U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday accepted an independent review of the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency ordered after Israel accused agency employees of helping the attack on Israel that ignited the Hamas-Israeli war.
More than a dozen nations, including the U.S., halted funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees when the allegations became public. The full review, led by the former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, was scheduled to be released later Monday. Reuters reported that the review says Israel had yet to provide supporting evidence for its claim that a significant number of UNRWA staff were members of militant organizations.
The review calls for stronger safeguards to ensure neutrality but says the agency already has a significant system to ensure compliance with “humanitarian principles.”
The review was prompted by Israeli allegations that at least 12 UNRWA employees were directly involved in the Hamas-led attack Oct. 7, another 30 supported the attack in some way, and as many as 12% of the organization’s staff were affiliated with the militant group. UNRWA has over 13,000 aid workers in Gaza. “Moving forward, the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region,” his office said in a statement.
After six months of war:Pregnant women in Gaza Strip face starvation, no anesthesia
Developments:
∎ The Israeli military said it was on high alert for the Passover holiday, continuing “operational activity and full readiness in all arenas.” It’s the first major Jewish holiday since the festival of Simchat Torah on Oct. 7, the day of the Hamas attack that ignited the current war.
∎ Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded Iran on Monday for taking a strong stand on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. At a briefing alongside visiting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Islamabad, Sharif called on Muslim countries to unite and raise their voice for an end to the conflict.
Israeli military intel chief resigns, citing role in Oct. 7 attack
The head of Israel’s military intelligence resigned Monday and said he would retire, citing his own role in contributing to the failure to stop Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Major General Aharon Haliva appears to be the first senior official from Israel’s military or political establishment to resign over Hamas’ surprise attack, which killed an estimated 1,200 people. It was the largest loss of life in a single day in Israel’s history. Militants also took 253 hostages back to Gaza, where Israel believes more than 130 may remain.
Haliva, who made the announcement in a letter shared by Israel’s Defense Forces, was on vacation in the Israeli resort town of Eilat on Oct. 7. He was alerted of suspicious militant activity hours before the attack but was not involved in ensuing deliberations that incorrectly determined the activity was likely a drill.
Haliva previously accepted responsibility for the intelligence failures that led to the worst security failure in Israel’s 76-year history.
“The military intelligence directorate under my command did not live up to our mission,” Haliva wrote in the letter. “I have been carrying that black day ever since, day and night. I will live with the horrible pain every day.”
Haliva said he would retire once a successor was found.
‘Antisemitism and anarchy’:Rabbi urges Jewish students to leave Columbia for their safety
Iraq-based militant group denies resuming attacks on US bases
The Iraq-based militant group Kataib Hezbollah denied issuing a statement saying it had resumed attacks on U.S. forces. The denial came hours after rockets were fired at a U.S. base in Syria − and hours after a social media post linked to the Iran-backed group appeared to declare a resumption in the attacks after a three-month pause.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani visited the U.S. last week, and a group affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah said armed factions in Iraq had decided to resume attacks after having seen little progress on talks to end the U.S.-led military coalition in the country. In January, three U.S. service members were killed and at least 34 others wounded in a drone attack by Kataib Hezbollah in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.
Multiple rockets were fired Sunday from a vehicle in Iraq targeting a U.S. base in northeastern Syria, the Iraqi military said. The military said the vehicle was destroyed. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for information on the attack.
‘Crisis’ at Columbia University:Classes forced online; arrests at Yale: Live updates
Columbia cancels in-person classes amid protests
Columbia University announced Monday that all classes will be held virtually and asked that students who don’t live on campus stay home following protests over the Israel-Hamas war that have led to arrests and caused a rabbi to urge Jewish students to stay away from the school a day before the start of Passover.
The announcement comes after days of protests at the school, which have raised concerns for the safety of the university’s Jewish students and fueled a national debate over student demonstrations as campuses across the country grapple with growing unrest over the war in Gaza. Yale police arrested dozens of students on Monday after they declined to clear an encampment, and Harvard closed its main lawn area to the public in anticipation of protests.
− Christopher Cann
Netanyahu doesn’t take blame, pledges gains in war
Israeli media has been reporting for months that the country’s military and intelligence officials completely missed or ignored multiple warnings that Hamas was planning an operation on Israel’s border with Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has not acknowledged direct responsibility for Oct. 7. He has also signaled that he has no intention of resigning despite growing protests over his handling of the war, particularly over the issue of Israel’s hostages. Negotiations with Hamas aimed at their return have stalled and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, now in their seventh month, have not freed them either.
“In the coming days, we will increase the political and military pressure on Hamas,” Netanyahu said Sunday. “This is the only way to bring back our hostages and achieve victory. We will land more and painful blows on Hamas – soon.”
In Gaza, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war’s outbreak, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry says the majority of those killed have been women and children.
Contributing: Reuters
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