Up First from NPR
Gaza Food Distribution Chaos, New COVID-19 Vaccine Guidelines, Children Of ISIS
Wed, 28 May 2025
Israeli forces fired shots at a food distribution site in Gaza after people, many of whom face the threat of starvation, had overrun the place. The incident happened on the first day that a new U.S.-based system distributed humanitarian aid. The U.S. government has updated its COVID-19 vaccine guidelines. The shot is no longer recommended for healthy children or healthy pregnant women. But independent health experts are voicing concerns. And thousands of children of ISIS fighters are stuck in Syrian detention camps.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Carrie Kahn, Rebecca Davis, Barrie Hardymon, HJ Mai and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What happened at the food distribution site in Gaza?
Israeli forces fired shots at a food distribution site in Gaza. People at risk of starvation had overrun the place. What does the incident say about a new U.S.-backed system to distribute aid?
I'm Steve Inskeep with Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. The United States updated its COVID-19 vaccine guidelines. The shot is no longer recommended for children or pregnant women who are otherwise healthy. Health experts had given different advice. So what does this mean for you and your family?
And thousands of children of ISIS fighters are stuck in Syrian detention camps. The U.S. government wants to get them out because officials think the longer they stay, the higher the chances of radicalization.
The older the children get, the more likely that they're going to buy into the ideology there.
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Today marks the 600th day of Israel's war in Gaza in response to the October 7th attack. In the war since then, tens of thousands of people have been killed, including hundreds more from Israeli airstrikes in the past several days.
Yesterday, Israel implemented its new U.S.-backed plan to control the distribution of aid in Gaza, but the rollout has led to chaos. Witnesses say people were shot by Israeli forces as hungry crowds swarmed a site where food was being distributed. Israel says it fired warning shots.
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Chapter 2: What are the new COVID-19 vaccine guidelines?
is that thousands of hungry people overran one of these fenced-in areas where American contractors were standing guard to distribute boxes of food. Witnesses say the contractors fled, and the crowds just took everything they could, even scrap metal. The contractors in a statement say they fell back, according to protocol.
Witnesses say an Israeli helicopter then opened fire in the area, dispersing the crowd. Israel says its troops fired warning shots. Hospital officials tell NPR nearly 50 people were wounded and three were killed as a result of the gunfire.
Was there any system in place before the crowd swarmed this site?
Well, in a statement, Hamas says this incident reflects Israel's failure to manage the humanitarian crisis that it deliberately created. Israel says its aim is to keep aid from Hamas. But we spoke to witnesses on the ground who were at this scene who said there was no screening at all. Anyone could just take the boxes of food.
Abu Mahmoud Abaza, who was at the site to get food, told NPR about the scene, and he says it was chaotic. He says there was no distribution system. It was chaos. He says nobody asked for IDs or anything. He says people are hungry and there has to be a better way to get food.
So again, unlike how the UN distributes food or used to distribute food in centers across Gaza with IDs and lists of families in need, the system had none of that. There were no screenings or lists and no clarity on who decides who gets the aid and who doesn't.
And what's Israel saying about all this?
Well, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the system. He says it's working.
Very hard for Hamas to steal it, especially because we guard these positions. Well, we tried the first one. We're going to put many today. There was some loss of control momentarily. Happily, we brought it back under control. We're going to put many more of these.
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Chapter 3: Why are children of ISIS fighters still in detention camps?
Well, Kennedy says that there was no evidence that repeated boosters help healthy kids, kids with no risk factors. And FDA Commissioner McCary agreed. Here's what he said.
There's no evidence healthy kids need it today. And most countries have stopped recommending it for children.
And, you know, while that might be true, in this country, this change still is raising a lot of concerns among independent experts.
OK, we'll say more about that if you would. What are those concerns?
Well, one big one is that the decision appears to have been made without going through the normal process of getting input from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent advisors. They've been mulling over this very question and are scheduled to meet next month to review all the evidence and make recommendations about this.
And beyond that, outside experts are worried what this means for the health and safety of pregnant people, kids, and their families.
Okay, so let me ask you about that. Do healthy pregnant women and kids still need regular COVID boosters, and what if they want them?
Well, one big question is, will insurance companies still pay for the shots, and will people be able to afford it if they don't? Because if the vaccines aren't recommended, insurance companies may very well not pay for them. You know, most healthy older kids are at low risk for serious complications from COVID-19,
And most parents haven't been getting their kids vaccinated, but some parents still want to immunize their kids, you know, to protect them against even mild disease and long COVID and from bringing the virus home to vulnerable family members like, you know, grandma and grandpa. and pregnant women are at very high risk of serious complications from the virus. And that's not all.
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