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Abandoning the border proposal brought the price tag of the bill down to about $95.3 billion. There's nearly $14 billion to allow Ukraine to rearm itself through the purchase of weapons and munitions and another nearly $15 billion for support services such as military training and intelligence sharing. About $8 billion would go to help Ukraine's government continue basic operations with a prohibition on money going toward pensions. SPENDING RELATED TO ISRAELAbout $14.1 billion in the bill would go to support Israel and U.S. military operations in the region. There's also about $2.5 billion to support U.S. military operations in the region.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, ” There's, Chris Van Hollen, he's, Van Hollen, There's Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Republican, Hamas, West Bank Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Mexico, rearm, CHINA, Taiwan, Australia, United Kingdom

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has imposed financial restrictions on the main U.N. agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip, a measure which prevented a shipment of food for 1.1 million Palestinians from reaching the war-battered enclave, the agency's director said Friday. The U.N. food agency defines a famine as when 30% of children are malnourished, one-fifth of households face acute food shortages and two of every 10,000 people are dying from hunger or malnutrition. UNRWA, which serves about 6 million Palestinians whose families were displaced during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, denies the charges. UNWRA is the main provider of aid to Palestinians in Gaza, but Israeli bombardment and combat between Israel and Hamas has made much of the territory too dangerous for aid convoys to cross. Israel alleged last month that 12 employees of the aid agency participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel.

Persons: — Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Israel, Juliette Touma, Touma, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, didn't, Lazzarini, “ Organizations: JERUSALEM, UNRWA, Food, Israel, Bank Leumi, Hamas, Food Program Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Turkey, Ashdod, Port Said, Egypt, Rafah

☆ US Won't Restart UNRWA Aid Until Investigation Completed -Officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Andrea ShalalWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration plans to wait for an internal investigation of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees to conclude before resuming aid to the organization, U.S. officials told Arab-American community leaders in Michigan. UNRWA officials say they expect the U.N. oversight office's preliminary investigation report to take several weeks. "They did tell us in that meeting that they ... expect that the president will be shifting his language," Alawieh said. ... We're looking for action from President Biden that saves lives." Israel began its military offensive after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages on Oct. 7.

Persons: Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, Biden, Samantha Power, Joe Biden's, Ali Dagher, Abbas Alawieh, Alawieh, Israel, Andrea Shalal, Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Nations, Michigan . U.S . Agency for International, Reuters, Israel Locations: American, Michigan ., Michigan, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Lebanese, Dearborn, Arab, Detroit

☆ Displaced Gazans Resort to Living in Chicken Sheds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Saleh SalemRAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - With one million Gazans displaced from their homes by Israeli bombardments seeking refuge in the border town of Rafah, five families have moved into a chicken farm, living in its long concrete sheds, the battery coops transformed into bunk beds. For the Hanoon family, one of five in an extended clan that have moved in there, the chicken farm feels close to rock bottom. Then an acquaintance, a friend of my cousin's, told me there's a chicken farm in Rafah with cages," he said. But as the time went by they had to accept that the chicken sheds would be their home for much longer. "It is hard to live in a place like this, a place which was designed for chicken and birds.

Persons: Saleh Salem, Umm Mahdi Hanoon, Mahdi, Abu Mustafa, Angus McDowall, Angus MacSwan Locations: Saleh Salem RAFAH, Gaza, Rafah, Israel, Radwan, Gaza City, al

☆ Biden Says Gaza Fighting 'Over the Top,' Pushing for Pause
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Jeff Mason and Trevor HunnicuttWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday suggested that Israel's military response in Gaza has been "over the top," adding that he is working to achieve a sustained pause in fighting. He added that he has been pushing for increased humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and to get a temporary pause in place to allow the release of hostages taken by Hamas. "I'm pushing very hard now to deal with this hostage ceasefire," Biden said. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesIsrael began its military offensive after Hamas militants from Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Sandra Maler and Diane Craft)

Persons: Jeff Mason, Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, it's, Trevor Hunnicutt, Sandra Maler, Diane Craft Organizations: White, Israeli, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ Gaza Ceasefire Hopes Alive With More Talks Planned
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

"Continued military pressure is a necessary condition for the release of the hostages," Netanyahu said. Israel began its military offensive after Hamas militants from Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Netanyahu rejects a Palestinian state, which Saudi Arabia says is a requirement for the kingdom to normalise relations with Israel. But last week Israel said it would expand its campaign into Rafah, where about half the enclave's 2.3 million people are penned against the border with Egypt. On the ground in southern Gaza, residents said Israel stepped up its assault on Rafah in the early hours of Thursday.

Persons: Nidal, Humeyra Pamuk, Antony Blinken, Khalil Al, Hayya, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Israel, Washington, Khan Younis, Nidal al, Andrew Mills, Bassam Massoud, Cynthia Osterman, Howard Goller Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Israeli, Hamas, NBC News, Israel Democracy Institute, Nakhoul Locations: Humeyra Pamuk DOHA, TEL AVIV, U.S, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Saudi Arabia, ISRAEL, RAFAH Israel, Gaza's, Rafah, Tel Al, Doha

Some of the hardest-hit are babies, young children and their parents, with diapers and formula either hard to find or spiking to unaffordable prices, leading parents to look to inadequate or even unsafe alternatives. “I sold my children’s food so I can buy diapers,” said Raafat Abu Wardeh, who has two children in diapers. A pack of diapers before the war cost 12 shekels ($3.50). There isn’t even aid.”Some parents are using cloth diapers, but those require washing with water, which is also scarce. “This is far from being enough to address the colossal needs of the children in Gaza,” said UNICEF spokesperson Ammar Ammar.

Persons: — Zainab al, Zein, ”, “, Raafat Abu Wardeh, Anis, Zainab, Israel, Ammar Ammar, ” Ammar, Zainab al, Linda, ceaselessly, Magdy Organizations: Health Ministry, Hamas, United Nations ’, UNICEF Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Israel, handouts, Deir, Cairo, israel

☆ Hamas proposes three-stage ceasefire over 135 days, leading to end of war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the Hamas counterproposal envisions three phases lasting 45 days each. The proposal would see militants exchange remaining Israeli hostages they captured on Oct. 7 for Palestinian prisoners. The reconstruction of Gaza would begin, Israeli forces would withdraw completely, and bodies and remains would be exchanged. By the end of the third phase, Hamas would expect the sides to have reached agreement on an end to the war. Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Persons: Khan Yunis, counterproposal, Antony Blinken Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, AFP, Getty Images, Reuters, U.S, Israel, Gaza's Health Ministry Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, United States, Qatar, Egypt

☆ Living Among the Dead: Gaza Families Seek Shelter in Cemetery
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"People were forced to come here to this safe place, which is the cemetery among the dead," said Amer, who is displaced from Al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza with 11 family members including children and grandchildren. Israel has threatened to storm the area with tanks when it finishes a battle in Khan Younis just north of it. The cemetery has neat rows of low cement graves that pre-date the war, with plants and flowers growing on them, inscriptions and peeling paint. "The dead are in comfort while we, the living, are in pain and going through very tough conditions. "I see the children, our children, playing among and above the graves," said Amer.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Mahmoud Amer, Amer, Israel's, Khan Younis, Estelle Shirbon, Peter Graff Organizations: Al Locations: Mohammed Salem RAFAH, Gaza, Rafah, Israel, Egypt, Palestinian

☆ Police in Michigan City Put on Alert After WSJ Opinion Piece
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The WSJ published the piece on Friday headlined as "Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital." Islamophobic," Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said about the WSJ piece written by Steven Stalinsky, executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute. This is a direct result of the inflammatory @WSJ opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn," the mayor added. Rights advocates have noted a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias and antisemitism in the U.S. since the eruption of war in the Middle East in October. The latest eruption of war in the Middle East began on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200.

Persons: Kanishka Singh, Abdullah Hammoud, Steven Stalinsky, Dan Burns, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Street Journal, Council, Islamic Relations, Dearborn, Middle East Media Research Institute, Street, East, Hamas Locations: Dearborn , Michigan, Dearborn, Jihad, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Vermont, Illinois, Washington

☆ Hamas deploys police, distributes funds in sign of resurgence in Gaza areas Israeli troops have left
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A Hamas fighter aims an RPG, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, Gaza, in this still image taken from video released on Jan. 31, 2024. Israel has said it's determined to crush Hamas militarily and prevent it from returning to power in Gaza, an enclave it has ruled since 2007. In recent days, Israeli forces renewed strikes in the western and northwestern parts of Gaza City, including in areas where some of the salary distributions were reported to have taken place. Four Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that in recent days, uniformed and plainclothes police officers deployed near police headquarters and other government offices, including near Shifa Hospital, the territory's largest. Ahmed Abu Hadrous, a Gaza City resident, said Israeli warplanes struck the area where the makeshift office is located multiple times earlier this week, including Saturday morning.

Persons: Israel, Saeed Abdel, Ahmed Abu Hadrous, Hijazi, Abu Yousef al, Khan Younis, Qatar — Organizations: Hamas, Associated Press, AP, Health Ministry, United Nations, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza City, Gaza, Shifa, Gaza's, Rafah, Egypt, Jeneina, Hams, United States, Qatar, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan

☆ UNICEF Says Nearly All Gaza's Children Require Mental Health Support
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - UNICEF said on Friday it estimated that 17,000 children in Gaza were unaccompanied or have been separated from their families during the conflict, and that nearly all children in the enclave were thought to require mental health support. "They present symptoms like extremely high levels of persistent anxiety, loss of appetite. "Before this war, UNICEF was considering already that 500,000 children were already in need of mental health and psychosocial support in Gaza. Today, we estimate that almost all children are in need of that support, and that's more than 1 million children." (Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Rachel More)War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images

Persons: Jonathan Crickx, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Rachel More Organizations: UNICEF Locations: GENEVA, Gaza, Palestinian Territories, Israel

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

☆ 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

☆ Some Palestinian Americans Decline Invite to Meet Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka Singh and Humeyra PamukWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some members of the Palestinian American community who received an invite to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday declined the invitation over their frustration with Washington's policy toward the conflict and crisis in Gaza. "A meeting of this nature at this moment in time is insulting and performative," a group of Palestinian American community members said in a statement, adding they represented a majority of those invited. Israel launched its offensive in Hamas-governed Gaza following the Palestinian Islamist group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. We will not be attending this discussion which can only amount to a box-ticking exercise," the Palestinian American group said on Thursday, adding it saw Washington as complicit in Israeli actions. A U.S. State Department spokesperson on Thursday told reporters Blinken met with a "number of leaders" from the Palestinian American community, without specifying how many attended.

Persons: Kanishka Singh, Humeyra Pamuk, Antony Blinken, Israel, Joe Biden, Blinken, Stephen Coates Organizations: Palestinian American, U.S, United Nations, ., U.S . State, White, Biden Locations: Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, Gaza, Palestinian, United States, Israel, Washington, U.S, New York City, Los Angeles, Michigan

☆ Hamas Unlikely to Reject Ceasefire but Will Demand Israeli Withdrawal -Source
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to pull troops out until "total victory", which he defines as eradicating Hamas. Hamas says it will not sign up to any temporary truce unless Israel commits to a withdrawal and permanent end to the war. "They haven’t entered deep into Al-Mawasi where we live but everyday they get closer," he told Reuters by phone, referring to the western district of Khan Younis along the Mediterranean Coast. Israel, which claims Hamas is using hospitals as command centres, has denied prior Red Crescent claims that it stormed the hospital. Palestinian health officials said medical teams had recovered 14 bodies of Palestinians who were killed near the centre of Khan Younis after some tanks retreated from there.

Persons: Nidal, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ismail Haniyeh, Khan Younis, Osama Ahmed, Amal, Israel's, Nidal al, Ari Rabinovitch, Sharon Singleton, Peter Graff Organizations: Hamas, Palestinian, Health, Reuters, Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Al, Crescent, U.S . Navy, U.S . military's, Command Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Paris, Cairo, Khan, Rafah, Gaza City, Al, Iran, Yemen, Red, Britain, Washington, U.S, Gulf, Aden, Mughrabi, Doha, Tala, Dubai, Jerusalem

☆ 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

☆ Gaza Ambulances Become Mobile Clinics as Fighting Blocks Way to Hospitals
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The hospital, the largest still functioning in southern Gaza, is in an area of the city where intense fighting is taking place between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, making it too dangerous for patients or even ambulances to pass. "We now function as an ambulance field point in central Khan Younis," said paramedic Nassim Hassan, who heads the emergency unit at Nasser Hospital. With no immediate prospect of getting new supplies from any hospital storeroom, Hassan was concerned about running out of essentials. "This medical point was created after the siege of hospitals, including Nasser Hospital and Al-Amal Hospital, and the hard access to them under the current events," said Abu al-Kass. Hassan and his colleagues from ambulance crews acting as mobile clinics have carried patients into the tent, and dead bodies out.

Persons: Fadi Shana, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa KHAN YOUNIS, Khan Younis, Nassim Hassan, Hassan, Ibrahim Abu al, Kass, Abu, Estelle Shirbon, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Nasser Hospital, Al, Amal Hospital Locations: Gaza, Khan, Israel, Rafah, Egypt

Nearly half the hostages were released during a weeklong November cease-fire in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. In December, Israeli forces mistakenly killed three hostages who had escaped and were waving a white flag. HAMAS WANTS THE WAR TO ENDHamas has refused to release more hostages until Israel ends its offensive and withdraws from Gaza. The group's top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said Tuesday that its priority is the “full withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza. These include high-profile militants involved in attacks that killed Israeli civilians.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, —, Israel, ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU, Netanyahu, “, Ismail Haniyeh, Biden Organizations: Health Ministry, Hamas, West Bank, Gaza, —, Democratic, Palestinian Authority Locations: Gaza, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, U.S, United States, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian

☆ Israel's Military Keeps Focus on Southern Gaza's Khan Younis -Spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's military said on Monday it will keep pressure on the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, which for weeks has been the focus of Israel's offensive, and said it has killed more than 2,000 Palestinian militants there. "We are continuing the attack in the area of Khan Younis. We have more operational missions to dismantle the military frameworks of the rest of the Hamas battalions," Hagari told reporters. "In all of Khan Younis we have eliminated more than 2,000 terrorists above and beneath the ground. Hagari said that in the past week more than 300 suspected militants there were detained and taken for questioning.

Persons: Khan Younis, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Ari Rabinovitch, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Reuters Locations: JERUSALEM, Khan, Gaza

☆ Anti-Muslim Incidents Jump in US Amid Israel-Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Rights advocates have noted a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias in the U.S. and elsewhere since the eruption of war in the Middle East. BY THE NUMBERSThe Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said on Monday it has received 3,578 complaints during the last three months of 2023, amid what it called "an ongoing wave of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate." Complaints of employment discrimination led the list with 662 instances; hate crimes and hate incidents were reported 472 times; and education discrimination 448 times, the organization said. Earlier this month, the Anti-Defamation League said that in the three months after Oct. 7, U.S. antisemitic incidents rose by 360% compared to the prior year. The U.S. Justice Department is monitoring rising threats against Jews and Muslims amid the conflict.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Israel's, Joe Biden, Kanishka Singh, Heather Timmons, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Hamas, Islamic Relations, Defamation League, U.S, U.S . Justice Department Locations: U.S, Israel, Gaza, Vermont, Illinois, Palestinian, Washington

The dispute engulfing the biggest provider of vital aid to Palestinians came as U.S. officials said negotiators were closing in on a cease-fire agreement. The emerging deal also calls for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. The top United Nations court has asked Israel for a compliance report in a month, placing added scrutiny on Israel's military. The case brought by South Africa to the U.N. court alleged Israel is committing genocide, which Israel vehemently denies. The court also ordered Israel to urgently get aid to Gaza.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, ” Guterres, ”, Philippe Lazzarini, Bill Burns, David Barnea, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Abbas Kamel, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Israel, Khan Younis, Nasser, ___ Shurafa, Madhani, Matthew Lee, Zeke Miller Organizations: United Nations, UNRWA, Biden, CIA, Qatari, International Court of Justice, World Health Organization, MSF Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, Israel, United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, ISRAEL, South Africa, Khan, Deir, Washington, israel

☆ US Says Its Israel Policy Unchanged After Report on Leveraging Weapon Sales
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka Singh and Steve HollandWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Sunday there was no change in its Israel policy after NBC News reported the United States was discussing using weapon sales to Israel as leverage to convince the Israeli government to scale back its military assault in Gaza. "Israel has a right and obligation to defend themselves against the threat of Hamas, while abiding by international humanitarian law and protecting civilian lives, and we remain committed to support Israel in its fight against Hamas. There has not been a change in our policy," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said. NBC News reported earlier on Sunday that at the direction of the White House, the Pentagon has been reviewing what weaponry Israel has requested that could be used as leverage. Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

Persons: Kanishka Singh, Steve Holland WASHINGTON, Israel, Joe Biden, Israel's, Steve Holland, Lisa Shumaker, Matthew Lewis Organizations: NBC News, White House National Security Council, White, Pentagon, NBC, Hamas Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza, Washington, Hamas

In Gaza, it has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians during the Israel-Hamas war. The Israeli government has accused Hamas and other militant groups of siphoning off aid and using U.N. facilities for military purposes. UNRWA denies those allegations and says it took swift action against the employees accused of taking part in the attack. U.N. chief Guterres said nine of the accused UNRWA employees were immediately terminated, one was confirmed dead and the other two still need to be identified. The death toll includes more than 150 UNWRA employees, the most aid workers the U.N. has lost in a single conflict.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Philippe Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Lazzarini Organizations: United, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, West, Israel, West Bank, Twitter, Health Ministry Locations: United Nations, Gaza, Israel, United States, East, West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, U.N, Israel's, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Ireland, israel

☆ 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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