BERLIN: The UN Palestinian refugee agency is close to a possible breaking point for its operations in the Gaza Strip due to increasingly complicated conditions, its head said on Wednesday.
“I will not hide the fact that we might reach a point that we won’t be able anymore to operate,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told journalists at a news conference in Berlin.
“We are very near to a possible breaking point. When will it be? I don’t know. But we are very near of that,” he said.
He said the agency was facing a combination of a financial and political threats to its existence, in addition to difficulties in day-to-day operations, as aid is even more desperately needed against the threat of disease and famine.
He said there was a real risk, heading into winter, with people’s immune systems weakened, that famine or acute malnutrition could become a likelihood.
UNRWA provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
It has long had tense relations with Israel but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza.
Israel launched the offensive against Hamas after the Palestinian militant group led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage to Gaza, by Israeli tallies. More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
Israeli leaders in January accused UNRWA staff of collaborating with Hamas militants in Gaza, leading some donors to suspend funding, although many of those decisions have since been reversed. The UN launched an investigation into Israel’s accusations and dismissed nine staff.
UNRWA ‘very near’ possible breaking point in Gaza operation, head says
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UNRWA ‘very near’ possible breaking point in Gaza operation, head says
- UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says agency facing a combination of a financial and political threats to its existence
- It has long had tense relations with Israel but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza
US strikes Houthi command and control facility in Yemen
- The Yemeni rebels say their attacks — a significant international security challenge that threatens a major shipping lane — are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza
WASHINGTON: American forces carried out an air strike on Monday against a Houthi command and control facility that was used by the Yemeni rebels to coordinate attacks, the US military said.
The Houthis began striking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, part of the region-wide fallout from Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, which militant groups in multiple countries have cited as justification for attacks.
“The targeted facility was a hub for coordinating Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“The strike reflects CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment to protect US and coalition personnel, regional partners, and international shipping,” it added.
The Yemeni rebels say their attacks — a significant international security challenge that threatens a major shipping lane — are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Anger over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the small coastal territory, which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, has stoked violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
The United States and other countries have deployed military vessels to help shield shipping from the Houthi strikes, and the rebels have periodically launched attacks targeting American military ships.
Washington’s forces have also carried out frequent air strikes on the Houthis in a bid to degrade their ability to target shipping and have sought to seize weapons before they reach the rebels, but their attacks have persisted.
US-brokered ceasefire fails between Kurdish and Turkiye-backed forces in Syria
- Shami blamed the collapse of the mediation on “Turkiye’s approach in dealing with the mediation efforts and its evasion to accept key points”
CAIRO: Syrian US-backed Kurdish Syrian forces (SDF) said U.S-brokered mediation efforts failed to reach a permanent ceasefire with Syria’s Turkiye-backed rebels in the northern cities of Manbij and Kobani, according to head of the SDF’s media center Farhad Shami on Monday.
Shami blamed the collapse of the mediation on “Turkiye’s approach in dealing with the mediation efforts and its evasion to accept key points.”
The Turks are not happy about the ceasefire deal and Turkiye prefers to keep maximum pressure on SDF, a Syrian opposition source told Reuters.
Last week, the SDF said they reached a ceasefire agreement with the Turkiye-backed rebels in Manbij through US mediation “to ensure the safety and security of civilians.”
Negotiators say Israel and Hamas are inching toward a ceasefire deal. This is what it may look like
- An estimated 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, in many cases multiple times, and aid workers report severe hunger across the territory
DOHA, Qatar: After months of deadlock, Israel and Hamas appear to be moving closer toward a ceasefire to end their 14-month war.
Top officials from the US, Qatar and Egypt have resumed their mediation efforts in recent weeks and reported greater willingness by the warring sides to wrap up a deal. In a key concession, Hamas officials say they are prepared to show more “flexibility” on the timing of an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, and Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said Monday that a deal is closer than ever.
Officials on all sides have cautioned that key details must still be worked out. But there is a general sense of optimism that has been lacking for many months.
The changing sentiment appears to be the result of several factors. Israel has inflicted heavy damage on Hamas over the course of the war. The group is more isolated after Hezbollah’s ceasefire with Israel, and Iran, a key backer of both militant groups, has suffered a number of setbacks, highlighted by the downfall of its close ally, Syria’s Bashar Assad.
In the US, both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump have signaled they want a deal completed before the Jan. 20 inauguration.
According to Egyptian and Hamas officials, the agreement would take place in phases and include a halt in fighting, an exchange of captive Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and a surge in aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. Israel says Hamas is holding 100 hostages — over one-third of whom are believed to be dead.
Here is a closer look at the emerging deal, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing closed negotiations.
Preliminary ceasefire
The first phase would last from six to eight weeks. During that time, Hamas would release some 30 hostages – roughly half of those believed alive. They include three or four dual US-Israeli citizens.
Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including as many as 100 who are serving long sentences for alleged involvement in bloody attacks.
Increased aid
The deal calls for a massive increase in aid to Gaza, which has plunged into a humanitarian crisis during the 14-month war. An estimated 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, in many cases multiple times, and aid workers report severe hunger across the territory.
This is expected to include a reopening of the territory’s Rafah crossing with Egypt, which has been closed since Israeli ground troops invaded the southern border town in May. The crossing is especially important because it is the primary exit point for Palestinians in Gaza who want to travel abroad, and the only one not controlled by Israel.
Mediators say they are considering a return to a 2005 agreement that allowed the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority to operate the crossing with European Union observers. That agreement collapsed when Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 and expelled the Palestinian Authority forces.
Israeli troop withdrawals
During the first phase, Israeli troops would withdraw from some Palestinian population centers, allowing many Palestinians to begin returning home. But Israeli troops wouldn’t leave Gaza altogether at this stage. They would remain along the Philadelphi corridor – a strategic strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Ending the war
During the initial ceasefire, the sides would continue negotiations on a permanent agreement, to include an end to the war, full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and release of remaining hostages and bodies held by Hamas.
Talks would begin on final arrangements for Gaza, including who would govern the territory and plans for rebuilding the destruction.
Restoring damaged crusader castle may be possible in new Syria: director
- Many centuries later, after civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, the castle again became a battleground, sustaining damage this time between government forces and rebels vying for its strategic location
KRAK DES CHEVALIERS, Syria: Fully restoring Syria’s war-damaged Krak des Chevaliers fortress, one of the world’s most famous Crusader castles, may finally be within reach if the new authorities allocate the necessary resources, according to its director.
Sitting atop a high ridge in what is now the Homs province of modern-day Syria, the UNESCO-listed fortress was built by a medieval Catholic military order, the Knights of St. John, who held it from 1142 to 1271, when it was captured by a Mamluk sultan.
Many centuries later, after civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, the castle again became a battleground, sustaining damage this time between government forces and rebels vying for its strategic location.
Since long-time president Bashar Assad was ousted over a week ago after an 11-day offensive by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and its allies, the fortress’s director Hazem Hanna has regained hope that Krak des Chevaliers can come back to life.
“We are now in a period of recovery and we hope that we will receive the necessary resources to restore what was damaged in the castle,” he told AFP.
The castle, which could once accommodate a garrison of 2,000 men, sustained damage at the height of the war, most notably to its Gothic reception hall and chapel.
In 2013, two years into the devastating civil war, the Krak des Chevaliers was put on UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger list, alongside the ruins of Palmyra and the old city of Aleppo.
Conditions in north Gaza hospital ‘appalling’: WHO chief
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: UN health agency and partners reached the facility ‘two days ago, amid hostilities and explosions in the vicinity of the hospital during the mission’
- Ghebreyesus: Team ‘delivered 5,000 liters of fuel, food and medicines, and transferred three patients and six companions to Al-Shifa,’ the Palestinian territory’s main hospital
GENEVA: A World Health Organization official said Monday a humanitarian team finally reached one of northern Gaza’s only functioning hospitals at the weekend to deliver fuel, food and medicines, and found “appalling” conditions.
Kamal Adwan Hospital is located in Beit Lahia, a city at the center of an intense Israeli military operation aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping in northern Gaza.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that after multiple attempts, the United Nations health agency and partners reached the facility “two days ago, amid hostilities and explosions in the vicinity of the hospital during the mission.”
The team, he said, had “delivered 5,000 liters of fuel, food and medicines, and transferred three patients and six companions to Al-Shifa,” the Palestinian territory’s main hospital.
Kamal Adwan is one of the last operational medical facilities in the north of the war-ravaged territory, with the WHO warning earlier this month that it was operating at a “minimum” level.
The agency said efforts to deliver desperately needed supplies have been repeatedly hampered.
Earlier this month, it said a mission reached the hospital on November 30 after weeks of unsuccessful attempts, bringing aid and an international emergency team, including surgeons and other specialists.
But days later, that team was among large numbers who fled the hospital amid heavy hostilities around the facility.
“This has left the hospital without specialized personnel for surgical and maternal care,” Tedros warned, adding that the attacks have resulted in further damage to the facility and its oxygen and electricity supplies.
“The conditions in the hospital are simply appalling,” he said.
“We urge for the protection of health care and for this hell to stop! Ceasefire!“
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Since then, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
