US envoy says a truce in Lebanon is 'within our grasp' as Gaza's food crisis worsens after looting

BEIRUT (AP) — A United States envoy said an agreement to end the Israel-Hezbollah war is “within our grasp” after talks in Lebanon on Tuesday. There was no such optimism in the Gaza Strip, where the looting of nearly 100 aid trucks by armed men worsened an already severe food crisis.

Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s pointman on Israel and Lebanon, arrived as Hezbollah’s allies in the Lebanese government said it had responded positively to the proposal, which would entail both the militants and Israeli ground forces withdrawing from a U.N. buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

The buffer zone would be policed by thousands of additional U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops. Israel has called for a stronger enforcement mechanism, potentially including the ability to operate against any Hezbollah threats, something Lebanon is likely to oppose.

Hochstein said he held “very constructive talks” with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah who is mediating on the group’s behalf.

“Specifically today, we have continued to significantly narrow the gaps,” he told reporters after the two-hour meeting. “It’s ultimately the decisions of the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict. ... It is now within our grasp.”

In Gaza, meanwhile, the theft of nearly 100 trucks loaded with food and other humanitarian aid over the weekend sent prices soaring and caused shortages in central Gaza, where most of the population of 2.3 million people have fled and where hundreds of thousands are crammed into squalid tent camps.

Experts say famine may already have set in in the north, where Israel has been waging a weekslong offensive that has killed hundreds of people and driven tens of thousands from their homes.

On Monday, a crowd of people waited outside a shuttered bakery in the central city of Deir al-Balah. A woman who had been displaced from Gaza City, identifying herself as Umm Shadi, said the price of flour had climbed to 400 shekels (over $100) a bag, if it can even be found.

Nora Muhanna, another woman displaced from Gaza City, said she was leaving empty-handed after waiting five hours for a bag of bread for her children. “From the beginning, there are no goods, and even if they are available, there is no money,” she said.

The United Nations said armed men stole food and other aid from 98 trucks over the weekend, the largest single incident of its kind since the start of the war. It did not say who was behind the theft.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the convoy of 109 trucks was instructed by the Israeli military to take an “alternative, unfamiliar route” after the aid was brought through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and that the trucks were robbed near the crossing itself.

Israel has long accused criminal gangs and Hamas of stealing aid, allegations denied by the militant group.

Al-Aqsa TV, a media outlet operated by the militants, said Hamas-run security forces in Gaza had launched an operation against looters, killing 20 of them.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official based abroad, said the looters were young men from Bedouin tribes in the area, emphasizing that they do not necessarily represent the tribes. He said they operate east of Rafah near Israeli military positions.

The Hamas-run government had a police force of tens of thousands that maintained a high degree of public security before the war, but they have vanished from the streets in many areas after being targeted by Israeli strikes. Hamas says it has taken measures to prevent both looting and price-gouging in local markets.

But the biggest problem is not theft – it’s the low amount of aid Israel allows into Gaza, said Tamara Alrifai, communications director for UNRWA, the U.N. agency with the biggest role in the aid operation.

“Take aid into a war zone a few trucks at a time, what do we expect a displaced, hungry and traumatized population to do?” she said of the theft.

The flow of aid is at nearly the lowest level of the entire 13-month war. So far this month, Israel says it let into Gaza an average of 88 trucks a day – less than half the highest rate of the war, in April, which aid groups say was still too low.

From the aid that does enter, UNRWA says only about half actually reaches Palestinians because Israeli military restrictions and fears of theft often prevent the agency from collecting truck cargos at the border.

Israel says it puts no restrictions on the quantity of aid entering Gaza and that it is working to increase the amount. This month, it opened a new crossing into central Gaza. So far it has reported a few dozen trucks entering through it.

Hamas ignited the war in Gaza when its fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 43,800 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants in their toll. The war has left much of the territory in ruins and forced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million to flee, often multiple times.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after the Hamas attack in what it said was solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas, a fellow Iran-backed militant group. Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes, and all-out war erupted in September.

Israeli bombardment has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and wounded almost 15,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. It also displaced nearly 1.2 million, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population. On the Israeli side, 87 soldiers and 50 civilians have been killed by rockets, drones and missiles.

The Biden administration has spent several months trying to broker cease-fires on both fronts. It appears to have made some progress in Lebanon, while talks over a cease-fire and the release of hostages held in Gaza stalled over the summer.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the wars in the Middle East without saying how he would do it. He was a staunch supporter of Israel and its hawkish government during his first term.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip and Khaled from Cairo.

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Amos Hochstein, center, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, is received ahead of a meeting with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Amos Hochstein, center, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, is received ahead of a meeting with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, speaks with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri during their meeting, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Amos Hochstein, center, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, arrives for his meeting with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Amos Hochstein, right, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, and US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa A. Johnson, left, gesture during their meeting with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Amos Hochstein, center, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, and US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa A. Johnson, left, meet with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Palestinians queue for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A man looks from a damaged building a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Ramat Gan, central Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Amos Hochstein, center, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, is received ahead of a meeting with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man looks from a damaged building a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Ramat Gan, central Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

A man passes in front of a destroyed building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A man clears broken glass from his damaged shop near a building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A destroyed building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike is seen in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A destroyed building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike is seen in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People inspect a destroyed building that was hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A destroyed building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike is seen in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A destroyed building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike is seen in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Women react as they pass through debris of a building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People stand next to a destroyed building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People inspect a destroyed building hit on Monday evening by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Palestinians gather near a closed bakery, amid a shortage in flour and the closure of a main bakery in central Gaza have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian woman queues for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians queue for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians gather near a closed bakery amid a shortage in flour and the closure of a main bakery in central Gaza have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians queue for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian child queues for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

HONG KONG (AP) — Forty-five prominent activists in Hong Kong were sentenced to jail for up to 10 years on Tuesday, sparking criticism from foreign governments and rights groups, but Beijing defended the decisions.

The democracy advocates were among 47 people charged under a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2021 for their involvement in an unofficial primary election to pick opposition candidates. In the city's biggest national security case to date, they were accused of agreeing to veto government-proposed budgets indiscriminately after potentially securing a legislative majority to force a dissolution of the legislature and then the ouster of the city’s leader.

The case involved pro-democracy figures across the spectrum. Thirty-one of them pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit subversion. Fourteen others were convicted following a long trial. Two were acquitted.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government was “gravely concerned” by the sentences for Australian citizen Gordon Ng and the other activists. Wong said Australia has expressed strong objections to the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities over the continuing broad application of national security legislation.

Catherine West, minister for the Indo-Pacific in Britain’s Foreign Office, said the sentencing was a clear demonstration of Hong Kong authorities' use of the security law to criminalize political dissent.

“Those sentenced today were exercising their right to freedom of speech, of assembly and of political participation,” she said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said no one should be allowed to use democracy as a pretext to engage in unlawful activities and escape justice. Lin said certain Western countries ignored the fact that they maintain their own national security through judicial procedures while unreasonably criticizing Hong Kong courts for "fairly implementing" the security law.

“This severely violates and tramples on the spirit of the rule of law,” he said at a news briefing.

He said Beijing firmly opposes what he described as certain Western countries' interference in China's internal affairs and their attempts to smear Hong Kong's rule of law.

The European Union called the sentencing “another unprecedented blow” against the city's fundamental freedoms, democratic participation and pluralism.

It said in a statement that it is deeply concerned about the politically motivated prosecution of the defendants for peaceful political activity. It said such activities should be legitimate in any political system that respects basic democratic principles.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said the verdict pointed out clearly that the aim of the activists' plan was to undermine, destroy or overthrow the city's political system.

The government said the case was handled strictly in accordance with the law.

Hong Kong Security Minister Chris Tang said the sentences reflected the severity of the offenses. Tang said national security helps safeguard the city's prosperity, so his government takes any violations of the law seriously.

“Different people may have different judgments about whether the sentencing is appropriate. But I think the important point is the rule of law," he said in a news briefing.

Taiwan presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said democracy is not a crime and condemned the Chinese government for using what she called unjust procedures to suppress the political participation and freedom of speech of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures.

The sentencing "not only breaks the promises of ‘50 years unchanged’ and ‘high degree of autonomy,’ but further proves that ‘one country, two systems’ is unfeasible," she said in a statement.

When Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Beijing promised to retain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years under the governing principle of “one country, two systems.”

Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he is gravely concerned by the use of the security law to criminalize conduct protected by the human rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

“We will continue to engage with the Chinese authorities as we have done in the past," he said.

The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong said the U.S. strongly condemned the sentences, saying the defendants were aggressively prosecuted and jailed for participating in normal political activity protected under the city's mini-constitution.

“We call on (Beijing) and Hong Kong authorities to cease politically motivated prosecutions of Hong Kong citizens and to immediately release all political prisoners and individuals jailed for their peaceful advocacy for rights and freedoms,” it said in a statement.

In Washington, D.C., the chairs of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission criticized the sentencing for violating international law and called for wide condemnation. Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, asked the Biden administration to sanction judges and prosecutors responsible for “undermining democracy and human rights in Hong Kong.”

“These politically motivated prosecutions are occurring at the same time that dozens of U.S. CEOs are being wined and dined by Hong Kong officials and urged to invest in Hong Kong," the U.S. lawmakers said. “Each of these U.S. financial titans should be asked whether the Hong Kong government’s mass detentions of political prisoners and regular bulldozing of the rule of law undermine the city’s attractiveness as an international commercial and financial center.”

Hong Kong's last British governor, Chris Patten, said in a statement the sentencing was “not only an affront to the people of Hong Kong, but those who value rights and freedoms around the world."

He condemned the “sham” sentences, calling on the British government not to allow the results of the case to go unnoticed. He said the activists were an integral part of the city's pro-democracy movement.

Amnesty International China director Sarah Brooks said the people convicted in the "politically motivated" case should not spend even a day in jail.

“None of the 45 people sentenced have committed an internationally recognized crime; they have been jailed only for exercising their human rights,” she said.

Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch, said, “Running in an election and trying to win it is now a crime that can lead to a decade in prison in Hong Kong.”

Wang said the harsh sentences reflect how fast Hong Kong's civil liberties and judicial independence have nosedived in the past four years since the security law was introduced.

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AP writer Didi Tang contributed from Washington D.C.

Representatives from various consulates wait in line outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Representatives from various consulates wait in line outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)