GENEVA: The head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) on Monday called on partners to fight back against efforts by Israel to have the organization disbanded as it provides humanitarian assistance to Gaza and across the region.
“Israel has long been critical of the agency’s mandate. But it now seeks to end UNRWA’s operations, dismissing the agency’s status as a United Nations entity supported by an overwhelming majority of member states,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said at a meeting of the agency’s advisory commission in Geneva.
“If we do not push back, other UN entities and international organizations will be next, further undermining our multilateral system.”
The Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva had no immediate comment.
Lazzarini said the agency, which has provided essential aid to Gazans throughout Israel’s offensive, was “staggering under the weight of relentless attacks.”
“In Gaza, the agency has paid a terrible price: 193 UNRWA personnel have been killed,” he said.
“More than 180 installations have been damaged or destroyed, killing at least 500 people seeking United Nations protection...Our premises have been used for military purposes by Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.”
Lazzarini said the agency was being subjected to a “concerted effort” to dismantle it, including through legislative initiatives threatening to evict the agency from its compound and labelling UNRWA as a terrorist organization.
Several countries halted their funding to UNRWA following accusations by Israel that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. Most donors have since resumed their funding.
Lazzarini said that UNRWA still lacked the necessary resources to fulfil its mandate.
“The agency’s ability to operate beyond August will depend on member states disbursing planned funds and providing new contributions to the core budget,” he said.
Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides services including schooling, primary health care and humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
UNRWA chief urges pushback against efforts to disband Palestinian agency
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UNRWA chief urges pushback against efforts to disband Palestinian agency
- UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini: ‘If we do not push back, other UN entities and international organizations will be next, further undermining our multilateral system’
- Several countries halted their funding to UNRWA following accusations by Israel that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack
Turkiye closes Syria border after violence flares in both countries
- Turkiye responded to the unrest by closing the Bab al Hawa border crossing
- Erdogan said a meeting with Assad was possible to help restore bilateral relations
In Turkiye, police detained 474 people involved in attacks targeting the Syrian community across the country overnight, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, in spreading unrest that began late on Sunday.
Properties and vehicles owned by Syrians were vandalized and set on fire in the central city of Kayseri, stoked by social media reports that a Syrian man had sexually abused a female child relative. Yerlikaya said the incident was being investigated.
The violence spread to the provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Konya, Bursa and an Istanbul district, Turkiye’s MIT intelligence agency said in a statement. There were social media reports of some injuries among Syrians.
Subsequently, hundreds of angry Syrians took to the streets in several towns in the rebel-held northwest Syria, an area where Turkiye maintains thousands of troops and has carved out a sphere of influence that has stopped Syrian President Bashar Assad from regaining control.
Late on Monday, Turkiye responded to the unrest by closing until further notice the Bab al Hawa border crossing, a main trade and passenger conduit for more than 3 million inhabitants, along with Bab al Salam and other smaller crossings, a border official told Reuters.
The Syrian border city of Afrin was the scene of the most violent clashes, with at least four people killed in an exchange of fire between armed protesters and Turkish troops. Elsewhere, there were skirmishes and armed clashes, with civilians hurling stones at Turkish convoys in several towns, and tearing down the Turkish flag on some offices.
Several Turkish officials described the unrest in Syria as “provocations,” with the Foreign Ministry saying: “It is wrong to use the sad events that took place in Kayseri ... as the basis for some provocations beyond our borders.”
In a speech on Tuesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan blamed the “chaos plan” on groups associated with terrorist organizations, and vowed to reveal the “dirty hands” behind the recent incidents.
“We know who is playing in these games staged with the remnants of the terrorist organization. Neither us, nor our Syrian brothers, will fall into this sly trap...we will not give in to racist vandalism,” Erdogan said following the cabinet meeting.
Erdogan said more than 670,000 people have returned to areas in northern Syria, where Turkiye has been operating to create safe zones over the past decade.
He added, the refugee issue will be solved humanely and morally in line with the economic realities of Turkiye, which is hosting more than 3 million Syrian war refugees.
Erdogan said last Friday a meeting with Assad was possible to help restore bilateral relations. Turkiye severed ties with Syria after the 2011 Syrian civil war and supported rebels looking to oust Assad.
Saudi Arabia announces $10 million in aid for Lebanon
- KSrelief and Lebanon’s High Relief Commission signed a pact in Beirut to launch 28 projects across the country
- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the strong fraternal relationship between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia had deepened and solidified over the years
BEIRUT: Saudi’s Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari said on Tuesday the Kingdom would provide $10 million to Lebanon through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.
KSrelief and Lebanon’s High Relief Commission signed a pact in Beirut to launch 28 projects across the country.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the strong fraternal relationship between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia had deepened and solidified over the years.
The Kingdom, he said, “has always been by Lebanon’s side and supported it in times of hardship, serving as a safety valve that has preserved the unity of the Lebanese, regardless of their sect, denomination, or political party.”
Mikati said the gesture represented Saudi Arabia’s keenness for stability in Lebanon.
“I am confident that the Kingdom has been and will remain the bigger brother of Lebanon,” he said.
Mikati added: “Saudi constants toward Lebanon are reflected by the Kingdom’s actions and deeds, through the Taif Agreement, which we adhere to fully, and which still serves as the appropriate framework for managing Lebanon’s affairs.
“In all the meetings I held with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he expressed his support for Lebanon to emerge from its crisis, but on the condition that the required structural reforms are implemented and that Lebanese institutions play their full role, especially concerning electing a new president.
“This responsibility falls on us, the Lebanese, and what is required of us first and foremost is to carry out our duties with the support of friendly countries, foremost among them Saudi Arabia.”
The prime minister continued: “The person who led Saudi Arabia and its youth to the leadership and pioneering positions … will not find it difficult to be a support for his brothers in Lebanon. We look forward to the Kingdom’s care and fraternal gesture toward my country Lebanon so that it can rise again.”
Ambassador Bukhari said the Saudi support was a continuation of the “commitment of the leadership in Saudi Arabia,” led by King Salman and the crown prince, “to help humanitarian efforts and promote stability and development in Lebanon with the highest standards of transparency and accountability.”
The Kingdom’s support “comes as a continuation of the solidarity approach adopted by the Kingdom toward the Lebanese people, based on the duty of true Arab brotherhood and teachings of Islam,” he added.
Saudi Arabia has already launched 129 relief, humanitarian and development projects for Lebanon, covering many sectors.
Bukhari said KSrelief was a leading international organization with the purpose of providing relief to communities hit by disasters and crises.
“Since its establishment, KSrelief launched more than 7,000 humanitarian projects with a total value of $129.68 billion in 169 countries,” Bukhari added.
Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair, head of the Higher Relief Committee, signed a pact of joint cooperation with Abdulrahman Al-Quraishi, director of KSrelief in Lebanon.
The Kingdom’s support coincided with ongoing hostilities between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
On Tuesday, an Israeli guided missile targeted farmers in Al-Zalutiyah, a town in the western sector, killing a Lebanese civilian. An Israeli drone also launched three missiles at Taybeh power plant, causing a fire and a power outage.
Stranded Yemeni pilgrims in Saudi Arabia will return home by land
- Yemen’s Ministry of Endowments and Guidance said that Yemeni pilgrims stranded at Jeddah airport were sent back to their hotels in Makkah
- Other pilgrims will be flown on Yemenia Airways flights from Jeddah to government-controlled Aden
AL-MUKALLA: Hundreds of Yemeni pilgrims trapped in Saudi Arabia will return to Houthi-held areas of Yemen by land, as the militia refuses to release Yemenia Airways aircraft that would transport them home, Yemen’s government said on Tuesday.
Yemen’s Ministry of Endowments and Guidance said that Yemeni pilgrims stranded at Jeddah airport were sent back to their hotels in Makkah and will be transported home by road to their districts under Houthi control.
Other pilgrims will be flown on Yemenia Airways flights from Jeddah to government-controlled Aden, then transported by bus to Sanaa and other Houthi-held Yemeni provinces, according to Yemen’s official news agency SABA.
Last week, Yemen’s Houthis seized three Yemenia flights at Sanaa airport and blocked them from going to Jeddah to bring back Yemeni pilgrims, stranding at least 1,000 people in Saudi Arabia.
The Yemeni government branded the Houthis’ capture of jets as “piracy” and urged the international community to put pressure on the Houthis to free the three planes and another plane that had been taken earlier.
The Houthi Supreme Political Council on Monday resisted requests to allow flights to carry pilgrims by applauding its authorities for taking the planes, claiming that the measure was intended to “preserve the company, its assets, and its capabilities.”
The Houthis claim they would administer the firm from Sanaa, repair the aircraft, and reschedule flights from Sanaa and other Yemeni airports, accusing the Yemeni government of mismanaging it.
This comes as the Houthis have increased their assaults on government troops in Marib, Taiz and Hodeidah over the past 48 hours, despite the militia’s negotiators meeting the Yemeni government in Muscat for UN-brokered prisoner exchange negotiations.
On Monday, the government’s Giants Brigades repelled a Houthi incursion in the Al-Abedia region of the central province of Marib, killing and injuring many assailants, according to a military source who spoke to SABA agency.
In their assault on government soldiers, the Houthis deployed canons, drones and medium weaponry in an effort to capture control of fresh regions in Marib province.
The Houthi attack in Marib occurred one day after the Houthis attacked the Giants Brigades forces in the western province of Hodeidah, killing two soldiers and injuring seven.
Yemen’s army said on Monday that its soldiers stopped a Houthi incursion attempt north of Taiz, forcing the Houthis to leave after brief fighting.
Despite a considerable decline in hostilities since the UN-brokered ceasefire came into effect in April 2022, the Houthis have continued to wage fatal attacks on government soldiers in Marib, Taiz, Dhale, Hodeidah and other disputed regions.
In a separate development, the militia said on Monday that its troops had carried out four operations against four “American, British and Israeli” ships in international waters off Yemen and the Mediterranean.
The first operation saw the militia’s missile troops firing cruise missiles against the “Israeli” MSC Unific ship in the Red Sea, according to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea.
He said that their troops targeted the “US” oil ship Delonix in the Red Sea for the second time, employing ballistic and cruise missiles.
In the third operation, a “British landing ship” called Anvil Point was targeted in the Indian Ocean with cruise missiles, while a fourth missile targeted a ship called Lucky Sailor in the Mediterranean, which was attacked because the ship’s parent company violated the militia’s ban on sailing into Israeli ports.
The US Central Command said on Tuesday that its forces had destroyed one Houthi radar site in a Yemeni location controlled by the Houthis, marking the latest wave of attacks by US and UK aircraft against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
Since November, the Houthis have launched missiles, drones and explosive-laden ships into the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and have recently announced plans to expand their attacks into the Mediterranean in what the Yemeni militia refers to as a campaign against Israeli ships to force Israel to end its military operations in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Egypt set to change finance, foreign and supply ministers
- Kouchouk was serving as a deputy to Mohamed Maait
- The new cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday
CAIRO: Egypt is expected to change its foreign, finance, petroleum, electricity and supply ministers in a long-awaited new cabinet, with Ahmed Kouchouk leading the finance ministry, state TV said on Tuesday, citing local channel ExtraNews.
Kouchouk was serving as a deputy to Mohamed Maait, finance minister since 2018 and a central figure in Egypt’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
At the foreign ministry, Egypt’s ambassador to the European Union Badr Abdelatty would replace Sameh Shoukry, who had held the foreign ministry post since 2014, state TV reported.
Sherif Farouk, chairman of state postal company Egypt Post, was set to take over at the supply ministry, replacing veteran minister Ali Moselhy, the reports said.
The supply ministry oversees Egypt’s trade in wheat and other commodities, as well as a sprawling subsidy system that tens of millions of Egyptians are eligible for.
The new cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday.
Israel says Gaza desalination plant connected to its electrical grid
- “A new power line from Israel has been directly connected to a water desalination plant managed by UNICEF in Khan Yunis,” said a statement from the Israeli army
- A source at Gaza’s Electricity Distribution Corporation said the beleaguered utility was “preparing for the possibility of them (Israel) operating the line“
JERUSALEM: Israel said Tuesday it has connected a water desalination plant in southern Gaza to its electrical grid, in an easing of its siege of the Palestinian territory, but is not yet supplying power.
The Israeli military agency responsible for civilian operations in the Palestinian territories said it could take up to two weeks to start supplying electricity to the desalination plant in Khan Yunis, which is suffering from critical water shortages.
“A new power line from Israel has been directly connected to a water desalination plant managed by UNICEF in Khan Yunis,” said a statement from the Israeli army and the COGAT agency, referring to the United Nations children’s fund.
A source at Gaza’s Electricity Distribution Corporation said the beleaguered utility was “preparing for the possibility of them (Israel) operating the line.”
Col. Elad Goren of COGAT told a press briefing that Israel would provide electricity “once they will fix the lines from the Gazan side... in a week or two.”
He said the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority would pay for the electricity, as it did before the Israel-Hamas war started on October 7.
Israel has faced international criticism over the impact of its military assault against Hamas on Gaza’s civilian population.
Goren said infrastructure decisions were made at a political level, and that the return of the power line was based on the need to increase the desalination plant’s capacity.
UNICEF has welcomed an agreement with Israel to begin supplying the Khan Yunis plant again.
“This is an important milestone, and we are very much looking forward to seeing it implemented,” UNICEF spokesman in the Palestinian territories, Jonathan Crickx, told AFP.
Water has been scarce for Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants since the war erupted with the Hamas attacks on Israel. Sixty percent of the territory’s water distribution systems have been damaged, Crickx said.
After the Hamas attack, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced “a complete siege” on Gaza with “no electricity, no water, no gas.” Aid groups say Gaza is now gripped by a humanitarian crisis.
“Currently, the plant is only producing 5,000 cubic meters of water a day. With the new power line from Israel, the plant will ramp up production to 20,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day,” the Israeli statement said.
