Seven countries suspend funding to UNRWA: Israel-Hamas war, day 113

Thank you for following our LIVE coverage of day 113 of the Israel-Hamas war. We will be back tomorrow with more news updates.

Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said in a statement that "the water tanks at al-Nasser hospital have been damaged by shrapnel and Israeli drone fire," as reported by Al Jazeera.

These attacks led to "water leaks in the buildings and in the intensive care unit of the complex, as well as a water shortage in the dialysis center," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "not taking anything back," when asked about leaked remarks in which he described Qatar's mediator role as "problematic," according to Haaretz.

Asked about the accusation by the mother of Ron Sherman, an Israeli hostage killed in Gaza, that the Israeli army is using poison gas in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that his troops are acting "in accordance with international law," according to Haaretz.

"Qatar hosts and finances Hamas. It must also put pressure on the group to release the hostages held in Gaza," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu.

Following in the footsteps of six other countries, the Netherlands has also suspended its funding of UNRWA, according to Reuters.

Ireland and Norway have shown their support for UNRWA, believing the agency is doing crucial work to help displaced Palestinians in desperate need of aid in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

"Ireland has no intention of suspending funding for UNRWA's vital work in Gaza," Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said in a message posted on social networks.

"Norway continues to support the Palestinian people through UNRWA. International support for Palestine is needed now more than ever," said Norway's representative office to the Palestinian Authority in a message on social networks.

The Israeli army has "struck a military building and other Hezbollah terrorist targets in southern Lebanon," said the troop's Arabic-speaking spokesman Avichay Adraae on X.

"A few minutes ago, fighter jets attacked several Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon, including a military site and building in Blida and Marwahine used by Hezbollah saboteurs, as well as other terrorist structures in Aita al-Shaab," the senior officer said at around 5:30 p.m.

He also reported that "air defenses intercepted a suspicious aerial target inside Lebanon, suspected of heading towards Israeli territory."

Finally, the spokesman stated that "several shells were fired today from Lebanon in the direction of Israel."

He also reported that "air defenses intercepted a suspicious aerial target inside Lebanon, suspected of heading towards Israeli territory."

Finally, the spokesman stated that "several shells were fired today from Lebanon in the direction of Israel."

A precarious calm has prevailed in southern Lebanon for over an hour, reports our correspondent in the region.

According to him, no attacks have been reported on the Lebanese-Israeli border since 5:30 p.m.

The United States is asking China to use its "influence" on Iran to "stop" attacks by Tehran-backed Yemeni Houthis on ships in the Red Sea, a senior White House official said on Saturday, according to AFP.

"Beijing tells us they're raising the subject with Iran, but we're looking at what's actually happening, and these attacks seem to be continuing," she added, pointing out that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had conveyed US expectations during talks he'd just held in Bangkok with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, called on Saturday for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) via X (formerly Twitter) to be "replaced by agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development."

Katz also urged the rest of the world to follow the example of the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy and Finland, which have suspended funding to the UN agency.

Hamas condemned the UNRWA chief's decision "to terminate the contracts of a number of the agency's employees in Gaza based on Zionist information," according to Haaretz.

"We firmly reject UNRWA's announcement describing the resistance forces as terrorist organizations ... it is not UNRWA's role to take a political position," Hamas stressed in a statement.

The group also said that the UN agency "is being blackmailed by countries that support Israeli terrorism."

Switzerland has announced that no decision on the payment of its aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) will be taken until the question of the possible involvement of some of its employees in the Oct. 7 attack has been clarified, according to AFP.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry has clarified that Switzerland's annual contribution to UNRWA, amounting to around 20 million Swiss francs ($23 million) in recent years, has yet to be approved for the year 2024.

"The contributions to UNRWA planned for 2024 have not yet been paid. A decision on their payment will only be made when more information is available on the serious charges brought against UNRWA employees," the ministry stressed.

The Israeli air force claimed to have attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including a military post and structure, according to Haaretz.

A camp for displaced Palestinians flooded by bad weather in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

(Credit: AFP)

Israeli artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Labbouneh (Sour district), local residents told our correspondent in south Lebanon.

The head of Yemen's Presidential Council has called for US and Saudi support to "eliminate" the ability of Houthi rebels to carry out attacks on ships off the coast of Yemen, reports AFP.

"Defensive operations are not the solution," said Rashad al-Alimi at a press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh, referring to US-British strikes against these Yemeni rebels, believing that "the solution is to eliminate the military capabilities of the Houthis."

Latest developments in south Lebanon (past 30 minutes)

• Hezbollah announced three attacks on two Israeli positions and a spying facility facing the south Lebanese border village of Naqoura.

• The Israeli army struck the Rida resort in the south Lebanese border village of Aita al-Chaab (Bint Jbeil district), residents of the village told L'Orient-Le Jour.

• The south Lebanese border villages of Blida and the outskirts of Marwahine were also struck by the Israeli army, a security source told L'Orient-Le Jour.

Lebanon's General Security arrested several people who spread false rumors that Israelis had called, telling them to leave their village immediately, the National News Agency (NNA) reports.

The head of the municipality of the village of Jmaijmeh (Bint Jbeil district), Qazzem Hamzah, told L'Orient Today that those who were arrested were Lebanese nationals and residents of the village. He added that they had fabricated the story as a "prank."

A picture, taken through the window of a building damaged by Israeli bombing, shows members of a family standing on a rooftop, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 27, 2024. 

(Credit: AFP)

The British government said today that it would be "temporarily pausing any future funding" to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees after Israel accused several staff members of involvement in Hamas's October 7 attack, according to AFP.

"The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel," the Foreign Office said, adding that the aid would be put on hold while they "review these concerning allegations."

Latest developments in south Lebanon (past hour)

• A security source tells our correspondent in the region that several missiles were fired from Lebanon towards western Galilee, as well as towards Shebaa farms, at around 2:45 p.m.

• Residents report that four Israeli shells fell near Hebbarieh and Rashaya Fawqar (Hasbaya district).

• Residents of Naqoura report that alarm sirens sounded at the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). UNIFIL has not yet responded to L'Orient-Le Jour's requests for information.

Earlier, we reported about concerns being raised by the World Health Organization over fighting hampering efforts to resupply al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, with urgently needed food and fuel.

Now, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has condemned Israel for besieging al-Amal Hospital and its branch headquarters in the southern Gazan city for the sixth consecutive day.

In a statement posted to X, the PRCS said the Israeli army "continues to bombard the vicinity of the hospital and open fire, jeopardizing the safety of medical staff, the wounded, patients, and approximately 7,000 displaced individuals who sought refuge there to escape Israeli bombardment.”

The Marlin Luanda oil tanker that was hit by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden yesterday is now sailing towards a safe harbor, according to the company's owner, Trafigura.

In a statement, Trafigura said its crew is safe and a fire on board has been extinguished. Last night, the Yemeni rebel group claimed the attack on the British tanker.

Earlier this morning, the US's Centcom struck a site in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, after it identified missiles which posed an "imminent threat" to US Navy and commercial shipping vessels in the region, according to a statement.

The World Health Organization has warned that the largest remaining health facility in Gaza is running out of fuel and food as fighting intensifies around it.

There are about 350 patients and 5,000 displaced people at al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. WHO Director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says fighting means access to resupply the hospital remains "challenging."

The WHO is calling for an immediate cease-fire so it can "replenish urgently needed lifesaving supplies."

Israel says it has killed at least 11 militants over the past 24 hours in battles in Gaza's Khan Younis, Reuters reports.

Egypt considered recalling its ambassador to Israel after the Israeli defense team at the International Court of Justice accused Cairo of failing to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The US newspaper reports that “after almost five hours of discussions” with intelligence and security officials, Egypt opted instead to issue a statement denying the claims to calm the situation.

Egyptian officials told WSJ that relations have reached their lowest point in “at least two decades," as Cairo warns Tel Aviv against pushing large numbers of Palestinians out of Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula, during its war against Hamas, and as Egypt faces a 40 percent loss of it is Suez Canal transit revenue this year, compared with last year, due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. The paper adds that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi haven’t spoken in recent weeks.

Click here to read the full article.

Image: Displaced Palestinians carry jerricans on their way to get water, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 27, 2024. (Credit: AFP)

The Gaza Health Ministry has announced a new death toll of 26,257 in the enclave since Oct. 7, Reuters reports. It adds that 64,797 have been wounded over the same period.

Update on the situation on the southern Lebanese border with Israel in the last 30 minutes:

* The Israeli army bombed an area between Yarine and Dhaira and the outskirts of Tayr Harfa (Sour district), as well as the outskirts of Majdil Zoun (Marjayoun district), local residents tell L’Orient Today.

* Hezbollah announced that it attacked at 11:50 a.m. an Israeli position facing the south Lebanon border village of Dhaira and said it "directly hit the target."

Hamas has slammed Israeli "threats" against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel accused several UNRWA staff of involvement in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, AFP reports.

"We ask the UN and the international organisations to not cave in to the threats and blackmail" from Israel, the news agency cites Hamas's press office as saying in a post on Telegram.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports the secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization as saying the body calls on the countries that announced the cessation of support for UNRWA to reverse their decisions immediately.

Israel's foreign minister, Israel Kantz, says he will work with allies to "halt UNRWA's activities in Gaza" and that he does not want the UN agency to be there after the war.

He has welcomed the US government's decision to suspend critical funding to the agency after Israel accused some of its employees of being involved in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. Italy, Canada and Australia have also paused funding. UNRWA said yesterday it has sacked several employees and is investigating the allegations.

Writing on X, Kants says, "We have been warning for years [that] UNRWA perpetuates the refugee issue … and serves as a civilian arm of Hamas in Gaza."

Israel's foreign minister, Israel Kantz, says he will work with allies to "halt UNRWA's activities in Gaza" and that he does not want the UN agency to be there after the war.

He has welcomed the US government's decision to suspend critical funding to the agency after Israel accused some of its employees of being involved in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. Italy, Canada and Australia have also paused funding. UNRWA said yesterday it has sacked several employees and is investigating the allegations.

Writing on X, Kants says, "We have been warning for years [that] UNRWA perpetuates the refugee issue … and serves as a civilian arm of Hamas in Gaza."

A series of leaked WhatsApp chats have reignited a storm over the dismissal of Lebanese-Australian radio show host Antoinette Lattouf from her ABC Breakfast show, after she shared a social media post from Human Rights Watch about Gaza.

On Dec. 21 Lattouf was sacked for breaking social network guidelines, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company. However, she claims they sacked her based on political opinion and race, after giving in to “external pressure” — which the broadcaster denies. She has launched a wrongful termination case.

The dozens of messages, seen by BBC News, appear to show a “concerted letter-writing campaign” against Lattouf by pro-Israeli and Jewish groups in the days before she was fired. The WhatsApp messages sparked a livid meeting of the ABC staff union, which has given its editorial leadership until Monday to respond. ABC boss David Anderson says, “Any suggestion I would not defend our position when external pressure is applied is offensive and incorrect.”

Click here for more.

⚡ Hezbollah says it has carried out two attacks, one of them using ballistic missiles, against Israeli army targets in northern Israel.

The strikes "directly hit" Israeli brigades near two military positions, one facing the southern Lebanese border village of Naqoura and the other facing Marjayoun.

Image: A displaced Palestinian man and a boy walk amid tents flooded by heavy rain at a makeshift camp set up by people who fled the ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 27, 2024. (Credit: AFP)

Australia and Canada have suspended their funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, after Israel accused several employees of involvement in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, AFP reports. Read more here.

The Israeli army says it is investigating whether mortar shells fired by Hezbollah at northern Israel may contain white phosphorus, according to The New Arab, citing Israeli media.

According to reports, two mortar shells containing phosphorus, which originally belonged to the Israeli army, "fell into the hands of Hezbollah," The New Arab reports, citing Israeli public radio KAN. It adds that the report further explained that these shells were probably old Israeli shells that had been taken out of service.

The New Arab says Hezbollah declined to comment on the allegation. If confirmed, this would be the first time that Hezbollah used chemical munitions against Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel has been accused of using phosphorus shells against targets in southern Lebanon, causing fires across approximately 8 million square meters (800 hectares) of land, according to the latest data from Lebanon's National Early Warning System platform. Click here for more. 

Israeli aircraft, tanks and infantry troops have killed at least 11 militants over the past 24 hours in battles in Gaza's Khan Younis, Reuters reports, citing the Israeli military.

The forces targeted militants who were trying to plant explosives near troops and others firing rifles and rocket-propelled grenades at soldiers, a statement from the Israeli military said.

An update on the cargo ship that was hit by a Houthi missile yesterday:

Efforts are ongoing to extinguish a fire in one of the cargo tanks aboard the Marlin Luanda with support from military vessels, the ship's operator Trafigura says, adding that no casualties or injuries have been reported in the incident, Reuters reports.

A round-up of other developments in southern Lebanon:

* The Israel air force attacked Hezbollah targets in Bint Jbeil and Deir Aames in southern Lebanon yesterday evening, the Israeli army said in a statement.

* The Israeli army also said its artillery forces shelled targets in Lebanon, following a barrage of rockets and an anti-tank missile that were fired into northern Israel. No casualties were reported, but an empty building in the northern Israeli village of Avivim was damaged, Haaretz reported.

* The Israeli army overnight also bombed the south Lebanon villages of Beit Lif and Ramaya, Naqoura, Aita al-Chaab, Meis al-Jabal and Kfar Kila, a security source told L'Orient-Le Jour.

* Meanwhile Hezbollah says it carried out six attacks against Israel, one of which was on a building in the Israeli village of Avivim.

⚡ Four Hezbollah fighters were killed overnight in Israel's bombardment of the village of Beit Leif (Bint Jbeil district) in southern Lebanon, sources, including a security source, tell L'Orient Today.

In a statement, Hezbollah confirmed the fighters' deaths but did not give any details of how or where they they were killed — this is typical of the party's official statements.

Some 171 Hezbollah combatants have been killed since Oct. 8, when fighting between the group and Israel began.

Recap on an important development from yesterday:

US President Joe Biden spoke with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts ahead of CIA Director William Burns' visit to Europe to try to strike a deal for the release of more hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Burns and his Israeli counterpart, Mossad chief David Barnea, are expected to meet Qatari officials in the coming days for talks, the UK newspaper The Guardian reports.

In November, US and Israeli intelligence chiefs met with Qatari and Egyptian officials to negotiate a truce in exchange for the release of over 100 hostages.

US forces struck a Houthi rebel site in Yemen early this morning after a British oil tanker "caught fire" following a Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden.

"At approximately 3:45 a.m. local time (00:45 GMT), US Central Command (Centcom) announced on X a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile that was preparing to be launched into the Red Sea," adding that the missile posed an "imminent threat" to US destroyers and merchant vessels in the region.

The Iran-linked Houthis, who are stepping up their attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, reported yesterday evening that they had fired "missiles" at a "British oil tanker, the Marlin Luanda," adding that the ship was "hit head-on, caught fire." More details here.

The UN Security Council will meet on Wednesday to consider yesterday's ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which calls on Israel to prevent any possible acts of "genocide" in Gaza, AFP rports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called South Africa's ICJ accusation "outrageous."

Israel, which controls the entry of international aid into Gaza, must take "immediate measures" to allow access to aid, said the ICJ, which has no leverage to impose its decisions.

Witnesses reported violent strikes on Khan Younis overnight, and the Palestinian Red Crescent says it has received dead and treated wounded at al-Amal hospital, AFP reports.

Meanwhile, al-Nasser Hospital, the most important in this southern Gaza Strip town, is barely functioning. Its "surgical capacity" is "virtually non-existent," and the "few medical staff who have remained have to cope with very low stocks of medical equipment," Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) says.

Good morning, 

We're here again today with live updates on events in Gaza, Israel, south Lebanon and the region as they unfold.