Live blog: US would redirect UNRWA aid to other agencies under Senate bill

Monday, February 5, 2024

2023 GMT — While the Biden administration remains under heavy criticism due to its unparalleled support for Israel's brutal attacks on the besieged Palestinian enclave, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the Biden administration would redirect any funds for UNRWA to other aid agencies working in besieged Gaza if Congress passes legislation that would bar funding of the main UN agency for Palestinians.

Patel said at a press briefing that the bill, negotiated by the Biden administration and a bipartisan group of senators, included $1.4 billion for humanitarian aid for Gaza, but that could be sent to the UN's World Food Program [WFP], UNICEF or other aid groups.

"This is tangible money that we believe will save lives and have a direct impact on Palestinian civilians, and we will redirect funding for UNRWA to other partners to provide assistance in Gaza," he said.

Washington claims to back UNRWA for its "critical work" as the main aid agency for Palestinians but wants to see "concrete results" from UNRWA's investigation into Israel's claims, Patel said, declining to say when the US would make a decision on restarting funding.

"We believe that we can continue to do important work through other NGOs and other partners, and simultaneously, we'll continue to have conversations with donor countries about supporting UNRWA," Patel said.

1952 GMT — Extremist illegal Jewish settlers persist in attempt to block humanitarian aid to Gaza

Extremist illegal Jewish settlers in Israel have continued to block humanitarian aid going into besieged Gaza.

The group of settlers gathered near Isdud [Ashdod] Port, roughly 38 kilometres north of besieged Gaza, where most of the over 2 million Palestinian inhabitants are grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis, including hunger, lack of clean water, and inadequate shelter.

As Israeli police stood by, the settlers stopped trucks departing from the port, checking documents and inspecting cargo to determine their contents and destination.

One of the illegal settlers said he came with his family to stop the trucks from supplying oxygen to the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Gaza.

"Gaza is a state. It's land, it's a country. All the Gaza people, from our side, are terrorists," said the settler, Sharon, who declined to provide a last name.

Despite warnings by human rights groups and aid agencies that a "humanitarian catastrophe" is taking place in Gaza, Sharon alleged that the aid, which includes food and fuel, goes to Hamas.

"Why should we send food and fuel to Gaza? It's not normal ... It's not normal that in our land, those people are shooting us," he added.

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1907 GMT –– Israel blocked majority of aid deliveries for Gaza in January — UN

Israel last month denied access to well over half of all humanitarian aid deliveries bound for northern Gaza, the UN has said.

"For the month of January as a whole, only 10 of the 61 humanitarian aid missions planned for the north of Wadi Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the UN's New York headquarters, referring to the landmark roughly demarcating the northern strip from the south.

Of the remaining 51 deliveries, two were allowed in on a partial basis, 34 were denied access altogether, and six others were postponed by aid groups "due to internal operational issues," Dujarric added.

It is unclear what happened to the remaining deliveries.

1941 GMT –– Germany, France concerned over humanitarian situation in Gaza

Germany and France have voiced their concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, new French Prime Gabriel Attal said after his talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

“During our exchange, we also once again expressed our concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the loss of numerous civilian lives from the Palestinian side,” Attal told a joint news conference with Scholz.

“I would like to make it clear again: International law must be respected and there must be a humanitarian cease-fire so that aid can be made available to civilians. The only peaceful solution is a peaceful solution based on two states where people can live in peace and security,” he added.

For his part, Scholz urged “better access to humanitarian aid” for Palestinians.

1801 GMT –– Lebanon’s Amal group says 3 more members killed in border clashes with Israel

Lebanon’s Amal Movement has said that three of its members had been killed in clashes with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, the Hezbollah-allied group said that the three had lost their lives “while fulfilling their national duty to defend Lebanon and the south," without providing any further details.

The new fatalities brought to six the number of the group’s members killed in clashes with Israeli forces since October.

1625 GMT –– Qatar says it will keep funding UNRWA

Meanwhile, Qatar has said it will continue its funding to UNRWA amid the Israeli accusations against the agency.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met in Doha with Philippe Lazzarini, the agency's head.

“Qatar will continue its support for UNRWA, whose responsibilities have doubled in light of the current catastrophic humanitarian situation facing Gaza’s innocent civilian population,” he said in statements carried by the state news agency QNA.

“Qatar is keen on continuing the dispatch of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in a sustainable and unhindered manner,” he added.

1540 GMT –– UN appoints independent panel to probe UNRWA work in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced he is appointing an independent new panel to determine if the UN's Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) is acting neutrally in its operations, in response to "allegations of serious breaches."

The external review group will be led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Guterres said in a statement.

She will work with three research firms in carrying out the probe: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

1532 GMT –– Israel PM says 'will not accept' Hamas demands over hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Palestinian group Hamas presented "demands that we will not accept" over hostages held in Gaza.

Netanyahu, according to a statement from his Likud party, said the terms for the release of remaining captives "should be similar to the previous agreement", which saw a ratio of hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners during a November truce.

1439 GMT –– Blinken arrives in Riyadh amid heightened Mideast tensions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Saudi Arabia, his first stop in a wider tour of the Middle East amid tensions over Israeli attacks on Gaza and US strikes on Iran-backed militia across Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Blinken is also set to visit Egypt, Qatar and Israel this week and push to advance the Egyptian- and Qatari-mediated conversations with Hamas to achieve a hostage deal.

1438 GMT –– French foreign minister calls for permanent cease-fire in Mideast

France’s Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne has called for a permanent cease-fire in the Middle East, following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"For four months now, Gazans have been under bombs and living under an almost total siege. They are deprived of minimal aid that would let them cure their wounds, protect themselves from epidemics, and feed themselves. They cannot leave the enclave of Gaza," Sejourne told a news conference in Jerusalem.

Nothing can justify such a tragedy, Sejourne added, calling on all parties to respect international humanitarian law.

Sejourne also said that Israeli "settler violence must stop" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

1421GMT –– Spain to boost funding to UNRWA after donors suspend aid

Spain has said it would give an additional $3.8 million in aid to UNRWA, which is facing a cash crunch after several nations suspended their funding.

"Spain will release an urgent envelope of 3.5 million euros so that UNRWA can maintain its activities in the short term," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Luis Albares told a parliamentary committee.

"UNRWA's situation is desperate and there is a serious risk that its humanitarian activities will be paralysed in Gaza within a few weeks," he said.

1403 GMT –– Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks rises to 27,478

At least 27,478 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in nearly four months of war, according to the territory's Health Ministry.

A ministry statement said 66,835 people have been wounded since October 7.

1336 GMT –– Israeli gunfire strikes UN food convoy in Gaza: UNRWA

A food convoy has come under Israeli artillery fire in Gaza, UNRWA said.

“This morning, a food convoy waiting to move into Northern Gaza was hit by Israeli naval gunfire,” UNRWA’s Gaza chief Thomas White said on X, adding no one was injured.

“We cannot deliver humanitarian aid under fire,” the agency said. “Safe and sustainable humanitarian access is urgently needed everywhere including to the North of Gaza.”

Since Israel’s offensive on Gaza began on October 7, there have been multiple attacks interfering with aid distribution, including a January 25 attack on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid that killed at least 20 people and injured at least 150.

1257 GMT –– UNRWA chief visits Gulf countries amid funding crisis

The head of UNRWA is visiting three Gulf states this week, seeking to drum up support after key donors suspended funding following Israeli allegations that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 attack.

Some 15 of the agency's most important donors, including the United States, have suspended funding over Israel's allegations involving 12 of its 13,000 staff, prompting UNRWA to warn last week that it might be forced to shut down by the end of February.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously said nine of those implicated had been terminated, one was dead and the identities of the other two were being clarified.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on X he met with the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday to discuss UNRWA's work in "preserving the stability in the region" and delivering aid to two million people in Gaza.

1253 GMT –– Palestinian child killed by Israeli police in East Jerusalem

A Palestinian child has been shot dead by Israeli police in occupied East Jerusalem, according to the official news agency Wafa.

Wafa, citing eyewitnesses, said Wadee' Oweisat, 14, was killed at an Israeli military checkpoint near the town of Al Eizariya.

Palestinians shared a video on social media showing a child, medically unattended, bleeding on the ground. The child died at the scene.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN said police shot a Palestinian in an alleged stabbing attempt in Jerusalem, without providing any further details.

1119 GMT –– At least 540 Israeli soldiers injured by ‘friendly fire’ in Gaza

At least 540 Israeli soldiers have been injured by “friendly fire” since Israel expanded its ground operations in Gaza on October 27, according to Israeli media.

Israeli Channel 12, citing military figures, said that 1,300 soldiers have been wounded since the start of the ground offensive in Gaza, including 540 in operational accidents.

Military figures show that 562 soldiers have been killed and 2,820 others injured since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel.

1040 GMT –– Palestinian Authority rejects Israeli bid to relocate Rafah border crossing

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has said that Palestine rejects any Israeli attempt to transfer or replace the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

"Israel is trying to relocate the crossing to another location. We affirm this is a pure Egyptian-Palestinian matter," Shtayyeh said in a government session.

The Israeli Channel 13 reported on Saturday that the Israeli government is considering relocating the Rafah border crossing with Egypt to the Kerem Shalom area.

Relocating the crossing to the border triangle between Israel, Gaza, and Egypt aims to prevent Cairo from intervening in the management of it, the channel added.

1028 GMT –– Senior Hamas member says mediators working to achieve ceasefire deal in Gaza

A top representative of Hamas in Lebanon has said mediator countries are working on a deal to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

The mediators are working to achieve the agreement, which "must guarantee all that we are asking for," Osama Hamdan, a member of the Palestinian group's politburo, told Anadolu news agency.

"We insist reaching a complete ceasefire, call for a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, and the lifting the siege on Gaza."

"However, the Israeli army wants to continue its military attacks in Gaza, and continue its siege," he added.

1016 GMT –– OECD ups world growth forecast but sees Middle East 'risk'

The OECD raised its 2024 world economic growth forecast but warned that the Middle East conflict posed a risk, with disruptions in Red Sea shipping threatening to increase consumer prices.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development highlighted the threats from the Israeli war on Gaza and the attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis who say they were targeting Israel-linked ships in solidarity with the Palestinians.

"High geopolitical tensions are a significant near-term risk to activity and inflation, particularly if the conflict in the Middle East were to disrupt energy markets," the report said.

0949 GMT –– EU's Borrell warns against cutting UNRWA funds

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that moves to suspend the funding of UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA were extremely ill-advised.

"Defunding UNRWA would be both disproportionate and dangerous," Borrell said of the agency which is embroiled in controversy over the alleged involvement of employees in the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.

"While some important donors suspended funding, there is a wide recognition that UNRWA is central to providing vital aid to more than 1.1 million people in Gaza suffering from catastrophic hunger and the outbreak of diseases.

"Defunding the agency would put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk," said Borrell in a blog post.

He added that "the agency has taken immediate steps and launched an investigation," calling the allegations serious and which should not go unpunished if true.

0823 GMT –– Israel continues West Bank raids, detains 20 more Palestinians

The Israeli army has raided several cities, towns and refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, detaining at least 20 Palestinians.

Witnesses told Anadolu news agency that Israeli forces stormed Tubas city and arrested two people, inciting clashes with dozens of Palestinians.

The army also raided Tulkarem and rounded up five people amid armed clashes with Palestinian gunmen in several areas of the city, witnesses said.

Local sources told Anadolu that the army surrounded a house in the Al Ain refugee camp west of Nablus and arrested two more people, amid clashes with dozens of Palestinians.

Other witnesses said the Israeli army arrested eight people in the town of Arraba, near Jenin city, after storming dozens of homes. Three more Palestinians were detained in the town of Halhul near Hebron, witnesses said.

So far, there has been no official confirmation of any casualties during the clashes.

0822 GMT –– Russia to summon Israeli ambassador over 'unacceptable' comments: TASS

Russia's foreign ministry will summon Israeli ambassador Simona Halperin over "unacceptable comments" she made in an interview, the TASS news agency cited the ministry as saying.

Halperin, according to the ministry, misrepresented Russia's foreign policy stance in the interview with Russia's Kommersant daily, published on Sunday. The ministry described her comments as "an extremely unsuccessful start" to her diplomatic posting, which began last December.

In the interview, Halperin criticised Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for playing down the importance of the Holocaust and said Russia was being too friendly with Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

0805 GMT –– Italy will become a target should it join attacks against Yemen, Houthi leader says

Italy will become a target if it takes part in attacks against Yemen, a senior official from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said in an interview.

Mohamed Ali al Houthi, head of the Houthi's supreme revolutionary committee, told daily La Repubblica that Italy must be neutral in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and put pressure on Israel to stop attacks on Gaza, adding that would be the only way to achieve peace in the region.

Italy said on Friday it would provide the admiral in command of a European Union Red Sea naval mission it has joined to protect ships from attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia.

The mandate of the mission, which will be launched in mid-February, will be to protect commercial ships and intercept attacks, but not take part in strikes against the Houthis, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said.

0800 GMT –– Japan's Itochu to end cooperation with Israel's Elbit over Gaza war

Itochu Corp's aviation unit will end its strategic cooperation with Israeli defence company Elbit Systems Ltd by the end of February over the war in Gaza, the Japanese trading house's executive said.

Itochu Aviation, Elbit Systems and Nippon Aircraft Supply (NAS) signed the strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) in March 2023.

Itochu plans to end the collaboration after the World Court ordered Israel last month to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and do more to help civilians, Itochu Chief Financial Officer Tsuyoshi Hachimura said.

0735 GMT –– Blinken heads to Mideast to press for Gaza truce

Blinken headed to the Middle East for another crisis tour in a bid to secure a new truce in Israel's war on Gaza, as southern region of the besieged enclave saw no let-up in fighting.

On his fifth trip to the region since October 7, Blinken is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt and Qatar.

Ahead of the trip he stressed the need for "urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza," after aid groups have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the devastating impact on the besieged territory of nearly four months of war.

0326 GMT –– Only slightly over 9,800 aid trucks have entered Gaza since Israeli attacks began: Red Crescent

Only slightly over 9,800 aid trucks have entered Gaza, where Israel has been carrying out intense attacks for four months, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a statement.

Between October 21 and February 1, nearly 7,000 aid trucks entered from the Rafah border crossing and 2,884 trucks entered from the Karem Abu Salem crossing, it said.

The aid materials, including food, water, medical supplies and medicine, were distributed to the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), the Health Ministry, the Ministry of Social Affairs and hospitals.

The number of aid trucks entering Gaza during this period corresponded to approximately 95 trucks per day, it said. Before Israel's attacks, approximately 600 trucks were entering Gaza daily.

0119 GMT –– Israel kills 30 Palestinians in central Gaza in last 24 hours

At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in the Deir al Balah region of central Gaza in the last 24 hours as Israel continued its onslaught on the besieged enclave, local officials said.

The Israeli army carried out air attacks on the homes of civilians in Deir al Balah and bombed a mosque in the same area, said the media office of the government in Gaza.

Noting that the attack was part of "Israel's genocidal war" against civilians in Gaza, it said the international community and the US administration, which gave the green light to the massacres, were responsible for the act.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing at least 27,365 Palestinians and injuring 66,630 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85 percent of Gaza's population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

2340 GMT –– US Senate unveils $118 billion bipartisan bill to tighten border security, aid Ukraine and Israel

The US Senate unveiled a $118 billion bipartisan border security bill that would also provide aid to Ukraine and Israel following months of negotiations, but the measure faces an uncertain future amid opposition by Donald Trump and hardline Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said an initial vote on the bill would take place no later than Wednesday, but faces opposition from both sides of the aisle.

In addition to $20.23 billion for border security, the bill included $60.06 billion to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, $14.1 billion in security assistance for Israel, $2.44 billion to US Central Command and the conflict in the Red Sea, and $4.83 billion to support US partners in the Indo-Pacific facing aggression from China, according to a Senate source.

An additional $10 billion would provide humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Ukraine, the source said.

2223 GMT — Hamas in consultation with factions on ceasefire: source

Hamas has not informed mediators of its rejection of a proposal for a hostage swap deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, a well-informed Palestinian source has said.

The source, which requested anonymity, affirmed that the group's consultations with other Palestinian factions on the proposals are "ongoing."

His remarks were in response to international media reports, some of which claimed that Hamas had rejected the proposals while others suggested that it intended to deliver its response on Sunday evening.

"Hamas has not informed the mediators of rejecting the proposal for a hostage swap and a ceasefire," the source told Anadolu.

For our live updates from Sunday, February 4, click here.