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☆ Opinion | The Cruel Spectacle of British Asylum Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Daniel Trilling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Rwanda, the court said, might send them back to countries where their lives could be at risk. The law that passed last week aims to override that court ruling by declaring that Rwanda is safe. Legality aside, it has never been clear that the policy is even capable of working. So what is the point of the Rwanda policy? But Mr. Sunak — under pressure from his party’s right to accede to their demands on immigration — needs an emphatic win, or at least something that looks like one.

Persons: —, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel, ” It’s, Sunak’s, Sunak, Liz Truss, Mr, He’s Organizations: United Nations ’, Rwanda —, Conservative Party, Labour, Mr, Conservative Locations: Rwanda, Kigali

☆ Hundreds of trucks full of aid sit idle near border with Gaza as crisis deepens
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Charlene Gubash | Doha Madani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Israeli officials have been imposing an opaque and cumbersome process and worsening the dire humanitarian crisis in the strip, Nossair and other aid officials charge. Israeli officials have repeatedly denied obstructing aid from entering Gaza, and instead blame the U.N. for acute shortages of lifesaving supplies in the strip — particularly the north. (Aid agencies and the U.N. say Gaza needs between 500 and 600 trucks a day carrying both humanitarian aid and commercial goods.) COGAT has said it places "no limit" on the amount of aid entering Gaza but subjects some items to higher security scrutiny. Israeli officials have also blamed the U.N.'s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) for a failure to distribute aid.

Persons: Mohamed Nossair, Nossair, COGAT, Kerem, Israel Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, NBC News, United Nations, NBC, UNRWA Locations: Israeli, Kerem, Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Ismailia, Territories, Kerem Shalom, Egypt, COGAT

☆ Malaysia Arrests Armed Man Suspected of Being an Israeli Spy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia has arrested an armed man at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, its top police official said, describing the 36-year-old as a suspected Israeli spy. The suspect turned over an Israeli passport upon questioning by police, Razarudin said. Razarudin said police was investigating the possibility that the man could be a member of Israeli intelligence, though the suspect told authorities he had entered Malaysia to hunt down another Israeli citizen due to a family dispute. Police were also investigating how the suspect obtained the weapons, which were purchased in Malaysia and paid for with cryptocurrency, Razarudin said. Malaysia, a majority-Muslim country, is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and has criticised Israel's actions in the Gaza war.

Persons: Police Razarudin Husain, Razarudin, Anwar Ibrahim, Rozanna Latiff, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Police, Malaysia . Police, Authorities, Israel Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Malaysian

☆ UN chief urges massive Gaza aid flow, sees 'dramatic starvation'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Secretary-General answered questions on upcoming COP28 meeting in Dubai and continued war between Israel and Hamas. Israel should lift all obstacles to aid into Gaze and allow convoys of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA into northern Gaza where starvation is looming, Guterres said. Palestinians wait to receive food during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip March 13, 2024. Mohammed Abed | Afp | Getty ImagesIsrael stopped all imports of food, medicine, power and fuel into Gaza at the start of the war. Although it later let in aid deliveries, aid organisations say security checks and the difficulty of moving through a war zone have greatly hindered their operations.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Lev Radin, Lightrocket, Israel, Guterres, Mohammed Salem, Mohammed Abed, Getty Images Israel, Ayman Safadi Organizations: UN, Getty, UNRWA, Hamas, Reuters, Palestinian, Getty Images, Jordan's, . Security, Afp Locations: Chile, Antarctica, Dubai, Israel, Gaza, Jordan, Rafah, Gaza's, Palestinian, Jordan's, Ramadan

☆ Brazil's Lula Slams Israel on Gaza War, Says UN Failed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that the United Nations has failed to resolve international conflicts and harshly criticized Israeli actions in Gaza. Lula said there would not be peace without the establishment of a Palestinian state and called for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. War in Israel and Gaza View All 209 Images"The killing must be stopped," he said. Lula said the permanent Security Council should be expanded and its veto powers abolished. Brazil has supported South Africa's case brought before the International Court of Justice against the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, he added.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Abdel Fattah al, Lula, Sisi, who's, Israel, Lisandra Paraguassu, Peter Frontini, Anthony Boadle, Andrew Cawthorne, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations, Arab League, . Security, Security, International Court of Justice Locations: CAIRO, Gaza, Brazil, Palestinian, Israel, Palestine

☆ Palestinians brace for Rafah evacuation, Israeli assault plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Trapped in and around Rafah, more than 1 million Palestinians braced for Israel to complete a plan to evacuate them and launch a ground assault against Hamas fighters in the southern Gaza city. "There is a sense of growing anxiety, growing panic in Rafah," said Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UNRWA agency. Doctors and aid workers are struggling to supply even basic aid to Palestinians sheltering around Rafah. The United Nations said Palestinian civilians in Rafah require protection, but there should be no forced mass displacement, which is barred by international law. Hamas gunmen killed some 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in the Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies.

Persons: Khan Yunis, Philippe Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jan Egeland, Netanyahu's, Mahmoud Abbas, Israel, ActionAid Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, United Nations, Norwegian Refugee Council, Palestinian Authority, West Bank . Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Washington, U.S, Egypt, Gazans

☆ Sudan: Internet blackout nationwide as UN appeals for $4.1 billion to ease ‘epic suffering’ caused by war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Ingrid Formanek | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Internet connectivity was shut down in Sudan amid ongoing clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that have left thousands killed and millions displaced in nearly 10 months of fighting. Internet monitoring firm, Netblocks confirmed the outage Wednesday, saying that all three of the major network operators in the warring North African nation were out of service. The RSF has yet to publicly deny responsibility for the blackout. The UN appealed for $4.1 billion to meet the “most urgent humanitarian needs” amidst “epic suffering” in Sudan, adding that half of its population - some 25 million people need support and protection, with millions hungry and displaced by the war. Some 19 million children not attending school, continued widespread human rights violations, and gender-based violence are among the challenges cited in the UN’s funding appeal.

Persons: Netblocks, ”, Martin Griffiths, RSF Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, UN, Humanitarian Affairs, UN’s Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Sudan’s Locations: Sudan, “, Sudan’s, Darfur

They said the requested funds would go to help millions of civilians in Sudan and others who have fled abroad. “They have lost so much," said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who recently met with displaced families in Sudan and neighboring Ethiopia. "Time after time, we hear the same message from them: We want peace so we can go home, and we need support to rebuild our lives.”“They desperately need help, and they need it now,” Grandi added. UNHCR is seeking $1.4 billion to help nearly 2.7 million people who have fled into five neighboring countries. The United Nations says the war in Sudan has killed at least 12,000 people, although local doctors groups say the true toll is far higher.

Persons: Filippo Grandi, ” “, ” Grandi, Martin Griffiths, Abdel, Fattah Burhan, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo Organizations: GENEVA, UNHCR, Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations, Rapid Support Forces Locations: Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ukraine, Gaza, Khartoum

☆ UN Appeals for $4.1 Billion to Help War-Torn Sudan, Refugees
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed on Wednesday for $4.1 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of civilians caught up in the war in Sudan, as well as those who have fled to neighbouring countries. A ten-month war in Sudan between its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the country's infrastructure, prompted warnings of famine and displaced millions of people inside and outside the country. The U.N. refugee agency asked for $1.4 billion to support nearly 2.7 million people in five countries neighbouring Sudan as part of the appeal. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images"Ten months of conflict have robbed the people of Sudan of nearly everything: their safety, their homes and their livelihoods," U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths said. This year, we must do better and with a heightened sense of urgency."

Persons: Martin Griffiths, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Sharon Singleton Organizations: United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, Central African, UNHCR, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs Locations: GENEVA, Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Israel, Gaza

☆ EU Diplomat Says Defunding U.N. Palestinian Agency Would Be Dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

A string of countries, including the United States, Britain and Italy, have paused funding to the aid agency, which has opened an investigation into several of its thousands of employees and severed ties with those people. "Defunding UNRWA would be both disproportionate and dangerous," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote in a blog post. Borrell said neither the European Commission, nor the EU's two biggest economies, Germany or France, had decided to end their contributions. In 2022, the EU was the third biggest donor to UNRWA, after the United States and Germany. "The lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, not only in Gaza, are at stake," Borrell said.

Persons: Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Kate Abnett, Andrew Gray, Sharon Singleton Organizations: UNRWA, European Commission, West Bank, UN Locations: Israel, United States, Britain, Italy, Gaza, EU, Germany, France

☆ Australia PM Says Government 'Examining' Claims Against UN Palestinian Agency
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday his government was probing claims that some staff of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, after Australia paused funding to the aid agency last month. Australia is one of several countries to have halted funding for UNRWA, a critical source of support in Gaza, after Israeli claims of U.N. employees' complicity with Hamas. "We're examining it, along with other like-minded countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesLate last month, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency. The agency has opened an investigation into several employees and has severed ties with those people, it has said.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Sam McKeith Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Australia, UNRWA, Australian Broadcasting Corp, European Union Locations: Palestinian, Israel, Australia, Gaza, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Sydney

☆ Opinion: UNWRA’s day of reckoning is near
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Michael Bociurkiw (@WorldAffairsPro) is a global affairs analyst and former UNICEF spokesperson for Gaza and the West Bank. But UNRWA funding differs from other UN agencies such as UNICEF, in that it’s mostly dependent on government funding. And that’s why countries pulling funding — as they have done this past week — is such a potentially fatal blow to its operations. Tiny Jordan already hosts at least 2 million Palestinians, including many from Gaza who arrived decades ago. Note: This op-ed has been updated to reflect the latest number of UNRWA employees Israel alleges were associated with Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Read, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia Chudczak, Khan Younis, Mohammed Talatene, Israel —, there’s, Abed Zagout, Tiny Jordan, Ashraf Amra Organizations: UNICEF, West Bank, CNN, United Nations, UNICEF —, Toyota, Cruisers, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces, UNRWA, West, UN, Assembly, Palestinian Authority, UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Getty, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza, East, Children’s, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Philadelphia, City, Canada, Germany, Rafa, Anadolu, Egypt, Qatar, Deir al Balah

☆ UNRWA Could Shut Down by End of February if Funding Does Not Resume
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA (Reuters) - The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume. A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have paused their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel. "The agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. "If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region." Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and fosters anti-Israeli sentiment, something UNRWA has vigorously denied.

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, defunding, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nidal Al, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, United Nations Palestinian, World Health Organization, WHO, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, General, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Germany, Britain, Israel

SYDNEY (AP) — Across a treacherous stretch of water, the Rohingya came by the thousands, then died by the hundreds. Last year, nearly 4,500 Rohingya — two-thirds of them women and children — fled their homeland of Myanmar and the refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh by boat, the United Nations’ refugee agency reported. On Thursday, Indonesian officials said another boat carrying Rohingya refugees landed in the country’s northern province of Aceh. Global indifference toward the Rohingya crisis has left those languishing in the overcrowded camps with few alternatives to fleeing. “Of course I understand how dangerous the boat journey by sea is,” Ayub says.

Persons: —, Marzuki, Andi Susanto, ”, Babar Baloch, — that’s, Mohammed Ayub, Myanmar’s, Ayub, ” Ayub, “, It’s, UNHCR’s Baloch, Mohammed Taher’s, Mohammed Amin, Taher, ” Taher, Niniek Karmini Organizations: SYDNEY, United Nations ’, UNHCR, Fishermen, Associated Press Locations: Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bengal, Andaman, Aceh, Lhokseumawe, Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, UNHCR’s, Jakarta

Israel and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war, in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a draw. A United Nations resolution ending the war called for withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and a demilitarized zone on Lebanon's side of the border. Israeli political and military leaders have warned Hezbollah that war is increasingly probable unless the militants withdraw from the border. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hasn't threatened to initiate war but warned of a fight “without limits” if Israel does. Costs would rise sharply if there's war with Lebanon.

Persons: They've, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Hassan Nasrallah hasn't, Andrea Tenenti, Lisa Abou Khaled, ”, Tal Beeri, there's, Israel's, Orna Mizrahi, Netanyahu, Dina Arakji, ___ Lidman Organizations: United States, United, U.S, Bank of Israel, Alma Research, Education Center, Israel Democracy Institute, Institute for National Security Studies, Gaza's Health Ministry, Lebanese Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Gaza, United, Lebanon, United Nations, Europe, Iran, Israel's, “, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Beirut, ”, Tel Aviv

☆ UN Chief Says UNRWA Is 'Backbone' of Gaza Aid Response
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) as "the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza" and appealed to all countries to "guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's lifesaving work." "I was personally horrified by these accusations," Guterres told the U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The accusations became public on Friday when UNRWA announced it had fired some staff after Israel provided the agency with information. UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza, running schools, its primary healthcare clinics and other social services, and distributing humanitarian aid. "The humanitarian system in Gaza is collapsing," Guterres said.

Persons: Michelle Nichols UNITED, Antonio Guterres, Israel, Guterres, Michelle Nichols, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Hamas, Palestinian, Islamic Jihad, UNRWA, Gaza's Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, United States, Israeli

☆ Opinion | Abolish the U.N.’s Palestinian Refugee Agency
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

United Nations agencies and officials are no strangers to scandal and infamy. In the 1980s, Kurt Waldheim, a former U.N. secretary general, was unmasked as a former Nazi. He was the same secretary general who denounced Israel’s 1976 rescue of Jewish hostages in Entebbe as “a serious violation” of Uganda’s national sovereignty. Now comes the latest scandal of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, better known as UNRWA. Last Friday, Israeli officials presented the U.S. government with an intelligence dossier detailing the involvement of 12 UNRWA employees, seven of them schoolteachers, in the massacre of Oct. 7.

Persons: Saddam Hussein, Kurt Waldheim, Ronen Bergman, Patrick Kingsley Organizations: Nations, Democratic, Iraq, Nazi, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, “ Intelligence, Street Locations: Haiti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Entebbe, Gaza

The U.N. aid agency serving Palestinians in Gaza faced more funding cuts Monday amid accusations that 12 of its employees were involved in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. The allegations over the weekend triggered a wave of funding cuts by major donors, including the U.S., Britain and France. UNRWA employs roughly 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza and says it will be forced to halt operations within weeks if funding isn’t restored. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the boy was killed near the Israeli settlement of Tekoa. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said that Israeli forces opened fire after clashing with Palestinians from the area.

Persons: Austria, — Biden, Jordan — Israel, Washington, Sebastian Fischer, Jordan, ” Fischer, Wafa, —, ’, Israel, “, Bassem, Awadi, Magen David Adom, ”, Austria “, Israel ” Organizations: The Associated Press, UNRWA, Ministry, US, UN, JORDAN BERLIN —, Foreign, U.S, BANK, West Bank —, West Bank, Palestinian Health Ministry, EU, BRUSSELS, The European Union, European Commission, BAGHDAD, Government, Hamas, JERUSALEM, BERLIN —, Foreign Ministry, Japanese Foreign Ministry Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Britain, France, Hamas, Iran, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, israel, GERMANY, JORDAN BERLIN — Germany, Tehran, BANK RAMALLAH, West, Tekoa, West Bank, Dura, Hebron, Silwad, Yamoun, Jenin, IRAQ, Syrian, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Haifa, Tel Aviv, AUSTRIA, BERLIN — Austria, Vienna, Austria, JAPAN, GAZA TOKYO, Japan

Here is what you need to know about the U.N. agency, the allegations against its workers and the fallout. While UNRWA does not resettle Palestinian refugees, it provides other services such as education and health care to refugees across five separate locations. The remaining approximately 2.5 million refugees are located in the enclaves of the Gaza Strip (nearly 1.6 million) and the West Bank (more than 900,000). As of Monday morning, the following 10 countries have announced they would at least pause UNRWA funding. “The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them.”What Does the UNRWA Scandal Mean for Gazans?

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, ”, ” Lazzarini, ’, “, – Jordan, Lazzarini Organizations: United, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Hamas, The New York Times, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Gaza, West Bank, European Union, U.S . State Department, Department of State, Nations Locations: United Nations, Israel, United States, Gaza, East, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, U.S, Germany

☆ Israeli dossier details UNRWA workers’ alleged involvement in October 7 attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 13 UNRWA employees alleged to have been associated with the attack, the Israeli document alleges 10 were Hamas operatives, two were Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives and one is unidentified. It also alleges that at least one UNRWA employee supplied logistic support to the attack. In a statement Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said nine UNRWA staff members at the center of the allegations had been fired. At least 152 UNRWA staffers have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the agency. Israel has strongly opposed calls for a ceasefire, maintaining that it needs to press on with its aim of eliminating Hamas.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Israel, Jack Lew, David Satterfield, Stephane Dujarric, UNWRA, Philippe Lazzarini, António Guterres, ” Guterres, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Organizations: CNN, United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Islamic Jihad, Middle East, UN, UNRWA, Assembly, UN’s, Hamas, of Health Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, Germany, Norway, Ireland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia

☆ The demise of the UN’s Palestinian agency could spell disaster for millions. Here’s why Israel wants it dismantled
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Here’s what that could mean for the millions of Palestinians that rely on UNRWA for sustenance. The agency provides a wide range of aid and services to Palestinian refugees and their descendants. While its purpose is to support Palestinian refugees, UNRWA does not have a mandate to resettle them, a mandate that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) does have. Millions more Palestinian refugees live in neighboring countries like Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and rely on aid from the agency. At one UNRWA school shelter in Deir al Balah, Gazans said they were worried about the suffering to come if UNRWA’s aid is suspended.

Persons: Leo, ”, Majdi, Deir al Balah, Gazans, Um Mohammad Al Khabbaz, “ What’s, António Guterres, “, Yuval Shany, ” Shany, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Katz, ” Katz, Israel doesn’t, …, Shany, ” Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, United, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel, UNRWA, United Nations, UN, Refugees, UNHCR, Palestinian, CNN Sunday, Hebrew University, Jerusalem’s, State Department, US, Gaza Locations: United Nations, United States, Israel, Gaza, New York, Geneva, Brussels, UNHCR, Palestine, UNRWA’s, Crescent, Deir el, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Deir al, Palestinian

☆ Guterres: UN to punish staffers involved in 'terror,' urges UNRWA funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu MustafaUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres vowed on Sunday to hold to account "any U.N. employee involved in acts of terror" after allegations that some refugee agency staffers were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. But Guterres implored governments to continue supporting the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) after nine countries paused funding. "Any U.N. employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution," the U.N. chief said in a statement. In his first direct comments on the issue, the U.N. chief gave details about the UNRWA staffers implicated in the "abhorrent alleged acts." "The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support and so does regional stability," Lazzarini said.

Persons: Abu, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Lazzarini Organizations: United Nations, REUTERS, Abu Mustafa United Nations, Saturday Locations: Gaza, Israel, Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, United States, Australia, Canada

☆ More Palestinians Displaced as Israel Battles Hamas in South Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Residents said Israeli planes and tanks also pounded areas in Gaza City to the north, where Israel has slowly been pulling out troops. The fighting could be heard in the nearby towns of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia, near to Gaza City. Israel's military said it was engaged in "intensive battles" in Khan Younis, where it said troops "eliminated terrorists and located large quantities of weapons". One strike on a house in a suburb of Gaza City killed eight people, health officials said. More families were displaced from Khan Younis on Sunday.

Persons: Nidal, Abu Mustafa, Khan Younis, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Israel, Amal, Deir, Balah, Abu Raouf, Abu Tair, Nidal al, Ibraheem Abu, Ari Rabinovitch, Frances Kerry Organizations: Gaza Health Ministry, Hamas, Gaza Health, Gaza City, Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Al, Amal Locations: Abu Mustafa DOHA, GAZA, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, Beit Lahiya, Jihad, Hamas, Khan, Nasser, Rafah, Egypt, Mughrabi, Doha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Jerusalem

☆ UNRWA: What we know about Israel’s allegations against UN staffers in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Hira Humayun | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, which have not been made public. UNRWA was established by the United Nations after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war to provide humanitarian assistance for displaced Palestinians. At least 152 UNRWA staffers have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the agency. Neither Israel nor UNRWA have specified the nature of the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the events of October 7, nor did they specify the number of employees allegedly involved. “A case was compiled by the Intelligence Directorate, incriminating several UNRWA employees for their alleged involvement in the massacre, along with evidence pointing to the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorist purposes,” the IDF statement said.

Persons: Israel, –, Philippe Lazzarini, “, ”, ’, António Guterres, Guterres, United Nations Gilad Erdan, Syria hadn’t, Benjamin Netanyahu, Micheál Martin tweeting, ” Mustafa Barghouthi, Husseim Al, Sheick, Yoav Gallant, Israel Katz, Lazzarini, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey, Benjamin Brown, Heather Law, AJ Davis, Ibrahim Hazboun, Rob Iddiols, Amir Tal, Akanksha Sharma, Lauren Izso, Caitlin Hu Organizations: CNN, UN, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, UNRWA, United Nations, United Nations ’, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Saturday, Intelligence, UN Security, US State Department, Palestinian National Initiative, International, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Israel’s, Foreign, The Agency Locations: Gaza, Palestine, Israel, Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany

☆ Britain, Italy and Finland Pause Funding for UN Refugee Agency in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain, Italy and Finland on Saturday became the latest countries to pause funding for the United Nations' refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), following allegations its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. It helps about two thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million population and has played a pivotal aid role during the current war. The United States, Australia and Canada had already paused funding to the aid agency after Israel said 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the cross-border attack. "We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision," he said on X. (Reporting by James Davey in London and Gavin Jones in Rome, Editing by William Maclean and Andrew Cawthorne)

Persons: Israel, Antonio Tajani, Hussein al, James Davey, Gavin Jones, William Maclean, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Saturday, United Nations, West Bank, UNRWA, Foreign Office, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO Locations: Britain, Italy, Finland, Israel, Israel's, Gaza, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, United States, Australia, Canada, Palestinian, London, Rome

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