finds

As Israel and the United States attacked Iran, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip began to panic. They remembered how crossings were closed in the past, causing famine, and rushed to markets to buy whatever they could. As a result, prices of food and basic necessities skyrocketed. Soon enough, the news came that the border crossings had been closed.

All of this happened just as the grace period set by Israel for 37 NGOs to withdraw from Gaza for not fulfilling registration requirements expired. Organisations like Doctors Without Borders (also known by its French acronym MSF), Medical Aid for Palestinians UK, Handicap International: Humanity & Inclusion, ActionAid, CARE, etc were supposed to stop operating in Gaza.

At the last moment, a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court allowed them to continue working while it considers their appeal against the ban. But even with this court decision, these organisations cannot continue to function fully. That is because the Israeli occupation continues to prevent their supplies and foreign staff from entering Gaza.

According to these NGOs, together they are responsible for half of the food handouts in the Strip and 60 percent of services provided in field hospitals.

For many families in Gaza, this means hunger – because food parcels will not be distributed and livelihoods will be lost.

We know this is not about NGOs failing to meet new registration rules, just like the closure of the border crossings is not a matter of security. They are about exacting yet another form of collective punishment on the Palestinians.

Even if the Supreme Court miraculously rules against the NGO ban, the Israeli occupation would still find another way to push these foreign organisations out of Gaza. This was made clear this month when it was revealed that World Central Kitchen, which has been running dozens of soup kitchens across the Strip and which is not on the ban list, may be suspending its activities.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, this was because Israel blocked most of the organisation’s supply trucks from coming in. As a result, there are not enough supplies to continue cooking. World Central Kitchen previously said it serves 1 million meals daily.

So now, amid the war with Iran, which may last weeks or months, hundreds of thousands of families will not have adequate food once again.

All of this comes on top of Israel’s continuing war on UNRWA. Since its creation in late 1949, the United Nations agency has been the backbone of international support for Palestinian refugees. It has the largest capacity for emergency response and the widest spectrum of services on offer. And yet, Israel has banned its operations and has blocked its supplies from entering the Strip.

Through relentless lobbying, Israel has managed to achieve substantial cuts to UNRWA’s budget. As a result, last month 600 employees were fired. The salaries of the rest were reduced by 20 percent.

The NGO ban will likely result in thousands of people losing their jobs as well. And this is at a time when unemployment in Gaza has gone beyond 80 percent.

My family will also suffer. In the past, we have benefitted from food and basic supplies handouts from NGOs, and my brother has been able to find temporary work as a driver for one of them.

The possible closure of international organisations is a direct threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians who depend on their services and employment. The closure of the border crossings could mean another hunger crisis.

These are a form of collective punishment that yet again will not make the news. Israel is constantly thinking of new ways to make our lives that much more unbearable, that much more impossible in our devastated homeland.

Two and half years of the Israeli genocide has destroyed hospitals, schools, universities, roads, sewage and potable water systems, water treatment plants, the electricity grid, and countless generators and solar panels.

The vast majority of the population lives primitive lives in tents or makeshift shelters that cannot protect people from extreme heat or cold.

Water is contaminated, food is insufficient, land has been destroyed and poisoned.

Now we will be deprived of the little international support we have been receiving.

And what is the goal of all this? To push us ever closer to despair and the ultimate surrender, to make us desire to leave our homeland on our own. Ethnic cleansing by mutual agreement.

All of the organisations that Israel is seeking to ban are foreign. Most of them are based in Western countries. Yet there has been little to no condemnation from Western governments of Israel’s actions against their own organisations. There has been no outrage that the occupation is trying to destroy international humanitarian provision so it can fully control aid distribution.

Collective punishment is a violation of international law. States are obliged to go beyond verbal condemnations and take action by imposing sanctions. Until that happens, we in Gaza will continue to be subjected to ever more brutal acts of collective punishment by our occupiers.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted the U.S. economy as “roaring” and declared inflation “defeated” since returning to office in January 2025. In his recent State of the Union address, he called it “the golden age of America,” claiming unprecedented economic prosperity.

However, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests that most Americans across party lines do not share that view. The poll, conducted online with 4,638 adults and a two-point margin of error, finds that 68% of respondents disagree with the statement that “the U.S. economy is booming.” Even among Republicans, who form Trump’s political base, opinion is sharply divided: 56% agree the economy is booming, while 43% disagree.

Cost of Living Remains Top Concern

Americans interviewed cited rising costs as their primary worry. In Tennessee, manufacturing worker Marcus Tripp said: “Even as a two-income household, we are struggling… I am worried more about how much my rent and everything is going up than I am about whether the guy down the street has citizenship documents or not.”

Poll respondents overwhelmingly rejected Trump’s claim that inflation has been defeated. Only 16% agreed with the statement that “there is hardly any inflation in the U.S.,” while 82% of independents and 72% of Republicans disagreed. Democrats were even more skeptical, with a strong majority rejecting the notion of a booming economy.

Awareness of Trump’s Economic Policies

The poll also revealed limited public knowledge of Trump’s specific proposals:

• 44% had never heard of the plan to restrict large investors from buying single-family homes.
• 48% were unaware of the proposed cap on credit card interest rates at 10%.
• By contrast, 78% were aware of tariff increases on imported goods, with many expecting the tariffs to raise the cost of living 54% overall, including 69% of Democrats and 42% of Republicans.

Some voters expressed frustration that policies emphasizing tariffs may not address the issues they feel most acutely. Independent voter Tiffany Ritchie of Corpus Christi said, “We’re not going to tariff our way out of this.”

Political Implications Ahead of Midterms

The poll’s results are a warning for Trump and the Republican Party as they head into the November 3 midterms, defending majorities in both the House and Senate. Cost-of-living concerns are emerging as a decisive factor for voters, potentially outweighing immigration and other campaign issues that Trump has emphasized.

Primaries are already underway in states such as Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas, with both parties beginning to select candidates for the midterms. Economists predict modest growth this year, but few expect the kind of “booming” economy Trump describes.

Analysis

From my perspective, the poll highlights a growing disconnect between Trump’s rhetoric and the lived experience of many Americans. While the administration touts economic successes, households are still struggling with rising rents, groceries, and energy costs.

The division among Republicans is also notable. While Trump’s base remains partially supportive of his economic claims, nearly half of the party’s voters see little evidence of a boom. This split could weaken the Republican message in key battleground districts, especially where cost-of-living pressures are most acute.

Moreover, the limited public awareness of some Trump policies suggests that policy communication is lagging. Tariffs are well-known, but policies targeting housing and credit remain obscure, potentially limiting their political impact.

In short, while Trump frames the U.S. economy as a “golden age,” the reality for many voters is very different. Rising living costs, skepticism among independents, and division within his own party suggest that economic messaging alone may not be enough to secure midterm victories.

With information from Reuters.

1 of 6 | An image released by the FBI shows a person of interest in the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie. On Tuesday, police said the DNA found on a glove nearby Guthrie’s home did not find a match in the federal database. Image courtesy of the FBI | License Photo

Feb. 17 (UPI) — The DNA on a glove found Nancy Guthrie’s home was not a match to anyone in the federal DNA database, police said Tuesday.

Guthrie, 84, is the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie. She has been missing from her home since Jan. 31 and was reported missing after she failed to show up the next morning to watch a live stream of a church service at a friend’s house.

“We’re hopeful that we’re always getting closer, but the news now, I think, is we had heard this morning that, of course, the DNA on the glove that was found two miles away was submitted for CODIS. And I just heard that CODIS had no hits,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told KARE 11 News.

The glove DNA was sent through the Combined DNA Index System, which is managed by the FBI. CODIS is a national DNA database that has more than 19 million profiles of offenders.

“There is additional DNA evidence that was found at the residence, and that is also being analyzed,” Nanos said.

There were about 16 gloves found near Guthrie’s home, and most of the gloves belonged to searchers who discarded them while in the area.

Investigators are also reviewing evidence taken via two search warrants from last week, CNN reported the sheriff said. All those detained for questioning have been released, Nanos said.

Police are “canvassing businesses and showing the doorbell video released by the FBI to determine whether the suspect appears familiar,” the sheriff’s department said in response to questions about gun shops.

On Monday, police confirmed that no members of Guthrie’s family are suspects and that the family have been “100 percent cooperative” in the investigation.

“Not one single person in the family is a suspect,” Nanos said. “Effective today, you guys need to knock it off. Quit. People are hurting — they are victims.”

He added that police took their phones and computers, and processed their vehicles and homes.

Friends fans were left stunned when Netflix announced the beloved sitcom would be axed in December, but the series will return to UK screens in March

Netflix subscribers were left unimpressed after the streaming platform confirmed it would be dropping sitcom Friends from its catalogue in December.

The beloved series, which originally broadcast on NBC from 1994 to 2004, had been available on the platform since 2018, with all ten seasons ready to watch.

Following its departure from the streaming giant on December 30, UK audiences of the iconic 1990s series won’t have to wait long before it returns to their television screens.

Friends, starring Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox, Matt Le Blanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry, follows the lives of six mates living in New York.

It boasts a staggering 236 episodes, offering fans more than 88 hours of content. At the time, Netflix fans shared the reaction to the show getting removed as one user vented on X: “You cannot take Friends off Netflix. Every night without fail I watch it.”

Echoing these sentiments, a fourth added: ‘How can Netflix be taking Friends off in the UK? Literally the ONLY thing I go onto Netflix everyday for, I watch it non stop back to back, my absolute comfort show, may as well cancel my subscription.’

A fifth concluded: “Genuinely heartbroken Friends is being taken off of Netflix. Best TV show of all time.”

However it’s not all bad as all ten seasons will shortly be available to stream on HBO Max, which launches in the UK on March 26 – having operated stateside since 2020.

The platform, which also streams other popular series including Game of Thrones and Succession, will be accessible in the UK and Ireland from just £4.99.

Beyond Friends, the streaming service will also feature programmes produced by HBO, Warner Bros, DC Studios and Max Originals.

The return of Euphoria, House of the Dragon and The Comeback, alongside the forthcoming Harry Potter TV series, and DC Studios series Lanterns, will all be available on the platform.

Oscar-nominated films Sinners and One Battle Another, which appeared in cinemas last year, will also be offered. HBO-produced shows have previously been available to stream in the UK through Sky and NOW – However, from 26 March onwards, content produced by HBO will be exclusive to HBO Max subscribers.

The two companies have reached an agreement that enables members to bundle both NOW and HBO Max subscriptions together, a change that all NOW Entertainment subscribers will be automatically transitioned to.

This arrangement ensures that HBO Max will be available for streaming in over 10 million households on its launch day.

Friends will be available to stream on HBO Max on its launch on March 26

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