Photo: “UNRWA provides needed services to the most desperate people among the Palestinians.” Chris Lu the US Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform was quoted as saying last October, adding ““In Gaza, there is simply no replacement for the critical role of… UNRWA. For years, UNRWA schools, clinics, and relief efforts have served as the only alternative to Hamas in Gaza.” The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli government’s “systematic campaign of incitement” against UNRWA.
Highlights
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has fired 12 aid workers accused of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, and has launched an investigation.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said yesterday that he was “horrified” by the allegations and that those found to have been involved would be referred for potential criminal prosecution.
Germany, Australia, Finland, Italy and the U.K. joined the U.S. and Canada today in suspending funding to the agency.
UNRWA employs about 13,000 Palestinians and runs schools and shelters and distributes aid across Gaza.
Houthis fired at a U.S. warship for the first time yesterday, as well as a British oil tanker. The U.K. said it reserves “the right to respond appropriately,” along with its allies.
In a pre-dawn strike today, the U.S. said, it destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile that was aimed at the Red Sea and ready to launch, and Houthis reported U.S. raids in the port city of Al-Hudaydah.
CIA Director William Burns is set to meet with Qatar’s prime minister and the director of Mossad this weekend in an effort to break a deadlock in talks for a new hostage deal with Hamas.
The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians but stopped short of demanding a cease-fire.
South Africa, which brought the case to the ICJ, called yesterday’s interim ruling a “decisive victory” toward justice for Palestinians.
Israel called the implication it is perpetuating genocide “false” and “outrageous.”
More than 26,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The vast majority of the victims are women and children
More than 64,400 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
Israeli military officials said at least 220 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza. About 1,139 people were killed and about 240 hostages were taken after Hamas launched multipronged attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.
A house in Rafah was hit by Israeli airstrikes, leading to the deaths of three people seeking shelter inside.
Lifesaving aid provided by UNRWA , the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East may end due to the suspension of funding from multiple countries, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.
Germany is the latest major donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to pause funding pending an investigation of allegations 12 employees were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Pope Francis made a renewed call for a cease-fire in Gaza, saying that because of global conflict “too many children continue to suffer, to be exploited and to die.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health and the Palestine Red Crescent Society have reported injuries and damage at the Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis following what they say were attacks from Israel on the medical centers.
Finland too has joined a group of countries that have suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East following allegations that some of its members assisted in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli government’s “systematic campaign of incitement” against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in a statement today.
The crew aboard Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Marlin Luanda, hit by a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, was battling a fire onboard the stricken vessel today.
Smoke billowing from the British oil tanker MV Merlin Luanda.Indian Ministry of Defense via AFP – the French Navy said in a post on X. “After 20 hours of fighting, the fire was brought under control and the crew was safe.” Getty Images
The Indian Navy deployed the INS Visakhapatnam following a distress call by the vessel while transiting through the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a medical aid organization headquartered in Khan Younis, has called on the international community to provide it with protection for its emergency medical services teams amid continuing fighting in the southern city.
NBC/ Ya Libnan
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