Gaza, May 8: The food relief organisation World Central Kitchen (WCK) has announced that it will halt cooking in the Gaza Strip due to the depletion of humanitarian supplies.

“After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza,” the Washington, D.C.-headquartered charity said on Wednesday in a press statement.

“Since Israel closed border crossings in early March, WCK has been unable to replenish the stocks of food that we use to feed hundreds of thousands of Gazans daily,” the non-governmental organisation added.

WCK’s large-scale field kitchens have run out of the ingredients needed to prepare daily meals, and its mobile bakery has no flour left, it said, adding that more than 80 per cent of community kitchens in Gaza have run out of WCK-provided stock, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network in Gaza, warned that the closure of community kitchens, given the depletion of their food supplies, could exacerbate the hunger.

“The repercussions of the severe humanitarian disaster will be significant on the health and lives of citizens, especially children, women, the elderly, and the sick,” Shawa told Xinhua.

“If all parties do not intervene to save the situation by opening the crossings and allowing the entry of humanitarian and medical aid, we will be facing an extremely dangerous situation in Gaza,” he said.

Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2, following the expiration of the first phase of a January ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

The UN has warned of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, reporting increasing signs of acute hunger, particularly among children.

Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a ceasefire deal. Israel has accused agencies, including the United Nations, of allowing large quantities of aid to fall into the hands of Hamas, which seizes supplies intended for civilians for its own forces.

United Nations, May 6: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has pulled up Pakistan and asked tough questions concerning the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam at its closed session amid the escalating tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, reports said.

The members slammed Islamabad and questioned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people.

Though Pakistan claimed that the meeting largely served and achieved the objectives of the UNSC’s meeting, reports showed that it flopped miserably.

In the meeting, which was called at the request of Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, he claimed that his country was not involved in the terror attack.

Though the session was a closed consultation and had no official records, the UNSC members called for dialogue and restraint to resolve the issues.

After the meeting on Monday, UNSC President Evangelos Sekeris told reporters, “The Security Council is always helpful in such efforts” to de-escalate. It is the responsibility of the Council. It was a productive and helpful meeting. Since the meeting was a closed consultation, its proceedings are secret without official records.”

Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari, who briefed the meeting, said all want de-escalation. Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva, who attended the meeting, said, “We hope for de-escalation”.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation was at a “boiling point” and asked the two countries to “step back from the brink”.

“It is also essential — especially at this critical hour — to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control,” he said.

Condemning “strongly” the terrorist massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam last month, he said, “I understand the raw feelings following the awful terror attack”.

Notably, The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, in which 25 Indians and one Nepalese national were killed.

Moscow/New Delhi, May 5: Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and “strongly condemned” the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, offering “full support” to India in its ongoing fight against terrorism.

“He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated after the call.

“Both leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM Modi conveyed greetings to President Putin on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and invited him for the Annual Summit to be held in India later in the year,” Jaiswal added.

The brutal assault on April 22, which resulted in the death of 26 innocent tourists, unfolded in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam when four heavily armed terrorists, two of them from Pakistan, emerged from the surrounding dense forests and opened indiscriminate fire on tourists. The attack has been described as one of the most horrific in the region in recent memory.

Monday’s call between the two leaders took place before the Russian President hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will be on an official visit to the Russian Federation from May 7-10 and take part in the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In a statement issued later in the day, the Kremlin said that Vladimir Putin once again expressed sincere condolences to PM Modi over the death of Indian citizens as a result of the barbaric terrorist attack on April 22 in the city of Pahalgam in southern Kashmir. Both sides, it said, emphasised the need for an “uncompromising fight” against terrorism in any form.

“During the conversation, the strategic nature of Russian-Indian relations of a special privileged partnership was emphasised. These relations are not subject to external influence and continue to develop dynamically in all directions. Narendra Modi congratulated Vladimir Putin and the entire Russian people on the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. It was noted that Victory Day is a common holiday. The Indian representative will take part in the ceremonial events in Moscow,” read the statement issued by the Russian President’s office.

“The Indian leader reiterated his invitation to the Russian President to visit India for the traditional annual bilateral summit. The invitation was accepted with gratitude,” it added.

PM Modi, who had also been invited by Putin for the participation in the Victory Day celebrations, will however not be travelling to Russia.

The Russian President had earlier extended his condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi over the tragic consequences of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

“Kindly accept the sincere condolences over the tragic consequences of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam whose victims were civilians — citizens of various countries. This brutal crime has no justification whatsoever. We expect that its organisers and perpetrators will face a deserved punishment. I would like to reiterate our commitment to further increasing cooperation with Indian partners in fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Please convey words of sincere sympathy and support to the near and dear ones of the deceased as well as wishes for a speedy recovery of all injured,” Putin wrote on April 22.

On May 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had dialled External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar do discuss topical issues of the Russian-Indian cooperation, as well as the “aggravation of Indian-Pakistani relations” following the terrorist attack near Pahalgam.

Lavrov called for the settlement of disagreements between New Delhi and Islamabad by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.

“Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with FM Lavrov of Russia yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice. Also spoke about our bilateral cooperation activities,” Jaishankar posted on X after the phone call.

Putin had earlier invited Prime Minister Modi to attend the celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow in May 2020.

Earlier, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov had confirmed that the Russian President is expected to visit India in early 2025 following an invitation from Prime Minister Modi.

The visit is being planned as part of the ongoing commitment to annual meetings between the two leaders.

“Our leaders have an agreement to meet once a year. This time, it is our turn,” Ushakov had said during a press briefing.

The last visit by the Russian President to India took place on December 6, 2021, during the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, PM Modi held two high-profile visits to Russia last year, attending the 22nd Russia-India Summit in July and later participated in the BRICS Summit held in Kazan in October.