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No evidence from Israel for some UNRWA claims: review
Reuters Videos6 hours agoSTORY: Israel has yet to provide evidence for its accusations that hundreds of staff with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees – or UNRWA – are members of terrorist groups, according to a review of the agency's neutrality released on Monday. The review also noted that UNRWA has a "more developed approach" to neutrality than other similar U.N. or aid groups, according to Catherine Colonna, a former French foreign minister appointed by the U.N. to lead the review. "There's always room for improvement and some issues related to neutrality persist. This is why this mission was created." Colonna was tasked with the review after Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff of taking part in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks that triggered the Gaza war. A separate probe by internal U.N. investigators is looking into those allegations. Sixteen states paused or suspended funding to UNRWA after Israel raised the concerns... a severe blow to the agency that provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The review said UNRWA shares staff lists annually... and that Israel had not raised any concerns with UNRWA based on those lists since 2011. Israel then stepped up its accusations in March 2024, saying over 450 UNRWA staff were military operatives in Gaza terrorist groups. A spokesperson for Israel's foreign ministry on Monday accused more than 2,000 UNRWA workers of being members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad... and said the review of the agency was insufficient. Colonna said she wasn't surprised by the reaction. "I want you to know that we have had good relations with Israel. We were received really well by a wide variety of actors there, including officials, several levels, and in several domains. I just briefed one of those contacts we had there, and I'm not surprised by what they say, because I told him 'Of course you will find it is insufficient, but please take it on board. Whatever it would recommend, if implemented, will bring good.'" The review said UNRWA neutrality challenges included the size of the operation, with most personnel being recruited locally. It included some staff publicly expressing political views, textbooks with problematic content and politicized staff unions making threats against management. A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he has accepted the recommendations and is calling on all countries to actively support UNRWA as it is "a lifeline" for Palestinian refugees in the region. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the United States had received the report and is reviewing it.
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- 02:55No evidence from Israel for some UNRWA claims: reviewReuters VideosSTORY: Israel has yet to provide evidence for its accusations that hundreds of staff with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees – or UNRWA – are members of terrorist groups, according to a review of the agency's neutrality released on Monday. The review also noted that UNRWA has a "more developed approach" to neutrality than other similar U.N. or aid groups, according to Catherine Colonna, a former French foreign minister appointed by the U.N. to lead the review. "There's always room for improvement and some issues related to neutrality persist. This is why this mission was created." Colonna was tasked with the review after Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff of taking part in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks that triggered the Gaza war. A separate probe by internal U.N. investigators is looking into those allegations. Sixteen states paused or suspended funding to UNRWA after Israel raised the concerns... a severe blow to the agency that provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The review said UNRWA shares staff lists annually... and that Israel had not raised any concerns with UNRWA based on those lists since 2011. Israel then stepped up its accusations in March 2024, saying over 450 UNRWA staff were military operatives in Gaza terrorist groups. A spokesperson for Israel's foreign ministry on Monday accused more than 2,000 UNRWA workers of being members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad... and said the review of the agency was insufficient. Colonna said she wasn't surprised by the reaction. "I want you to know that we have had good relations with Israel. We were received really well by a wide variety of actors there, including officials, several levels, and in several domains. I just briefed one of those contacts we had there, and I'm not surprised by what they say, because I told him 'Of course you will find it is insufficient, but please take it on board. Whatever it would recommend, if implemented, will bring good.'" The review said UNRWA neutrality challenges included the size of the operation, with most personnel being recruited locally. It included some staff publicly expressing political views, textbooks with problematic content and politicized staff unions making threats against management. A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he has accepted the recommendations and is calling on all countries to actively support UNRWA as it is "a lifeline" for Palestinian refugees in the region. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the United States had received the report and is reviewing it.6 hours ago
- 01:24Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US college campuses following mass arrests at ColumbiaAssociated Press VideosColumbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at Yale and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public on Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to diffuse campus tensions over Israel's war with Hamas.8 hours ago
- 01:51Watch: Columbia Holds Classes Virtually as Israel-Hamas Protests PersistWSJColumbia University held classes virtually on Monday as protests over the Israel-Hamas war intensified. Protesters also demonstrated at Yale University. Photo: Jeenah Moon for The Wall Street Journal8 hours ago
- 01:21Israel’s Military Spy Chief Quits Over Oct. 7 Hamas AttackWSJMaj. Gen. Aharon Haliva has become Israel’s first senior official to step down amid public outcry over the failure of the country's government, military and spy agencies to prevent the Oct. 7 attack. Photo: Israel Defense Forces9 hours ago
- 00:54Israelis prepare for Passover amid hostage demandsReuters VideosSTORY: Passover is traditionally observed with a seder, a holiday feast when families gather and celebrate freedom from biblical slavery. Many families are expected to have empty seats, representing those killed or taken hostage on October last year. Israel remains on edge after Iran launched a direct attack on its territory for the first time earlier this month. In the south, the Israeli military is continuing its war with Hamas in Gaza that has killed 34,000 people, which began after the group's fighters attacked Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and abducting another 253, according to Israeli tallies. Some of the hostages were freed in a November truce, but efforts to secure another deal to release the remaining 133 appear to have stalled for now.16 hours ago
- 01:13Israeli military intelligence chief becomes first to resign over October 7 Hamas attack, AP explainsAssociated Press VideosThe head of Israel’s military intelligence directorate has resigned over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel’s military intelligence, becomes the first senior Israeli figure to step down over the failures surrounding Hamas’ attack. It could set the stage for more resignations. Haliva said in October that he shouldered the blame for not preventing the attack, which broke through Israel’s vaunted defenses.18 hours ago
- 01:06Security concerns at Columbia University amid Israel-Hamas warABC News VideosThe president of Columbia announced classes will be remote on Monday ahead of the first night of Passover amid rising tensions stemming from protests about the Israel-Hamas war.24 hours ago
- 00:55General strike after Israeli raids paralyzes West BankReuters VideosSTORY: On Saturday (April 20), Palestinian health authorities said at least 14 Palestinians, two of whom were identified by Palestinian sources and officials as a gunman and a 16 year-old boy, were killed during the raid, one of the heaviest casualty totals in the West Bank in months. Another man was killed on Friday (April 19). Violence in the West Bank, already on the rise before the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, has escalated since with frequent army raids on militant groups, rampages by Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages and Palestinian street attacks.1 day ago
- 02:10Israeli soldiers shot Palestinians who attacked them: militaryReuters VideosSTORY: This was the scene in the occupied West Bank on Sunday (April 21), where two Palestinians tried to shoot and stab Israeli soldiers, according to the Israeli military. It added that its soldiers responded with live fire. A Reuters cameraman saw a body at the scene of the incident, a junction near the Palestinian city of Hebron. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA, quoting local sources, said that Israeli forces shot the two men and ambulance crews were prevented from reaching them. Palestinian security sources told WAFA that the two men, aged 18 and 19, died and that they were still unable to collect their bodies. Violence in the West Bank, already on the rise before the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, has escalated with frequent army raids on militant groups, rampages by Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages and Palestinian street attacks. On Sunday (April 21), mourners fire in the air at a funeral for Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in a raid the day before. Palestinian health authorities said at least 14 Palestinians were killed in the Nur Shams area, near the flashpoint city of Tulkarm. The Israeli army released a video said to show its operations which began in the early hours of Friday (April 19). Reuters was not able to independently confirm the date or location of the footage. Separately on Saturday, an ambulance driver was killed as he went to pick up wounded from a separate attack by violent Jewish settlers, Palestinian authorities said. Israel's military did not immediately comment on the ambulance driver's death on Saturday. The war in Gaza has overshadowed continuing violence in the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested and hundreds killed during regular operations in the West Bank by Israeli army and police since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7. Those killed were mostly members of armed groups, but also stone-throwing youths and uninvolved civilians.2 days ago
- 00:55Israel responsible for Iran tensions: Hamas leaderReuters VideosSTORY: In the meeting, Erdogan told Haniyeh that Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts for a permanent ceasefire as well as the establishment of an independent state of Palestine, according to a Turkish presidency statement. It was the first meeting between Erdogan and a Hamas delegation headed by Haniyeh since Israel began its military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh's visit to Turkey took place three days after he met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Doha. The visit took place amid escalating regional tensions following Israel's reported attack on Iran this week, which Haniyeh also blamed Israel for.2 days ago
- 00:45Air drops of aid supplies parachuted into Gaza Strip as Israel-Hamas war continuesAssociated Press VideosAid air drops containing supplies were parachuted into the Gaza Strip on Sunday as the Israel-Hamas war sends regional tensions spiralling. (AP video: Joeal Calupitan)2 days ago
- 00:44Smoke seen rising over the Gaza Strip from southern IsraelAssociated Press VideosSmoke could be seen on the skyline of the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday as the war between Israel and Hamas sends regional tensions spiralling. (AP video: Joeal Calupitan)2 days ago
- 01:00Thousands protest in Israel demanding elections and a Gaza hostage release dealAssociated Press VideosThousands protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday against the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding a deal to release the hostages being held in Gaza. Frustration continues among many in Israel, and anti government protesters again called for new elections, criticising the way the government has handled the war against Hamas and the negotiations to release dozens of hostages.2 days ago
- 02:51U.S. cities ramp up security ahead of PassoverCBS News VideosMillions of Jewish people around the world will observe Passover starting on Monday. But this year, with the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, there are additional concerns about staying safe during the holiday. CBS News homeland security and justice reporter Nicole Sganga explains how cities are handling security concerns.3 days ago
- 01:11Hamas attack survivors and Israeli soldiers who lost limbs find healing on amputee soccer teamAssociated Press VideosAmputees injured in Israel's war in Gaza have been given a new lease of life with a competitive football team. The team was founded five years ago by Zach Shichrur, 36, a sports enthusiast from childhood who was severely injured when a bus ran over his foot at age 8. Since its founding, the team has met with growing success, placing third in the Nations League in Belgium in October. With that result, the team qualified for the 2024 European Amputee Football Championships in June in France. Some 16 teams, mostly from Europe, will compete.4 days ago
- 00:53Pro-Palestinian protesters detained in New YorkReuters VideosSTORY: The protest began when the university's president, Nemat Shafik, testified before a Congressional committee about the school's response to anti-Semitism. In a letter to the New York City Police Department, Shafik said that students who participated in the protest would be suspended. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a news conference that New York Police had "made more than 108 arrests" in the incident. He added, "New Yorkers have every right to express their solemn, but that heartbreak does not give you the right to harass others." The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Monday (April 16) that more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since 7 October. Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after militants from the Hamas group, which runs the territory, attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli figures.4 days ago
- 03:16Gaza children yearn for school days before warReuters VideosSTORY: This ruined building in the southern Gaza Strip used to be Abed al-Qara and Muhammad al-Fajem's school. The 10-year-old friends from eastern Khan Younis, traumatized from six months of war, stare at its destroyed shell. Once a place of learning, the school is now riddled with bullets. Papers are scattered across gutted classrooms. Posters peel off the walls. Damaged books line the floors. It's a grim reminder of their studies and time spent with friends. For fifth grader al-Qara, those days feel like a distant memory. “What is this destruction? Destruction. We used to study in these schools, and we used to play in the playground. They would bring us the toys. We would go out during recess. We would go to the classroom and walk around. The principle would come to the classrooms. He would give us the books. We would go there and see who is coming and going; we would stand at the school gate. We were living (well).” The battered school represents the shattered dreams of many young Gazans, and highlights all they have lost since the conflict began. Hamas militants from the enclave attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory air and ground offensive has killed over 33,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Much of Gaza looks just like this - reduced to rubble and wasteland. That includes many schools, which, with children making up about half of Gaza's 2.3 million population, have a critical place in society. Palestinians across the densely packed enclave face severe shortages of water, food, medicine and healthcare. Many young students who were hungry to learn, are now simply hungry. They wonder if they will ever be able to pack their books and go back to school again. Sat on the school's rubble, teacher Muhammad al-Khudari reflects on the wide-scale ruin of Gaza's education system. “There is destruction on the level of educational institutions and spaces, (resulting) in the destruction of educational life. There is destruction of universities. Almost all of the Gaza Strip’s universities have been destroyed; almost all schools have been destroyed, along with kindergartens. There is complete destruction of the Gaza Strip and the education sector of the Gaza Strip." Gazans of all ages are desperate for signs that the fighting will end. But there are none. Mediators have failed to narrow differences between both sides enough to secure a ceasefire, despite proposals being passed back and forth. Still, some like al-Fajem have not lost all hope, despite having lost friends in the conflict. He says he was a high achiever in class, and hopes to study in tents instead. “This is the school that we lived in," he says. "It was the best school.”4 days ago
- 02:05After surviving airstrike Palestinian boy dies seeking aidReuters VideosSTORY: Just five months after 13-year-old Zein Oroq survived an Israeli airstrike that destroyed his family home in Gaza and killed 17 members of his extended family, the teenager is dead. Last week, Zein rushed to an airdrop of aid - hoping to get fava beans, rice or flour. Instead, he was struck by a package and succumbed to his wounds in hospital on Sunday (April 14). Here’s his father, Mahmoud Oroq. “While parachutes were falling, an aid box hit his head. Also the stampede of people who were heading towards the box did not pay attention to the boy, they were also hungry. So, his head was cut and wounded. He got fractures in his pelvis, skull and abdomen and with the flow of people, the pressure increased on him.” Zein’s grandfather, Ali Oroq, recalls how his grandson would swim into this pond of wastewater trying to retrieve aid packages. “Zein, may he rest in peace, went swimming to get a meal,” he says. “What forced this child who should have been sitting at a desk in a school?” Ali blames the U.S. for the death of 17 members of his extended family back in November and his grandson’s death in April. “They were hit by rockets sent by the Americans. They killed my family and send meals for those who are left and the one who followed the meal died as a child," he says. More than six months of fighting between Israel and Hamas has left Palestinians in Gaza facing severe shortages of medicine, food and water. The tiny enclave is now at risk of famine. MAHMOUD: “My son is so precious, he was my support, my entire life, my first joy in this world, my biggest child, may he rest in peace.”5 days ago
- 02:09Aid brings a Gaza bakery back to lifeReuters VideosSTORY: Long lines snaked outside a bakery in Gaza City on Sunday… as it started operating again for the first time in six months. It reopened with help from the World Food Programme, and is providing desperately needed food in a part of the territory where the United Nations has warned of imminent famine. Abdelrahman al-Jadba scored a bag of bread for his family. He says he had been forced to feed his children bread made from flour mixed with sand. "Our feeling after bread became available: it brought some sense of relief to be able to feed these children, fill the hunger and be able to move on to the next day and maybe, God willing, bring more." Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip has turned much of the territory into a wasteland with an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe since October. That's when the militant Islamist group Hamas ignited war by storming southern Israel. Israel has faced increased international pressure to let more aid into the Gaza Strip since it targeted an aid convoy on April 1, killing international relief workers. The World Food Programme says it’s been using a new coordinated route to get aid in to northern Gaza. It says it was able to make its first delivery to the bakery on Saturday, with enough flour to make 14,000 bread parcels a day. A spokesperson said the hope is to expand to three more bakeries and keep up regular deliveries. At home, Al-Jadba says the bakery bread cost about five shekels, or just over a dollar. Ten days ago, it would have cost 20 times as much. He says he’s praying he can keep getting fresh bread. Israel, which denies hindering humanitarian relief to Gaza, has said that aid is moving into Gaza more quickly. But the amount is disputed and the United Nations says it is still much less than the bare minimum to meet humanitarian needs.1 week ago
- 04:05Middle East tension could impact global economyCBS News VideosThe escalating conflict in the Middle East could continue to impact oil prices that have already spiked since Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger looks at the state of the global economy.1 week ago
- 04:41Approval for Biden's handling of Israel-Hamas war hits new low in CBS News pollCBS News VideosAs the conflict in the Middle East rages on, a new CBS News polling finds a rising number of Americans want President Biden to encourage Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza. CBS News elections and surveys executive director Anthony Salvanto has more.1 week ago
- 00:40Bakery reopening in Gaza prompts long line for breadReuters VideosSTORY: People waited in lines and crowds in front of “Kamel Ajour Bakery”, one of the first bakeries to resume work in the northern Gaza strip. “It’s a good thing to eat bread. We have suffered a lot when we bought one kilogram of flour for 90 or 100 shekels ($23.8-26.5). That is insane, people don’t have money, people are broke,” said Palestinian, Abo Belal Abo Jabal, who purchased one bag of bread. Most Israeli troops have been pulled out of the Palestinian enclave in preparation for an assault on its southernmost city Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering, but fighting has continued in various areas. Six months into Israel's air and ground campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, the devastated Palestinian enclave faces famine and widespread disease with nearly all its inhabitants now homeless.1 week ago
- 02:35Iran strikes Israel as fears grow of wider conflictReuters VideosSTORY: Iran launched barrages of explosive drones and missiles at Israel into the early hours of Sunday, in its first ever direct attack on Israeli territory. It's a retaliatory strike that raises the threat of a wider regional conflict, with the United States pledging "ironclad" backing for Israel. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said his country's forces had intercepted most of the salvo. "A number of Iranian missiles fell inside Israeli territory, causing minor damage to a military base with no casualties. Only one little girl has been hurt." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a war cabinet in Tel Aviv, according to his office. He later posted on social media: "We intercepted, we repelled, together we shall win." Iran had vowed revenge after blaming Israel for a deadly strike on its consulate in Syria's capital Damascus in early April. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack. The Iranian mission to the United Nations confirmed Saturday's blitz was in response to the Damascus strike, adding that, "The matter can be deemed concluded." In a post on X, the mission also warned against further action by Israel and its allies, saying: "...Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!" On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden cut short a visit to Delaware for an emergency meeting in the White House Situation Room. He later pledged an "ironclad" commitment to Israel against security threats. The White House said Biden and Netanyahu also spoke by phone on Saturday night. According to the Pentagon, U.S. forces intercepted dozens of missiles and drones launched from Iran as well as Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Many world leaders condemned the strikes, with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres adding that he was "deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation." The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, in its seventh month, has driven up regional tensions. It has spread to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawn long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq. These clashes now threaten to morph into a direct open conflict, pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and the U.S., its main supporter.1 week ago
- 01:20Thousands rally against Netanyahu gov't in Tel AvivReuters VideosSTORY: Protester Mimi Lahad called Netanyahu a dictator, adding that she, "didn't want a dictatorship" and that the protesters, "want change." As concern mounts in Israel for the wellbeing of the 129 remaining hostages, who cannot be contacted, their families and friends have organized increasingly vocal demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist government. They have dovetailed with activists who have long called for Netanyahu's ouster given his trial on graft charges - which he denies - and his attempts to overhaul the judiciary last year. Michael Levy called for his brother's release at a vigil held separately from the anti-government protest. "191 days of me missing my brother and my brother’s two and a half year old son is missing his father. This is why I'm here," he said. Hamas-led gunmen seized 253 people during an Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 others, according to officials. Some hostages were freed in a November truce but Egyptian- and Qatari-mediated efforts to secure another deal appear to have stalled.1 week ago
- 00:37Children play in rubble of Gaza for Eid holidayReuters VideosSTORY: "There isn't an atmosphere of Eid or the joy that comes with it," he said. Six months of an Israeli air and ground campaign in Gaza have changed all aspects of life, with most people driven from their homes, parts of the enclave facing famine, and disease spreading through the tent cities where many now live. Eid al-Fitr, the festival that ends the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, is usually a time for family celebrations including gifts of new toys for children. This year, few can afford new toys, or find any in market stalls since Israel halted commercial imports into Gaza as part of its offensive to destroy Hamas, launched after the militant group mounted an armed rampage in Israel on Oct. 7.1 week ago