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☆ Opinion | The World Needs to Stand by UNRWA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Espen Barth Eide | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, the nearly 75-year-old agency that is almost entirely funded by voluntary contributions. But now is exactly the wrong time to halt funding for UNRWA. Norway is standing fast to our commitment to continue funding this crucial agency and to the Palestinian people. As the Norwegian foreign minister, I urge fellow donor countries to reflect on the wider consequences of cutting UNRWA off. And since UNRWA also supports millions of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, a stop to payments could further destabilize an already extremely volatile region.

Organizations: United Nations, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, Norway, Norwegian, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, accusations against UNRWA, US strikes Houthi targets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Iran-backed militants have launched over 160 attacks on US forces since October. US intelligence also suggests that Iran is concerned that attacks from Houthi militants in Yemen on commercial shipping in the Red Sea could upset the economic interests of both China and India, key Iranian allies. Officials cautioned that there is no sense that Tehran’s growing wariness is likely to change its broader strategy of supporting proxy attacks on US and Western targets — although it could signal adjustments around the margins. But officials do believe that Iran is pursuing a calibrated approach to the conflict that is designed to avoid sparking an all-out war. Read the full story here.

Organizations: CNN Locations: Iraq, Syria, Yemen, United States, Jordan, Iran, Tehran, China, India

☆ 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

☆ Norway 'Reasonably Optimistic' Funding to UNRWA Can Get Back on Track
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Reuters on Thursday he was "reasonably optimistic" some countries that had paused funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) would resume payments. UNRWA on Thursday said its entire operations in the Middle East, not only in Gaza, will most likely be forced to shut down by the end of February if its funding remains suspended. "I am reasonably optimistic that we will get funding back on track," Barth Eide said in an interview. The Nordic country, a top donor to UNRWA, said on Wednesday it was urging countries that have paused funding to the agency to consider the consequences of their actions on the population in Gaza. Asked whether he was speaking with his counterpart in Sweden, a top UNRWA donor that paused funding and is a close Norway ally, he said: "I'll be very careful about mentioning individuals.

Persons: Espen Barth Eide, Barth Eide, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Reuters, UNRWA Locations: OSLO, Norwegian, Gaza, Israel, Oslo, Sweden, Norway

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

☆ The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Long Shadow of 1948
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Emily Bazelon | A Discussion Moderated Emily Bazelon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

In 1948, Jews realized their wildly improbable dream of a state, and Palestinians experienced the mass flight and expulsion called the Nakba, or catastrophe. It’s only in 1948 that the Arabs become Palestinians and the Jews become Israelis. Many Jews became lower-level officers during World War II, and they brought their new military expertise to the 1948 war. Zoltan Kluger/GPO, via Getty Images Palestinian bombers destroyed buildings on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in March 1948. Bettmann/Getty Images A Palestinian refugee cut off from her home by the border established after the 1948 war.

Persons: Matson, —, Khalil Raad, Yaakov Ben Dov Delegates, Haj Amin al, Husseini, ”, It’s, Avraham Avinu, David, Fox, King David Hotel, David Ben, Gurion, “, Hitler, Hans Pinn, Abd al, Qadir al, Chalil, Zoltan Kluger, Ben Yehuda, Hugo H, Mendelsohn, John Phillips, Palestine ”, UNSCOP, Bettmann, Ruth Orkin, David Seymour, Jordan, Israel, Abdullah, Nadim, Leena Dallasheh, Abigail Jacobson, Moshe Naor, ” Derek Penslar, ” Itamar Rabinovich, Salim Tamari, Emily Bazelon, Herzl, Faisal Al, Hashemi, James Russell &, Bain, Jabotinsky, Abraham Pisarek, Weizmann, Heinrich Hoffmann Organizations: Congress, Institute for Palestine, Palestinian, . Institute for Palestine, Matson, Palestine, Getty, of Congress British, Peel, Zionist, Jewish, British Armed Forces, Allied, King, of Congress Women, Hulton, Biltmore, British, Agence France, Getty Images, Refugees, West Bank, Shutterstock, United Nations, League of Nations, United, United Nations Jewish, Madver, The, Palestine Studies, Columbia University, Columbia University , New York University, Rice University, Islamic, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University, Tel Aviv University, Birzeit University, Institute for Palestine Studies, The New York Times Magazine, James Russell & Sons, of Congress, Israel, Ben, General Photographic Agency, Society, International Affairs Locations: Palestine, City, Jerusalem, Canadian American, Israel, British, Jaffa, Damascus, Old City, Hebron, Safed, Europe, Arab, North Africa, New York City, Middle Eastern, Haifa, Cyprus, Jenin, U.S, United Nations, Iraq, Tel Aviv’s Lod, Lebanon, Eyal, el Bared, Egypt, Syria, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Palestinian, United States, Qatar, Iran, Columbia University ,, Nazareth, Israeli, Husseini

☆ Group of Palestinian-Americans skip Blinken meeting over Biden admin’s support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

More than 26,000 have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and Gaza is on the brink of famine. ‘Soul-searching’One of the invitees to the roundtable, Dr. Tariq Haddad, said in an intensely personal, 12-page letter to Blinken that he initially intended to go to the meeting. “My family are subsisting on animal feed, Secretary Blinken, because of your policies,” he said. Public oppositionAnd while Blinken was quietly confronted behind closed doors about the administration’s policy toward Gaza on Thursday, members of the administration, including Blinken, have also faced public displays of opposition. “And we are working 24/7 to try to dramatically expand the flow of food, medicine, shelter – I mean, so much is needed.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe, Biden, ”, “, Tariq Haddad, ” Haddad, Haddad, –, Matt Miller, ” Miller, Samantha Power, Power, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Biden, Middle East, State Department, State, Palestinian, US Agency for International Development, USAID, Agency, USAID Missions Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Thursday’s, ”

Israel's military said Wednesday that its forces killed more than 15 Hamas militants in northern Gaza over the past day and targeted militant infrastructure in a school. The latest deaths bring the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s offensive to 26,900, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. Here's the latest:150 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN GAZA IN THE PAST 24 HOURS, HEALTH MINISTRY SAYSRAFAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s Health Ministry says 150 people have been killed in the last 24 hours and another 313 were wounded. The nearly four-month war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted another 250. The military said Wednesday that its forces killed more than 15 Hamas militants in northern Gaza over the past day and targeted militant infrastructure in a school.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ‘, Biden, Jordan, — Biden, he’s, —, Khan Younis, “, Joe Biden’s, Jordan that’s, Yemen’s Houthi, U.N, Israel ”, Antonio Guterres, Houthi, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Arleigh Burke, Yahya Saree, ” Saree Organizations: Gaza’s Health Ministry, Gaza, Health Ministry, West Bank, MINISTRY, AS BIDEN, U.S . Navy, UN, GENEVA, UNRWA, Israel, World Health Organization, UNICEF, International Organization for Migration, Food, U.S . State Department, EU AIMS, The European Union, ’, SEA, U.S . military’s, Command Locations: Gaza, Israel, Iran, EU, Jordan, israel, GAZA, RAFAH, Hama, Gaza City, Khan, IRAN, JERUSALEM, Islamic Republic, Tehran, The U.S, Syria, Red, U.S, United States, ”, U.N, BRUSSELS, Yemen, Belgium, Germany, Iranian, British

☆ 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

GENEVA (AP) — An array of U.N. organizations have united to warn of “catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza ” if key donor countries don't resume funding for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main lifeline for people in the besieged territory. U.N. officials fired most of the workers and vowed an investigation. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to 35 donor nations in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday and sought new support as well. On these mere allegations, they've initiated an independent investigation of everything surrounding that potential betrayal of all of our ideals by a small group of employees in the organization,” he said. ___Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Persons: “, Antonio Guterres, Linda Thomas, Jens Laerke, ” Jan Egeland, Egeland, they've, ”, ___ Edith M, Lederer Organizations: GENEVA, Israel, World Health Organization, Food Program, UNICEF, International Organization for Migration, United Nations, UNRWA, Norwegian Refugee Council Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, U.N, Congo, Greenfield , U.S, New York, Geneva, israel

After days of sharply criticizing the U.N. agency charged with assisting Palestinian civilians, donor countries signaled on Wednesday that they would continue to support the organization under the right conditions and stressed its essential role in delivering lifesaving aid as widespread starvation and disease loom in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. At least 12 countries, including the United States and Germany, the two biggest donors, have temporarily suspended funding after the Israeli government circulated allegations that employees of the group, known as UNRWA, participated in the Oct. 7 attacks. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, stressed on Wednesday that the funding pause for the agency was temporary and praised the agency’s work, comments that suggested an appetite could exist among donors to resolve the funding crisis. “We know that this agency provides lifesaving services under incredibly challenging circumstances in Gaza and it contributes to regional stability and security,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday afternoon.

Persons: Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Ms, Thomas Organizations: United Nations, . Security Locations: Gaza, United States, Germany, U.S

☆ Live updates: Middle East war fears, UNRWA allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Deva Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Dozens of civilians were killed and wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City on Monday, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Witnesses said at least "25 civilians were killed" and others were injured in Israeli shelling of a family home in the al-Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City, the agency said. Earlier Monday, Zaanoun told CNN that Israeli forces had "invaded" Gaza City's Al-Rimal neighborhood “from multiple directions,” and were surrounding it, including Al-Shifa Hospital. "Ambulances are facing major difficulties in moving and operating due to artillery shelling and besiegement by Israeli forces," Zaanoun said. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment.

Persons: WAFA, Witnesses, Khader Zaanoun, Zaanoun Organizations: CNN, Al, Shifa Locations: Gaza City, Tuffah, Gaza, Al

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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 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

☆ 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 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.

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

☆ 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

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