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☆ UN Agency Says Aid Shipment Blocked in Israeli Port
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The main United Nations agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza is facing growing administrative hurdles from Israel, with a shipment amounting to a month's supply of food blocked in port, the agency's chief said. UNRWA has dismissed staff accused of involvement in the attack and launched an investigation. He said UNRWA had been informed by a contractor that provided handling services in the port of Ashdod that it could no longer continue working with UNRWA, following instructions from the Israeli authorities. Last week, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on social media platform X that Israel was cancelling tax breaks previously offered to UNRWA. The decision was not formally communicated to the agency which only learned about it when the statement appeared on the platform, Lazzarini said.

Persons: Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Lazzarini, Bezalel Smotrich, James Mackenzie, Steve Scheer Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, Israel, West Bank Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel, East, Ashdod, Turkey, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria

☆ Tunnel complex with rows of computer servers discovered under UN aid agency HQ in Gaza, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it discovered a Hamas complex under a UN agency HQ in Gaza. AdvertisementThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it discovered a Hamas complex under a UN aid agency's headquarters in Gaza. An Israeli soldier gestured in what the military described as a Hamas command tunnel running partly under UNRWA headquarters. The WSJ report published a photo of a room containing eight black server racks "inside what Israeli military officials say is a Hamas intelligence hub." The Israeli military has nicknamed the subterranean world "the Gaza metro."

Persons: —, gestured, António Guterres, Israel's Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, UN, IDF, Street Journal, Service, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Street, Associated Press, Hamas, New, Reuters, Cross, Rafah, Business Locations: Gaza, East, Gaza City, Israeli, Palestinian, Israel

☆ Live updates: The latest on the Israel-Hamas news
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Chris Lau | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

A woman and children sit outside tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza, on February 8. Satellite images showed this week how a tent city has swelled in size in just a few weeks. Also, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised concerns about the expansion into Rafah during meetings with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials this week, two Israeli officials told CNN on Wednesday. Non-governmental organizations issue warnings: Several non-governmental organizations have warned about the humanitarian consequences of Israeli operations in Rafah. Half of UNRWA requests to deliver aid in Gaza denied: The UN's main relief agency in Gaza said Friday that half of its aid mission requests to deliver aid in Gaza since the beginning of the year have been denied.

Persons: Mohammed Abed, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Vedant Patel, Antony Blinken, Netanyahu, won’t, Philippe Lazzarini Organizations: Getty, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, Wednesday, Norwegian Refugee Council, Hamas, The United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Locations: Rafah, Gaza, AFP, ”, Israel, United States, Egypt

A bipartisan coalition of senators over the weekend released a long-awaited and highly anticipated bill that spans border security and international aid for Ukraine and Israel in their wartime efforts. The proposed deal would substantially change immigration laws and also provide $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel. Some Republicans have grown skeptical of additional funding for Ukraine, which President Joe Biden proposed in a supplemental spending package. But GOP hard-liners insisted on border reforms before any consideration of Ukraine aid – which is how the border bill originated. Additionally, it includes $14.1 billion in security assistance for Israel and some pockets of money for humanitarian aid in war-torn regions.

Persons: Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, Johnson, Don’t, Chuck Schumer, MSNBC’s, Joe ”, ”, Here’s, Joe Biden Organizations: Israel, of Homeland Security, International, Ukraine, Russia, United Nations Relief, Agency, Asylum Locations: Ukraine, Israel, U.S

☆ The 8 Days That Roiled the U.N.’s Top Agency in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | Ronen Bergman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a senior U.S. diplomat called the Israeli military last week to request further details about Israeli allegations against a United Nations agency in Gaza, military leaders were so surprised that they ordered an internal inquiry about how the information had reached the ears of foreign officials. The allegations were grave: 12 employees of the organization, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, were accused of joining Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel or its aftermath. The claims reinforced Israel’s decades-old narrative about UNRWA: that it is biased against Israel and influenced by Hamas and other armed groups, charges that the agency strongly rejects. But while most Israeli officials oppose UNRWA, some military leaders did not want to see it shuttered amid a humanitarian disaster in Gaza. In fact, it was not the military that disclosed the information to the United States but UNRWA itself.

Persons: Israel Organizations: United, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Hamas’s, UNRWA Locations: U.S, United Nations, Gaza, Israel, United States

☆ What Withholding Funds to UNRWA Means for Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since the start of the war, UNRWA has coordinated the distribution of relief to Gazans suffering from displacement, hunger and illness. “Withdrawing funds from UNRWA is perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza,” U.N. officials in a statement on Wednesday. Here’s a closer look at how the agency, formally the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, spends its funds. UNRWA operates across the Middle East, providing aid and services to Palestinian refugees, but it employs the most people in Gaza, where 1.7 million refugees resided before the war. The bulk of UNRWA’s regular budget for Gaza goes to pay the salaries of 13,000 employees, including teachers, health care specialists, engineers and sanitation workers.

Persons: U.N, Here’s, Juliette Touma Organizations: United Nations, Gaza, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestinian

☆ 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

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) assists Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank, as well as in Gaza. Some $440 million of funding has been suspended, according to UNRWA, which has 13,000 staff in Gaza. The agency said the severe humanitarian needs of Palestinians in Gaza would likely deteriorate further if the funding is not restored. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called for UNRWA to be dismantled and replaced by other aid groups. And we have discovered in the last few weeks that UNRWA officials were complicit in the massacre,” he said.

Persons: –, Philippe Lazzarini, Khan Younis, Thomas White, ” White, ”, Khaled Omar, Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, “, Yoav Hallant Organizations: CNN, United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, West Bank, UNRWA Affairs, Training Center, UNRWA, Getty, ”, International Court of Justice, Israel, UN Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, United States, Rafah, Amman, Xinhua, South Africa, Israeli, The Hague

☆ Palestinians are eating grass and drinking polluted water as famine looms across Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | Rosa Rahimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“They are weak now, they always have diarrhea, their faces are yellow,” El Jamara, whose family was displaced from northern Gaza, told CNN on January 9. “Unfortunately, many relatives and friends are still in the northern Gaza Strip, suffering a lot,” Hamouda, a father-of-three, told CNN. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are “absolutely critical” for physical growth and cognitive development, Inglis told CNN. “It is not enough to meet my family’s needs at all,” the student, who is sheltering in a tent in Rafah, told CNN. “We simply don’t have enough, and we cannot keep up with the overwhelming needs of people on the ground,” she told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Hanadi Gamal Saed El Jamara, El Jamara, Arif Husain, Martin Griffiths, “, ”, El, Mohammed Hamouda, Odeh Al, Haw, Hamouda, Yahya Hassouna, Israel, ” Hamouda, Jabalya, Gihan, Baz, ” El Baz, Hoor, Hazem Saeed Al, Mohammed Hamouda Hamouda, Abu Youssef Al, Rebecca Inglis, Inglis, Shadi Bleha, Khan Younis, OCHA, Mohammed Hamouda Juliette Touma, Naizi Organizations: CNN, Food Programme, Integrated Food Security, UN, of Health, “, Getty, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Najjar Hospital, UNICEF, World Health Organization, United Nations Population Fund, WFP, OCHA, World, Al Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Egypt, “, Gaza City, AFP, East, Britain, Al, Territories, Deir al, Balah

☆ Frozen U.S. Spending for U.N. in Gaza Is Minimal, State Dept. Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than 99 percent of American dollars approved by Congress for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, has been sent to the agency, the State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said on Tuesday. The State Department paused the money “temporarily” on Friday after accusations by Israel that a dozen UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, with some holding hostages within Gaza. At least 17 other donor nations have also suspended their funding to the agency, according to the group U.N. Watch. Human rights groups and progressive Democrats in Congress have denounced the move, saying that it will deprive innocent Palestinians of desperately needed aid. But Mr. Miller said the State Department had sent all but $300,000 of about $121 million budgeted for UNRWA to the agency, suggesting that the near-term effect of the U.S. action within Gaza will be minor.

Persons: Biden, Matthew Miller, “, Miller Organizations: State Department, Congress, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

☆ U.N. Agency for Palestinians Imperiled by Terrorism Charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | Ronen Bergman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Leaders of the largest United Nations agency in Gaza warned on Monday that it may soon run out of money as new allegations emerged about Hamas’s influence on the organization. As U.N. officials fretted over the future of UNRWA, the main aid agency for Palestinians, Israeli officials debated whether it made sense to publicly air accusations that a group of the agency’s workers were involved in the Oct. 7 terror attack. UNRWA plays a crucial role in Gaza — distributing food, water and medicine — and it is unclear who would fill the vacuum were it to collapse. Israel has charged that at least 12 employees of the agency — the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees — participated in the Oct. 7 attack and that as many 1,300 employees are members of the group. The Oct. 7 assault ended with roughly 1,200 people dead and another 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli estimates.

Persons: Works Agency for Palestine Refugees — Organizations: United Nations, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ 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

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Gaza crisis, UNRWA allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Heather Chen | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Palestinians inspect a damaged house after an Israeli air strike on Rafah in southern Gaza on January 27. The Israel Defense Forces claimed UNRWA facilities were used for "terrorist purposes" in a statement on Saturday. Situation deteriorating at Khan Younis hospitals: Nasser Hospital, the main medical center in the southern Gaza city, is running out of its supply of blood, anesthesia and other medications, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said Saturday. Where hostage talks stand: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu challenged Qatar on Saturday, saying, "They position themselves as intermediaries. The Houthis claim the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinian people as a result of the war in Gaza — an argument the US has repeatedly rejected.

Persons: Abed Rahim Khatib, Israel —, Younis, Benjamin Netanyahu, I’m, Bill Burns Organizations: Reuters CNN, Israel Defense Forces, United, Palestine Red Crescent Society, IDF, CNN, UN, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Nasser Hospital, of Health, Hamas, Hospital, Qatar, CIA, Command, Houthi Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, United Nations, Palestine, Hamas, Qatar, Marshall, Gulf, Aden, Iran

☆ U.N. Pleads With Major Donors to Not Cut Aid for Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Hiba Yazbek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The allegation, made by Israel, is a serious blow to the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, generally known as UNRWA. The agency looms especially large in Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million people are registered as refugees. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has gone so far as to blame the agency for perpetuating rather than alleviating the plight of Palestinians and has called on the United Nations to disband it. “Behind the scenes Israel has often favored UNRWA’s work,” said Anne Irfan, an expert on Palestinian refugee rights at University College London. Palestinians are the only refugee group whose support is not handled under the global mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Persons: Here’s, —, “, ” Hector Sharp, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Ahron Bregman, Israel, Anne Irfan, Megan Specia, Ben Hubbard Organizations: United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel, United Nations, UNRWA, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Department, King’s College London, University College London, Refugees, European Union Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, United States, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

☆ U.N. Pleads for Aid to Not Be Cut to Palestinians: Israel-Hamas War Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The allegation, made by Israel, is a serious blow to the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, generally known as UNRWA. The agency looms especially large in Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million people are registered as refugees. “Behind the scenes Israel has often favored UNRWA’s work,” said Anne Irfan, an expert on Palestinian refugee rights at University College London. Many settled in refugee camps that the agency helped create, which have since become built-up, mostly impoverished urban areas. Palestinians are the only refugee group whose support is not handled under the global mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis Drone Strike Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers in Jordan, White House Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The allegation, made by Israel, is a serious blow to the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, generally known as UNRWA. The agency looms especially large in Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million people are registered as refugees. “Behind the scenes Israel has often favored UNRWA’s work,” said Anne Irfan, an expert on Palestinian refugee rights at University College London. Many settled in refugee camps that the agency helped create, which have since become built-up, mostly impoverished urban areas. Palestinians are the only refugee group whose support is not handled under the global mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

☆ 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

Germany, Britain and at least four other countries said Saturday they were suspending funding for the United Nations agency that provides food, water and essential services for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, many of whom have been described as being on the brink of starvation after 16 weeks of war between Israel and Hamas. The countries joined the United States, which said on Friday it would withhold funding for the group, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, after a dozen of its employees were accused by Israel of participating in the Oct. 7 attacks. The United Nations has not made public the details of the accusations against the UNRWA employees, who have been fired, but a senior U.N. official briefed on the accusations called them “extremely serious and horrific.”The Israeli military said in a statement Saturday that its intelligence services had compiled a case “incriminating several UNRWA employees for their alleged involvement in the massacre, along with evidence pointing to the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorist purposes.” It did not elaborate on what that involvement entailed.

Organizations: United Nations, Hamas, United Nations Relief, Works Agency Locations: Germany, Britain, Gaza, Israel, United States

☆ Israel Has History of Friction With U.N. Agency for Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s accusations against 12 employees of the U.N. aid agency for Palestinians, the main aid operation in Gaza, are the latest episode of a decades-long friction between Israel and the group. When a separate U.N. agency was later founded for refugees of other conflicts, UNRWA remained independent. It is one of the largest employers in Gaza, with 13,000 people, mostly Palestinians, on staff. “Because their plight as refugees has never been resolved, they continue to be refugees,” said Chris Gunness, a former spokesman for UNRWA. “They badly need a U.N agency that will provide them with emergency and humanitarian services.”

Persons: ”, Chris Gunness, “ Organizations: United Nations Relief, Works Agency, UNRWA Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ What to Know About the U.N. Aid Agency for Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Monika Pronczuk | Richard Pérez-Peña | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinians has been a vital lifeline in the Gaza Strip for generations — and it was a point of contention with Israel long before some of the agency’s employees were accused of involvement in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assault on Israel. The allegation, made by Israel, is a serious blow to the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, generally known as UNRWA. The claim was acted on by both the United Nations, which said on Friday that it had fired the accused workers and was investigating, and the United States, which said it was suspending some funding for the agency. The agency looms especially large in Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million people are registered as refugees. Gaza has been under a longstanding Israeli blockade, and Hamas — considered a terrorist group by much of the world — wields control.

Persons: Here’s, — Organizations: Israel, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, United Nations, UNRWA, West Bank, Palestinian Authority Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

☆ Palestinian soccer team claims emotional first Asian Cup win to reach knockouts as war rages in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The historic sporting moment for Palestinians comes as Israel’s war against Hamas following the group’s October 7 attacks rages in Gaza, causing widespread destruction and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Some Palestinian players have reportedly lost family members, or have relatives trapped in Gaza, and have spoken about the difficulties of playing while not knowing what’s happening at home. Many of those in the stands in Qatar waved Palestinian flags or held up keffiyeh scarves to show support for the team. Thaier Al-Sudani/ReutersStarvation, bombing at homeAs the Palestinian team progresses to the knockout stage in Qatar, back home the Israeli military campaign is intensifying in southern Gaza. On Monday, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7 has risen to 25,295, with at least 63,000 injuries recorded.

Persons: Dabbagh, Abdullah, Zeid Qunbar, Mohammed Saleh, Thaier, Makram Daboub, ” “, ” Daboub, Hector Cuper, Hong, Everton Camargo, Khan Younis Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, soccer team, AFC Asian, Hong, Hamas, West Bank, Reuters, ”, India, United Nations Relief, Works Agency Locations: Hong Kong, Qatar, Doha, Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Reuters Palestine, Syria, Iran, Hamas

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