Aoun Underlines Keenness to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

Lebanese President Michel Aoun addresses the heads of the Arab and foreign diplomatic corps at the Baabda Palace (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun addresses the heads of the Arab and foreign diplomatic corps at the Baabda Palace (Dalati & Nohra)
TT
20

Aoun Underlines Keenness to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

Lebanese President Michel Aoun addresses the heads of the Arab and foreign diplomatic corps at the Baabda Palace (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun addresses the heads of the Arab and foreign diplomatic corps at the Baabda Palace (Dalati & Nohra)

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said the accomplishment of an electoral law based on proportional representation “for the first time in the history of Lebanon, and after strenuous efforts, will ensure further political stability since it will allow a greater fairness of representation.”
 
This came on Tuesday during a speech he delivered before heads of the Arab and foreign diplomatic corps and heads of the international missions accredited to Lebanon.
 
 “I affirm my keenness on holding the parliamentary elections on time,” Aoun said, adding that the government, “which featured the major political parties, contributed to the consolidation of stability, although divergent voices rose at times, remaining though under the ceiling of political differences which enrich the democratic life.”
 
Aoun went on to say that the current government has succeeded in protecting Lebanon from surrounding conflicts.
 
“Undoubtedly, it is very difficult to maintain the security stability in an inflamed region and in a country like Lebanon which is agitated by its surrounding and interacts with it to a great extent. Nevertheless, we managed to achieve it and to prevent the spark of sedition to reach the inside of Lebanon, thanks to the joint wills and to the total coordination between all the organs after the new appointments at the level of leaderships,” he stated.
 
Aoun reiterated his call on the international community to shoulder its responsibility towards the safe return of the displaced to their country.
 
“The strategy that adopted creative chaos to prompt change has not only proven its great failure but also its catastrophic outcome,” the president said, underlining the need for a new approach that tackles the problems of people who were forced to leave their countries due to war.
 
 “There is currently a need for a new international strategy that relies on dialogue first, and on a new approach which respects the rights of the peoples and States… thus putting an end to destruction and bloodshed, and embarking on tackling the repercussions, on top of which the problem of the millions of people who were forced to leave their nations and lands and set off to the unknown,” he stated.



UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.