Nearly half a million people in Gaza now face starvation, according to a new report from the IPC, the international panel of famine experts who advise the United Nations.
For more than ten weeks, Israel has halted the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages. Israel accuses Hamas of seizing aid, selling it on the black market and using aid distribution to reinforce its control of Gaza.
The UN says hundreds of truckloads of lifesaving supplies are waiting at the border. Meanwhile, inside Gaza, food is scarce. Humanitarian groups like the UN World Food Programme (WFP) exhausted supplies of basic staples weeks ago, forcing them to shut down their kitchens and bakeries, and everyday Palestinians are grinding up pasta and lentils to make flour for bread. Antoine Renard of the WFP says when he was in Gaza last week, wheat flour was selling for $10 a pound.
Juana Summers talks with Renard about what he's seen in Gaza, and what's next for the people there.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
(Image credit: Moiz Salhi)
House Republicans are trying to pass a massive bill full of President Trump's top agenda items by the end of next week. But a new set of hurdles awaits in the Senate.
(Image credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Federal rules to reduce the levels of "forever chemicals" in drinking water are getting delayed.
(Image credit: Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment RF)
In a rare break with the president, some inside the GOP are expressing concern over the potential national security risks of accepting a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar to replace Air Force One.
(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)
Republicans want to use the federal tax code to create a national school voucher even in states where voters have fought such efforts.
(Image credit: Willie J. Allen Jr.)
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is restoring several programs and bringing back the staffers who run them, but much of the agency's work is still on the chopping block.
(Image credit: Gene J. Puskar)
The nation's aviation infrastructure is again under scrutiny, following a series of paralyzing communications and radar outages at some of the country's busiest airports. Here is a look at the scientific origins of radar.
(Image credit: JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)
Syria is in a precarious place as it emerges from civil war and a long dictatorship. The recently announced removal of U.S. sanctions bring hopes that the economy might stabilize. Another challenge is Syria's population— it is one of the most diverse countries in the Middle East and with that comes competing demands and priorities from various groups. NPR's Jane Arraf takes us to southern Syria, near the border with Israel and introduces us to one of the biggest minority groups, the Druze.
Ryan Routh is accused of the 2024 assassination attempt of Donald Trump as the then-presidential candidate was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Fla. Routh has pleaded not guilty.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle)
ProPublica health care reporter David Armstrong has multiple myeloma. He says a single pill of his prescription costs the company just 25 cents to make — but costs him about the same as a new iPhone.
After a challenge by Republican officials in North Dakota, a federal appeals panel struck down a key way of enforcing the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination in seven states.
(Image credit: Samuel Corum)
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international correspondents share snapshots capturing moments from their lives and work in places around the world.
A Los Angeles judge resentenced Lyle and Erik Menendez, who have spent over three decades behind bars for the 1989 killing of their parents. They are now eligible for parole — but it's not guaranteed.
(Image credit: Nick Ut)
The reality star and business mogul appeared in a courtroom Tuesday to testify about the night in 2016 when masked men tied her up at gunpoint and stole more than $6 million in jewelry.
(Image credit: Aurelien Morissard)
Duterte's youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao, was declared Davao vice mayor. His eldest son, Paolo, was reelected as a member of the House of Representatives, and two grandsons won in local races, an indication of the family's continued influence.
(Image credit: AP)
Republicans' proposed Medicaid cuts will cause 8.6 million people to lose health insurance by 2034, an estimate shows. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said it will cost Republicans seats in Congress.
(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)
Pope Leo XIV and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy spoke by phone recently, according to the Vatican.
(Image credit: Domenico Stinellis)
NPR has identified some Trump officials with ties to antisemitic extremists. And, why Trump's pledge to potentially lift sanctions on Syria is significant.
(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)
Gulf states are keen to invest in Syria, which has important mineral and oil reserves, but had been prevented from doing so by U.S. sanctions. President Trump has now pledged to lift the restrictions.
(Image credit: Win McNamee)
NPR has identified three Trump administration officials with close ties to antisemitic extremists, including a prominent Holocaust denier.
(Image credit: Zach D. Roberts)