniPlayer’I was freaking out, I knew I was in trouble’How did Australian Holly Deane-Johns end up in a notorious Thai prison?AttributionSoundsUnearthing the fascinating stories of our ancestorsBritain’s Biggest Dig gives a glimpse into the life of the rich and poor of Georgian LondonAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Harry Kane says children ‘fine’ after car crash2Unpaid carers shocked at having to repay thousands3Trident ‘safe in Labour’s hands’ and OJ dead at 764OJ Simpson, NFL star cleared in ‘trial of the century’, dies aged 765UK food production at threat after extreme flooding6Gang culture at neurosurgery department, doctor alleges7Mother heartbroken over daughter’s stabbing death8NHS spring Covid booster jab bookings to open9David Cameron heads to Brussels for Gibraltar talks10Postmistress jailed while pregnant rejects ex-Post Office boss’ apology](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/A084/production/_133129014_2fb996e158a74e7e589d8ffa9bc3d0133f01c2890_0_5500_36691000x667.jpg)
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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaBogota begins water rationing amid severe droughtPublished34 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsClimateImage source, ReutersBy Max MatzaBBC NewsAbout ten million residents of the Colombian capital Bogota are being forced to ration water amid crippling shortages due to a severe drought.It comes as the El Niño climate phenomenon pushes reservoir levels to their lowest point in decades. Officials have split the region around the capital into nine zones – each zone taking turns to switch off water services for 24 hours. Hospitals and schools are exempt. The city’s mayor called the situation dire. Restrictions announced earlier in the week came into force on Thursday. Authorities will reassess the situation every two weeks under the rationing plan. “Let’s not waste a drop of water in Bogota at this time,” Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said in a press conference to announce the measure.”That will help us so that these restrictions can be lifted more quickly or reduced,” he continued.Image source, ReutersA lack of rain and unusual heat has seen Colombia’s reservoirs dry up at an alarming rate. The Chuza reservoir, part of the system which provides around 70% of the city’s water, is at less than 17% capacity.The mayor said this was the lowest point in 40 years. Colombian President Gustavo Petro took to Twitter/X on Thursday to say he had ordered “a substantial change” to protect water resources over the next 30 years. He also warned against “unhindered urbanisation” and criticised the “pillaging” of natural aquifers by the agriculture and construction industries. Meanwhile, residents are cutting down on their water usage. “There are things we can no longer do, like washing the car,” Clara Escobar, who lives in the city’s suburbs, told AFP news agency.”We shower less” and “we wash clothes [only] when necessary”, she said.Experts have tied the issue, in part, to the current El Niño period, in which global temperatures typically increase.Mexico City and Uruguay’s capital Montevideo have also faced water shortages in recent years.Climate change has also been deemed a major driver of drought, as well as rapid urbanisation and poor infrastructure.Not all droughts are due to climate change but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.Record hot March sparks ‘uncharted territory’ fearImage source, Getty ImagesImage source, ReutersRelated TopicsDroughtEl NiñoClimateSevere weatherColombiaMore on this storyRecord hot March sparks ‘uncharted territory’ fearPublished2 days agoTop StoriesOJ Simpson, NFL star cleared in ‘trial of the century’, dies aged 76Published28 minutes agoUnpaid carers shocked at having to repay thousandsPublished2 hours agoUK food production at threat after extreme floodingPublished1 hour agoFeaturesObituary: The spectacular fall of NFL star OJ SimpsonListen: Americast – The life and death of OJ SimpsonAttributionSoundsThe Papers: Trident ‘safe in Labour’s hands’ and OJ dead at 76Suicide is on the rise for young Americans. Why?’I survived the ferry disaster – but lost 17 of my family’Weekly quiz: How did ‘Hardest Geezer’ celebrate the end of his Africa run?India election: What is at stake in the world’s biggest poll?Bowen: Israel denies famine looms in Gaza, but evidence is overwhelmingHow gang violence gripped a tourist havenElsewhere on the BBCShould you be worried about getting enough protein?Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber unpick this macronutrient to find out what it does in our bodiesAttributionSounds’I’m not difficult… I just cannot take mediocrity’Explore the meteoric rise to fame and troubled personal life of the comedy pioneer Peter SellersAttributioniPlayer’I was freaking out, I knew I was in trouble’How did Australian Holly Deane-Johns end up in a notorious Thai prison?AttributionSoundsUnearthing the fascinating stories of our ancestorsBritain’s Biggest Dig gives a glimpse into the life of the rich and poor of Georgian LondonAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Harry Kane says children ‘fine’ after car crash2Unpaid carers shocked at having to repay thousands3Trident ‘safe in Labour’s hands’ and OJ dead at 764OJ Simpson, NFL star cleared in ‘trial of the century’, dies aged 765UK food production at threat after extreme flooding6Gang culture at neurosurgery department, doctor alleges7Mother heartbroken over daughter’s stabbing death8NHS spring Covid booster jab bookings to open9David Cameron heads to Brussels for Gibraltar talks10Postmistress jailed while pregnant rejects ex-Post Office boss’ apology
[ad_1] The reservoir that provides around 70% of water in Colombia’s capital is at less than 17% capacity.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaIndonesia: Prabowo Subianto confirmed as president-elect as rivals allege fraudPublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Mr Prabowo, a retired general, cast himself as a cuddly grandpa during the campaignBy Kelly NgBBC NewsIndonesia’s defence minister Prabowo Subianto has been declared the winner of last month’s presidential election in the world’s third largest democracy.Mr Prabowo appealed for unity as his two rivals, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, vowed to contest the result.The former general, who had been dogged by allegations of human rights abuse for decades, won 58.59% of the votes.He had endeared himself to social media-savvy voters with TikTok videos that cast him as a cuddly grandpa.”For those who didn’t vote for us, give us a chance,” the 72-year-old said after the elections commission announced the official count on Wednesday night.”We will prove that we are a president and vice president who will work as hard as possible for all the Indonesian people,” he said.He will assume office in October, taking over from President Joko Widodo, who is more popularly known as Jokowi.Eighty percent of 205 million registered voters across 17,000 islands and three time zones trooped to polling centres last 14 February, making it the world’s largest single-day election.Mr Prabowo’s votes exceeded the majority required to avoid a runoff. Mr Anies and Mr Ganjar got 25% and 16%, respectively.What can Indonesia expect from a Prabowo presidency?The tainted army figure set to be Indonesia’s next rulerMr Prabowo thanked the popular Jokowi, whose tacit backing is widely believed to have helped him win. The former general lost two presidential elections to Mr Jokowi in 2014 and 2019.His running mate – now the vice president-elect – is Mr Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who was only able to run only after a last-minute lowering of a minimum age requirement.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Prabowo Subianto danced as he claimed victory – unofficial counts put him well over the 50% vote markMr Prabowo claimed victory after the election on 14 February when unofficial tallies showed he had a strong lead over his rivals. World leaders have also congratulated him over the past weeks.On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken extended his “sincere congratulations” and applauded Indonesians for “their robust turnout and commitment to democracy and the rule of law”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement that he looked forward “to deepening our strategic partnership even further”, a view echoed by the French foreign ministry.Anticipating protests from Mr Anies’ and Mr Ganjar’s supporters, police deployed more than 3,000 officers to stand guard across the capital city Jakarta before official results were announced.Demonstrators have taken to the streets in the past weeks alleging widespread election fraud.Among other things, Mr Anies and Mr Ganjar had earlier alleged that Mr Gibran’s candidacy was a part of behind-the-scenes manoeuvring that showed Mr Jokowi’s partiality for the Prabowo-Gibran camp.Mr Anies said on Wednesday that there had been election irregularities and that his legal team would take it to court.”A leadership born out of a sullied process, with deviations, fraud, will produce a regime with unjust policies,” Reuters news agency cited him as saying.The head of Mr Ganjar’s legal team had also told BBC Indonesia they would challenge the result in court. They have to do so within the next three days, according to the country’s laws.”There have been a lot of complaints about irregularities. This election in the Reformasi era is considered [by many] to be less free and fair than previous elections in the post-Suharto period,” Indonesian professor Dewi Fortuna Anwar told the BBC’s Newsday programme on Thursday.The Reformasi, also known as the Reform era, began with the fall of Indonesia’s authoritarian president Suharto in May 1998.”Academics and civil society organisations throughout the country have been expressing concerns over [alleged] ethical and legal violations, and improper, or you might even say illegal, use of state resources,” said Ms Dewi, a professor at the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia.Additional reporting by BBC IndonesiaRelated TopicsAsiaIndonesiaJoko WidodoMore on this storyIndonesia’s ‘man of the people’ plays kingmakerPublished13 FebruaryWatch: What the maps miss about this huge Asian nationPublished13 FebruaryAn ‘impossible’ country tests its hard-won democracyPublished10 FebruaryTop StoriesWomen’s state pension report set to be publishedPublished16 minutes agoBank of England expected to hold interest ratesPublished5 hours ago’Damaging’ testimony withheld from pregnant postmistress trialPublished5 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: Rwanda defeat in Lords and ‘rate cut hope’Poland’s ‘Heart of the Garden’ named tree of 2024The new 28-year-old peer who wants to scrap the LordsNew hope for sisters trapped in their bodiesThe ‘nerdy weird’ killer who fooled everyoneAnthony Mackie: We need more fun on our TVsUK start-up to beam 4K video from space stationInside story of a Nigerian ransom negotiatorA museum tried reverse misogyny. Now a man is suingElsewhere on the BBCHow do you create an Oscar-winning soundscape?Johnnie Burn explains how he used audio to re-create the horrors of the HolocaustAttributionSoundsHow can you avoid being scammed by AI?Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong take a deep dive into the world of AI voice clonesAttributionSoundsSuccess in the women’s gameManchester United’s Ella Toone gets candid with Eddie Hearn about fame, football and life in the spotlightAttributionSoundsIs our future underground?The Inquiry investigates the latest developments in underground living for surviving climate changeAttributionSoundsMost Read1Post Office wanted expert witness to alter report2Rwanda defeat in Lords and ‘rate cut hope’3A museum tried reverse misogyny. Now a man is suing4Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter fired by LA Dodgers5New hope for sisters trapped in their bodies6Women’s state pension report set to be published7Bank of England expected to hold interest rates8NHS AI test spots tiny cancers missed by doctors9We want to keep our Christmas tree up all year10Fresh defeats in the Lords over Rwanda bill](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/C27B/production/_132978794_98b6e429d3614ecf12e9ba8b45d4ffbc65a4aa110_0_2558_17061000x667.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaImages show North Korea sealing its border with ChinaPublished4 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, There has been a major ramping up of security along the border between North Korea and China. This image shows North Korea from an area near the Chinese border city of Hunchun in 2015By Michael Sheils McNameeBBC NewsNorth Korea has used the Covid-19 pandemic to seal up its northern border with China, new images from a leading human rights group show. Human Rights Watch (HRW) describes a situation which has seen “intensifying repression”, with “drastically reduced” cross-border movement and trade. In the research, North Koreans spoke of the increasingly restrictive measures.UN member states should “immediately address” North Korea’s isolation and humanitarian crisis, HRW stresses.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reinforced a crackdown on border security in recent years, coinciding with the pandemic.The border was only reopened a few months ago, largely to improve trade with China.The report, entitled A Sense of Terror Stronger than a Bullet: The Closing of North Korea 2018-2023, describes the “overbroad, excessive, and unnecessary measures during the Covid-19 pandemic”. North Korea country profileFocusing on satellite images, it shows authorities in North Korea constructing 482km (299 miles) of new fencing in the areas it investigated, and enhancing another 260km of fencing which was already in place. Taken between 2019 and 2023 and covering about a quarter of its northern border, the images also detail things like new guard posts and the creation of buffer zones – things which further restrict life in the country. Image caption, In this image, we can see that in March 2019, on the east bank of the Tumen River, a primary fence is visible – but is interrupted with a large gap for the Hoeryong stream. Three years later, in April 2022, a bridge had been added, along with a secondary fence, creating a buffer zoneAlong with the border infrastructure has come a more authoritarian enforcement of rules – including a shoot on sight order for border guards. HRW noted a 20-fold increase in the number of border security facilities in the area observed, with guard posts rising from just 38 to more than 6,500. Lina Yoon, senior Korea researcher at HRW, said North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un should “end the policies that have essentially made North Korea a giant prison, reopen its borders for trade, relax internal travel restrictions, and allow monitored international emergency assistance”. One escapee, who spoke to her relative back home, said rice and wheat could no longer be smuggled into the country. “Not even an ant can make it across the border now”, her relative told her. This has also made it harder for North Korean escapees to send money back home to support their families, the report says, further increasing the suffering of the North Korean people.A family’s escape from North Korea through a minefield and stormy seasAnother person who had left the country described the situation for their relatives in late 2022, when many parts of the world were facing tough Covid-19 restrictions.”My [relative] said now people are more worried of starving to death than of dying of Covid-19,” they said. “They are all worried of dying from simple diseases.”The crackdown has also stopped the flow of cash from people in South Korea to their relatives and contacts in the North.HRW estimated that by the start of 2023, only about one in 10 money brokers were able to send money across, when compared to the situation pre-pandemic. Also highlighted in the report is the toll UN sanctions, imposed on Pyongyang in 2017 following nuclear tests, have had on people. The report calls them “broad-based”, and says they have “exacted a toll on the population at large by undermining people’s rights to an adequate standard of living, and thus to food and health”. “This had an especially hard impact on women, the main breadwinners in most households, by reducing the activities in the markets in which they traded.” One former trader who had been in contact with relatives in North Korea said a relative used to catch squid and crabs, and was able to live off the informal trade with China. Because of Covid-19 and the sanctions, this trade was stopped – and his relatives had to sell for domestic consumptions for a much lower return, making it “hard to survive”. You may also be interested in:This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Myung-hui and her daughter SongmiRelated TopicsHuman rightsUnited NationsNorth KoreaMore on this storySecret calls and code names: How money makes it to N KoreaPublished30 JanuaryAlarm raised over N Koreans deported from ChinaPublished8 December 2023A family’s escape from North Korea through a minefield and stormy seasPublished5 December 2023The daughter who fled North Korea to find her motherPublished6 April 2023North Korea country profilePublished19 July 2023Top StoriesConstance Marten: ‘I did nothing but show baby love’Published19 minutes agoLabour and Tories accused of silence over cutsPublished1 hour agoHorner says ‘time to draw a line under’ controversyAttributionSportPublished10 minutes agoFeaturesBiden faces high-stakes address to calm Democrat nerves’We know what’s coming’: East Ukraine braces for Russian advanceHow are the child benefit rules changing?Budget: Key points at a glancePampered pooches descend on NEC for CruftsAuthor Dame Jacqueline Wilson reads to zoo animals’Stampede’ of kangaroos invades Melbourne golf course. Video’Stampede’ of kangaroos invades Melbourne golf courseIs Hugh right about Oscar films being ‘frankly too long’?The world’s largest robots are setting sailElsewhere on the BBCCaffeine: Dangers and benefitsFind out what effects this drug can have on dementia and cardiovascular diseaseAttributionSoundsClosing the gap between body and bionicsA first-look at a revolutionary type of prosthetic armAttributioniPlayerFrom new shows to comfort telly to guilty pleasures…Self-confessed TV addicts Nat and Jo discuss what’s had us glued to our screens this weekAttributionSoundsRevisiting the brutal war between Britain and the IRAPeter Taylor talks to grieving families devastated by the loss of their loved onesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Boy, 11, died trying social media craze – family2Constance Marten: ‘I did nothing but show baby love’3Teens guilty of killing boy, 16, with zombie knife4World’s earliest forest discovered, scientists say5Sweden formally joins Nato military alliance6Woman who accused Horner suspended by Red BullAttributionSport7BBC Scotland presenter dies after short illness8’I earn £70,000 and can now get child benefit payments’9Ex-sergeant admits horse racing betting fraud10YouTuber Paul to fight ex-champion TysonAttributionSport](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/14254/production/_132861528_36386a226d0013500242ea7d836e56a5fe8443e7.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaGaza aid airdrop: Why delivering food from the air is controversialPublished57 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, US Central CommandImage caption, The US military said Tuesday’s joint airdrops with Jordan were part of a “sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza”By Luis Barrucho, BBC World Service, and BBC ArabicBBCThe US says it airdropped 36,000 meals into northern Gaza on Tuesday in co-ordination with Jordan – the second such joint mission in recent days. It came a day after the World Health Organization said children were dying of starvation in the north, where an estimated 300,000 Palestinians are living with little food or clean water.But the strategy has sparked considerable discussion, with humanitarian organisations saying it cannot meet the soaring needs.It is also a symbol of the failure of the aid effort on the ground. Aid lorries have been entering the south of Gaza through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing during the war between Israel and Hamas. But the north, which was the focus of the first phase of the Israeli ground offensive, has been largely cut off from assistance in recent months. On 20 February, the World Food Programme (WFP) said it was suspending food deliveries to northern Gaza because its first aid convoys in three weeks had endured “complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order”, including violent looting. Last Thursday, more than 100 Palestinians were killed as crowds rushed to reach an aid convoy operated by private contractors that was being escorted by Israeli forces west of Gaza City. Palestinian health officials said dozens were killed when Israeli forces opened fire. Israel’s military said most died from either being trampled on or run over by the aid lorries. It said soldiers near the aid convoy had fired towards people who approached them and who they considered a threat.Israel’s military launched an air and ground campaign in Gaza after Hamas’s attacks on Israel on 7 October, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 253 others were taken hostage. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says.’Not enough’More than 20 airdrops of aid into Gaza have taken place over the past few weeks in co-ordination with the Israeli military, with France, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt conducting them alongside the US and Jordan. One Gaza resident, Ismail Mokbel, told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Lifeline radio – an emergency radio service for the territory set up in response to the conflict – that packages of aid dropped on Friday consisted of some legumes and a few women’s health essentials.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Desperate Palestinians have been surrounding convoys of lorries bringing food aid into northern GazaAnother man, Abu Youssef, said he was not able to get some aid that was dropped near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.”Suddenly, when we were looking up into the sky, we saw aid parachutes. So we remained in the place [where we were] until the aid landed about 500 metres away from us. There were many people, but the aid was little, and so we could not get anything.”Mr Mokbel said not enough aid was dropped to meet the basic needs of the large number of people in the area. “Thousands of citizens saw the aid falling on them… And when hundreds or thousands wait in such areas, only around 10 to 20 people get things, while the others go back with nothing. Unfortunately, this method of dropping through air is not the most suitable way to transport aid to the north district of Gaza,” he added.”Gaza needs a land and water pathway to deliver the aid instead of [doing it in] such a manner, which doesn’t meet the needs of all citizens.” ‘Expensive and haphazard’Initially employed during World War Two to supply isolated troops on the ground, airdrops have evolved into a valuable tool for delivering humanitarian aid, with the UN first using them in 1973.However, they are considered a “last resort”, only to be used “when more effective options fail”, as the WFP said in a 2021 report. South Sudan is the last place where the WFP carried out airdrops.”Airdrops are expensive, haphazard and usually lead to the wrong people getting the aid,” Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and a former UN aid chief, told the BBC after returning from a recent three-day visit to Gaza. Airdrops are seven times more expensive compared to ground-delivered aid due to costs related to aircraft, fuel and personnel, says the WFP. In addition to that, only relatively small quantities can be delivered with each flight, in comparison to what a convoy of lorries can bring in, and significant ground co-ordination is required within the delivery zone, says the WFP. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: US parachutes humanitarian aid into GazaThe International Committee of the Red Cross also stresses the importance of controlling distribution to prevent people from risking their lives by consuming inappropriate or unsafe items.”Delivering sudden and unsupervised types of food to people who are malnourished or even starving can pose serious risks to life. These risks need to be weighed against delivering nothing by air, or the delay a ground distribution may incur,” the organisation warned in a 2016 report published when aid was being airdropped into Syria during the country’s civil war. Airdrops can be carried out from different altitudes, ranging from about 300m to 5,600m (985-18,370ft) in conflict zones, and so ensuring robust packaging is crucial to make sure parcels can endure impact with the ground, the WFP adds.According to the agency, drop zones should ideally be large, open areas no smaller than a football field, which is why deliveries have often been aimed at Gaza’s coastline.However, this has sometimes resulted in aid falling into the sea or being carried by the wind into Israel, according to local accounts. ‘US should pressure Israel’Gaza resident Samir Abo Sabha told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Lifeline radio that he believed the US should do more and put pressure on its ally Israel for a ceasefire.”As a citizen of Gaza, this stuff is of no use,” he said. “What we want [is] America to pressure Israel into a ceasefire and to stop giving Israel weapons and missiles.”Some aid workers have echoed this sentiment.Last week, Scott Paul of Oxfam America wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Instead of indiscriminate airdrops in Gaza, the US should cut the flow of weapons to Israel that are used in indiscriminate attacks, push for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, and insist that Israel uphold its duty to provide humanitarian aid, access, and other basic services.”Melanie Ward of Medical Aid for Palestinians said the US, UK and others should “ensure that Israel immediately opens all crossings into Gaza for aid and aid workers to assist those in need”.But as the crisis deepens, others argued that food must be delivered by any means necessary.”We need to bring food into Gaza any way we can. We should be bringing it by the sea,” José Andrés, a chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, which has been sending food to Gaza, told ABC News.”I don’t think we need to be criticising that Jordan, America are doing airdrops. If anything, we should be applauding any initiative that brings food into Gaza.”President Biden has vowed that the US will “redouble our efforts to open a maritime corridor, and expand deliveries by land” – but those efforts have not yet translated into reality on the ground.Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Sunday that they were facilitating aid convoys and airdrops to northern Gaza “because we want humanitarian aid to reach Gazan civilians in need”.”We will continue expanding our humanitarian efforts to the civilian population in Gaza while we fulfil our goals of freeing our hostages from Hamas and freeing Gaza from Hamas,” he added.Edited by Alexandra FouchéRelated TopicsIsrael & the PalestiniansIsrael-Gaza warIsraelPalestinian territoriesGazaJordanUnited StatesHumanitarian aidMore on this storyChildren starving to death in northern Gaza – WHOPublished16 hours agoTop StoriesHunt expected to cut National Insurance tax by 2pPublished43 minutes agoBirmingham City Council signs off ‘devastating’ cutsPublished17 minutes agoArmy to remove Kate appearance claim from websitePublished7 minutes agoFeaturesWhy food airdrops into Gaza are controversialFour things to watch as 15 US states vote on Super TuesdayDo councils spend too much on diversity schemes?Tax, childcare, vapes: What could be in the Budget?Moment astronauts hug as they arrive at space station. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & Canada’Dad, please don’t go out’: The Gazans killed as Israel freed hostagesPublished2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, Al-Najjar familyImage caption, Abed-Alrahman al-Najjar was killed on 12 FebruaryBy Fergal KeaneBBC News, JerusalemWhen Israeli special forces rescued two of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas, there was relief for their families and a boost for national morale. But the rescue on 12 February has left angry feelings in Gaza, where more than 70 people were reported killed on the night.Warning: Readers may find some of the details below distressing.Nawara al-Najjar was asleep in the tent that had been her family’s home in Rafah for the last five weeks, just a few hundred metres away from the site of the rescue raid. Lying on the ground were Nawara, who is six months pregnant, her six children – ranging in age from 13 to four – and her husband Abed-Alrahman. They had fled from their home in Khan Younis, about 9km (6 miles) north, following the instructions of the Israel Defense Forces who said Rafah was a safe area. Before falling asleep, the couple discussed what to do about two of their children who had been injured. Their son had been burned by scalding food, and their daughter was recovering from facial paralysis caused by trauma in the early stages of the war. Before they became refugees, Abed-Alrahman did whatever work he could find to support his family, often as a labourer on farms. They were a strong couple who always tried to solve problems together. “My husband was anxious, thinking about how he would find a way to treat them and where to take them,” Nawara says. “Our neighbours said they wanted to take my daughter to a doctor for treatment… So, we decided that he would be in charge of our son, and I would be in charge of my daughter.” Then something unusual happened. Nawara usually slept surrounded by the children. But that night, Abed-Alrahman asked to change the arrangement. “Before he went to sleep, he asked me to come and sleep next to him. It was the first time he said, ‘Come sleep with me’.” They fell into the exhausted sleep of refugee life. Then shortly before 02:00 (00:00 GMT), Nawara woke to the sound of shooting. Abed-Alrahman said he would go out and see what was happening. Nawara says: “Our oldest son was telling him, ‘Dad, please don’t go out’. [Abed-Alrahman] was trying to reassure him that nothing would happen; my son was telling him not to go out, that he would die.” Then she felt a searing pain in her head. Shrapnel from an explosion had ripped into the tent.Nawara started screaming. At first she could not see anything. After some minutes her vision returned in time to see Abed-Alrahman in his death throes. She remembers the “rattle” of his final breaths. “When my children first saw him, they were screaming, ‘Oh, father, oh father, don’t leave us, don’t leave us’. I told them, ‘Stay away from your father. Just pray for him’.” Daughter Malak, aged 13, was hit in the eye by a splinter of shrapnel. Four other children sustained minor wounds. They also endured the trauma of what they heard and saw – the explosions and their father being carried away to hospital. Later that night, in a hospital filled with other victims, it was confirmed to Nawara that Abed-Alrahman was dead. What we know about Israel’s Rafah hostage rescue raid‘Without painkillers, we leave patients to scream for hours’Relief and guilt after Gazans find safety in EgyptWeeping, she asks: “What was his sin? What was his children’s sin? What’s my sin? I became a widow at 27.Malak says she was taken to three different hospitals to try and get treatment, but she lost her eye.”I was not treated immediately. Only after three days was my surgery performed. I was injured in the eye and I was also shot in my waist. I’m in pain, pain, pain.” Then Malak became distraught, and cried out: “I lost my dad. Enough!” Image caption, Malak al-Najjar, aged 13, lost an eye on the same night of the Israeli military raidAccording to the health ministry, run under the direction of the Hamas government in Gaza, at least 74 people were killed during the raid in the early hours of 12 February. It is not possible to say precisely how many of the dead were civilians and how many were fighters. But witnesses and medical sources suggest a high proportion of the dead were non-combatants. The independent Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, based in Gaza, using details obtained from hospital lists, says 27 children and 22 women were among those killed. Mohammed al-Zaarab, 45, a father-of-10 from Khan Younis, also fled to Rafah believing it would be safe. He remembers being woken in his tent by the intensity of the assault. “They were shelling with helicopters, with F-16 jets …My son was shot in his hand. Our neighbour was shot in the head.”The following day, Mohammed’s elderly father felt unwell. He took him to the doctor, but soon after the old man died of a heart attack. “I buried him. Today is the third day in his grave. Why is this happening to us?” he asks. The International Medical Corps – which provides emergency aid in crisis zones around the world – runs a field hospital near the scene. Dr Javed Ali, a surgeon from Pakistan, was jolted awake by the first strikes and went to shelter in a safe room in the staff quarters near the hospital. “Aside from the air strikes, we were hearing tanks in the background, there was active exchange of fire from small firearms, as well as a helicopter gunship that was going over the hospital fighting and firing in all directions. So, it was very, very scary. We thought that this was it.” Hearing the sound of ambulances, the medics decided to leave the safe room and help. Along with the wounded came women and children seeking shelter.”The hospital itself is a tent structure. So there were a lot of concerns. Obviously, if there is any strike towards the hospital it will be devastating, but we had to make a decision to save as many patients as possible.”Image caption, Nawara al-Najjar, sitting with some of her children, was injured by shrapnel that ripped into her tent on 12 FebruaryMany of the dead were thought to be still lying under the rubble of destroyed houses. Another doctor – from the international agency Médecins Sans Frontières – sent a series of anguished voice messages to colleagues in London after sunrise on 12 February. She described lying across her children’s bodies to protect them as shrapnel flew through the windows of the room where they were sheltering. The doctor has given the BBC permission to quote the messages but wants to remain anonymous. Her account of what she found after the raid is harrowing.”At our home when we were checking, I found pieces of human flesh. We found a whole lower limb belonging to a human that we don’t know who he is. When I saw the pieces of flesh on the floor, I cried.”Since the beginning of the IDF incursion into Gaza, the military has accused Hamas of using the civilian population as human shields, and using medical facilities to conceal military operations and hide hostages. The rescue of two hostages – Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 – in Rafah this month was a rare success for the Israeli teams searching for more than 130 people, including two children, still believed to be held captive. In a statement to the BBC about the events of 12 February, an IDF spokesman said it was “committed to mitigating civilian harm” during military operations. Military lawyers advised commanders so that strikes complied with international legal obligations.The statement says: “This process is designed to ensure that senior commanders have all reasonably available information and professional advice that will ensure compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict, including by providing ‘Target Cards’ which facilitate an analysis that is conducted on a strike-by-strike basis, and takes into account the expected military advantage and the likely collateral civilian harm, amongst other matters. “Even where circumstances do not allow for a targeting process involving this level of deliberate pre-planning and pre-approval, IDF regulations emphasise that commanders and soldiers must still comply with the Law of Armed Conflict.”Image source, @bringhomenowImage caption, Israeli hostages Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har were reunited with their families shortly after being rescued on 12 FebruaryHuman rights organisations have previously accused Israel of using disproportionate force. In a statement on 8 February – four days before the hostage raid – Human Rights Watch warned that Israel “might be carrying out unlawfully indiscriminate attacks. When it comes to the question of whether Israel is violating the law in Gaza, there is enough smoke to suspect a fire”. In December US President Joe Biden warned Israel against “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza.Any legal deliberation on whether the raid constituted a disproportionate use of force, and therefore a war crime, must await an independent investigation. With no end to the war in sight, that process may take a long time. The anonymous MSF doctor who found body parts in her home is deeply pessimistic. “To be honest, the one who died is the one who is lucky… the one who is left has been cursed and abandoned by all people around the world. It’s not fair… I don’t know how anybody can sleep knowing that our kids are suffering for nothing. We are only civilians.” Her message comes from inside the frightened, claustrophobic confines of Rafah, where 1.5 million people – six times its normal population – have sought shelter. Israel is threatening an invasion of Rafah in the next few weeks, necessary, it says, to destroy Hamas. The fear for the refugees is that the horror of 12 February will soon be overtaken by new miseries, and forgotten by the international community. “I know that this message means nothing to a lot of people,” the MSF doctor says, “and will change nothing”. With additional reporting by Alice Doyard, Haneen Abdeen and Gidi Kleiman.Related TopicsIsrael-Gaza warIsraelGazaMore on this storyWhat we know about Israel’s Rafah hostage rescue raidPublished12 FebruaryRelief and guilt after Gazans find safety in EgyptPublished3 days agoTop StoriesLive. 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