Israel-Hamas war: US strikes Houthi anti-ship missile

The head of the United Nations refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) said the decision of many countries to suspend their funding for the agency over allegations a dozen of its staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel was "shocking."

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement that the allegations were against "a small group of staff." He also referenced the immediate action he took, including terminating the contracts of the staff members in question and launching a probe.

"Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment. This stains all of us," he said on social media.

The UNRWA chief said that the "lives of people in Gaza depend on this support."

"These decisions threaten our ongoing humanitarian work across the region including and especially in the Gaza Strip," he added.

At least nine countries, including Germany, the US and the UK, have so far announced suspending funds to the organization, which has already struggled with funding before the war.

Israel has called on more countries to stop funding the UN agency.

Germany said it's joining a number of countries which have paused new funding for the United Nations' agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The news followed accusations by Israel that a dozen UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas.

Germany's Federal Foreign Office and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development made the announcement in a joint statement.

The two ministries said the German government will not approve any new funds for the UNRWA until the end of its investigation into the allegations surrounding its staff members.

The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, Friday launched a full investigation into the allegations, and he said any staff found to be involved would be held accountable.

Germany said there were no new pending commitments to the agency at the moment. 

It said the UN agency was "vital for the provision of basic services to the Palestinian population." It commended as "absolutely right" UNRWA chief Lazzarini's immediate reaction to the accusations.

Israel has called on more countries to stop funding the United Nations' Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The call follows accusations by Israel that a dozen UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7 terror attack by Hamas.

Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Finland became the latest countries on Saturday to announce a pause funding for the agency. They joined the United States, Australia and Canada, which vowed a pause to further funds following the revelations. 

"I call for more nations to join in," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media. 

He accused UNRWA of having ties to Hamas, as well as "providing refuge for terrorists," saying such accusations were "undeniable."

Katz also called for the dismissal of UNRWA's leadership, as well as a thorough investigation into "their knowledge of these activities."

"In Gaza's rebuilding, UNRWA must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development," Katz said.

UNRWA, which provides education, medical care and welfare services to hundreds of thousands of Gaza's 2.3 million people, has thousands of employees.

The organization had struggled with funding even before Israel's strikes on Gaza began in October.

Johann Soufi, a lawyer and former director of UNRWA's legal office in Gaza, told the French AFP news agency that the UN agency had "always had a zero-tolerance policy for violence and incitement to hatred."

"Sanctioning UNRWA, which is barely keeping the entire population of Gaza alive, for the alleged responsibility of a few employees, is tantamount to collectively punishing the Gazan population, which is living in catastrophic humanitarian conditions," he said.

US President Joe Biden will host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House on February 9, the White House said in a statement.

"They will discuss efforts to prevent regional escalation in the Middle East, their steadfast support for Israel’s right to self-defense, and the imperative of increasing life-saving assistance and protection of civilians from harm in Gaza," the statement said.

The two will also discuss the war in Ukraine as it approaches its second anniversary in February.

The United Kingdom will be temporarily pausing "any future funding" for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) after Israel accused some of its staff of being involved in the October 7 attacks.

"The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned," the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.

Aid will be withheld while "we review these concerning allegations," it added. 

Britan joins the United States, Australia, Italy and Canada, which have already suspended additional funding.

The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, has launched a full investigation into the allegations, and he said any staff found to be involved would be held accountable.

The European Union also said it would "will assess further steps and draw lessons based on the result of the full and comprehensive investigation."

The Israeli military deepened its offensive in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Saturday, with residents reporting heavy aerial strikes and tank fire in the town.

Israeli forces said they killed at least 11 gunmen who were trying to place explosives near troops and others firing rifles and rocket-propelled grenades at soldiers in Khan Younis.

Hamas said they fired an anti-tank missile into southwest Khan Younis, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group in Gaza allied with Hamas, said they were also fighting Israeli forces in the area.

Reuters news agency reported that Palestinian Islamic Jihad had fired rockets into Israel as well.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Israeli strikes hit the vicinities of Al-Amal Hospital and the largest functioning medical facility in the south, Nasser Hospital. 

Israel has said it will continue its operations until it has wiped out Hamas, a goal considered impossible by numerous observers. The offensive has killed more than 26,250 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. 

Israel, the US, Germany and the European Union, among others, consider Hamas a terrorist organization.

 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was in the Jordanian capital, Amman, for talks with her counterpart about the ongoing war in Gaza.

Baerbock's meeting with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi was expected to focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and what a future for the strip might look like after the war.

The German foreign minister stopped in Jordan on her way back from a three-day trip to East Africa. No details or possible outcomes were disclosed during the meeting of the ministers, who are regarded as having a good working relationship.

Baerbock has endorsed a two-state solution, where a demilitarized Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, opposes the solution, saying the state would become a launching pad for further attacks against Israel. 

Israel commended the United States and Canada for temporarily pausing funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) following reports that its staff were involved in the attacks of October 7 on Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israeli officials have "been warning for years" that the UNRWA "perpetuates the refugee issue, obstructs peace, and serves as a civilian arm of Hamas in Gaza." 

Katz said he was "hopeful that other nations will follow suit."

Hamas condemned what it called Israeli "threats" toward the UN agency.

"We ask the UN and the international organizations to not cave in to the threats and blackmail from Israel," the group said in a post on Telegram.

Australia and Canada were "temporarily" pausing funding to the United Nations' main agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was "deeply concerned" by the allegations, adding they were working with partners to get to the bottom of the issue.

"We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding," she wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

"We welcome UNRWA's immediate response, including terminating contracts and launching an investigation, as well as its recent announcement of a full investigation into allegations against the organization," she added.  

Canadian International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday also announced that Ottawa was "temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA while it undertakes a thorough investigation into these allegations."

"Should the allegations prove to be accurate, Canada expects UNRWA to immediately act against those determined to have been involved in Hamas's terrorist attacks," he wrote on X.

The Australian and Canadian suspension of funding for UNRWA followed in the footsteps of the US, which made a similar announcement on Friday.

Hamas launched widespread attacks on Israeli soil on October 7, killing more than 1,200 people and taking some 240 people hostage. 

US President Joe Biden spoke with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi regarding the ongoing war in Gaza, the White House reported late on Friday.

In both calls, the leaders agreed that the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza would be essential to securing peace in the region.

"Both leaders affirmed that a hostage deal is central to establishing a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting and ensure additional life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in need throughout Gaza," the White House said in a statement following Biden's call with his Qatari counterpart.

Biden also thanked el-Sissi for "Egypt's important role in this process."

The US and Egyptian presidents "also discussed intensifying efforts to further increase the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance into and throughout Gaza," the White House said.

The statement comes as Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurk was in Doha this week to discuss the possibility of another hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

A previous deal, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, saw a pause in fighting in Gaza in exchange for the release of about 100 hostages who were taken by Hamas in their attacks on October 7.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US, Israel, and the EU, among others. 

The US military carried out a strike early on Saturday against a Houthi anti-ship missile in Yemen, which it said had been aimed towards ships in the Red Sea and was ready to launch. The strike comes a day after the Houthis hit a British oil tanker near the Yemeni port of Aden. 

"US Forces identified the missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and determined it presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region," US Central Command said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

"This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy vessels and merchant vessels," it added.

The British tanker Martin Luanda was damaged in Friday's strike, but no injuries were reported. Houthi missiles had also been fired at the US destroyer USS Carney earlier on Friday, but these were shot down.

It marked the first time the Iran-backed rebels have launched strikes against a US warship.

US and UK forces have launched several joint strikes aimed at reducing the Houthi's ability to target ships transiting the crucial  Red Sea trade route — attacks the rebels say are being carried out in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid Israel's ongoing war with Hamas.

The Houthi-backed Al-Masira television also reported on Saturday that US and UK airstrikes hit Yemen's main oil export terminal at the port of Ras Issa in Hodeida. This could not be independently verified.

dvv/ab (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)