UNRWA ‘not just few bad apples’ but a ‘whole rotten orchard’, says Israeli spokesman
UN aid agency UNRWA has been “exposed” over links with Hamas to the point where the organisation is not a “few bad apples” but a “whole rotten orchard”, an Israeli government spokesman has just told us.
The aid agency, which is responsible for more than five million Palestinian refugees, has come under repeated attack by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says it has links to Hamas and other militant groups.
As we’ve reported, new laws passed in Israel yesterday banned the agency from operating in the country – see our 6.39am post.
Speaking to presenter Jayne Secker, spokesman David Mencer said members of UNRWA took part in the massacre on 7 October last year, when around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 taken back to Gaza as hostages by Hamas, according to Israeli tallies.
“UNRWA employees have become exposed as the terrorists themselves, not on a small scale, not a few bad apples, but a whole rotten orchard, actually,” he said.
“And also because UNRWA buildings have been used as a cover for rocket launching sites.”
Ban is ‘totally wrong’
The US, UK, Canada, Japan and several other European countries have all expressed concern at the move – with British foreign secretary David Lammy describing the measures as “totally wrong”.
But Mr Mencer said Hamas has “completely infiltrated” UNRWA and Gazans deserve better – insisting Israel will do all it can to get aid to “ordinary Gazans”.
“They deserve an organisation which does not seek their death, because Hamas are not upset that civilians are being killed,” he said.
“They only wish that ten times more have been killed. And we want more of this aid to go to the ordinary Gazans for a better future for them, and not to the Hamas terrorist organisation.”
More than 1.9 million Palestinians are displaced from their homes and Gaza faces widespread shortages of food, water and medicine.
Four Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza, says IDF
Four Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in northern Gaza today, Israel’s military has said.
The troops, all aged between 20-22, were from the same unit in the Israel Defence Forces.
Another solider was seriously wounded during fighting, the military added.
UN: Middle East at ‘most dangerous juncture’ in decades
The UN’s special coordinator for Middle East peace has warned the region is at its “most dangerous juncture”.
Tor Wennesland is speaking at today’s UN Security Council meeting.
“We have now entered the second year of this horrific conflict, and the region is on the verge of yet another serious escalation,” he said.
“The violence in the occupied Palestinian territory and wider region shows no signs of abating.”
UNIFIL troops injured in Lebanon after rocket attack ‘likely by Hezbollah’
Eight Austrian soldiers belonging to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have been injured in a rocket attack near the Israeli border, Austria’s defence ministry says.
“We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and demand that it be investigated immediately,” the ministry said in a statement.
It added that it was not clear where the attack came from and that none of the soldiers needed urgent medical care.
UNIFIL said no one was seriously injured and that the rocket was fired from the north of its headquarters, “likely by Hezbollah or an affiliated group”.
UNIFIL forces have faced a series of Israeli attacks on its peacekeepers since Israel invaded Lebanon on 1 October.
The Israeli government has demanded that UNIFIL leave its positions in Lebanon, which it has refused to do.
Austria contributes about 180 soldiers to the 10,000-strong force.
Analysis: Kassem’s lack of swagger could see Hezbollah adopt new approach
By Ivor Bennett, foreign correspondent
Hamas has hailed Naim Kassem’s appointment as Hezbollah’s new leader as proof of the group’s recovery. In reality, though, it’s a reflection of their lack of options. Kassem is pretty much the only senior figure left.
Having helped establish Hezbollah in the early 1980s, the 71-year-old rose to the role of deputy chief in 1991, becoming one of the group’s most important clerics, who guided its religious and ideological direction.
But he was always seen as the perennial ‘number two’. An effective operator in a supportive role, but not the inspirational figurehead to lead the fight against Israel.
He’s seen by many in Lebanon as lacking charisma and personality. He’s nowhere the father figure his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, was to some. Nor the inspirational orator.
But now Kassem has been thrust into the top job by force of circumstance.
After Nasrallah’s assassination in Beirut at the end of September, Hashem Safieddine was considered the most likely successor, despite Kassem’s superiority on paper. But he too was killed by an Israeli air strike only two weeks later, as the IDF sought to decapitate Hezbollah’s leadership.
The hit on Safieddine came after speculation spread that he was next in line. It seems Hezbollah have been more cautious this time around with Kassem.
He’s believed to have fled Beirut for Tehran earlier this month, reportedly leaving Lebanon on board the Iranian foreign minister’s plane after he visited the country.
In the last month, Kassem has given three televised addresses. One was a defiant rallying cry in the wake of Nasrallah’s death – pledging to Hezbollah supporters that they would continue to fight.
The second, however, on October 8 was more conciliatory. He said the armed group supported efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon.
And perhaps that hints at something – that in the hands of Kassem, Iran’s powerful proxy may adopt a more cautious approach. Some believe that may be the case, simply because Kassem doesn’t have the swagger to carry a more pugnacious policy.
What’s more, Kassem is already a well-known face. Since the start of this conflict with Israel last October, he’s been one of Hezbollah’s leading spokesmen, giving interviews to both regional and foreign media.
He’s not a military commander who operates in the shadows, like those Israel has been targeting. Quite the opposite – he’s been front and centre, and that could prove an important distinction.
For now, though, Israel remains wary, warning that if Kassem follows in the footsteps of Nasrallah, his tenure will be “the shortest in [Hezbollah’s] history”.
‘Countdown has begun’: Israel warns new Hezbollah leader after spate of killings
Israel’s defence minister has warned Hezbollah that the clock is ticking for Naim Kassem after his appointment as the group’s new leader.
Writing on X alongside an image of Mr Kassem, Yoav Gallant said: “The appointment is temporary. The countdown has begun.”
Mr Kassem was today named as Hezbollah’s successor to former chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel’s military last month in Beirut.
Hashem Safieddine, considered by many to be Nasrallah’s most likely successor, was killed by an Israeli air strike two weeks later as the Israel Defence Forces sought to decimate the group’s leadership.
‘No justification to take down a UN agency so crucial’
No organisation can match the scale of operations that UNRWA has provided to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, the director of ActionAid Palestine has said.
Israel passed two laws yesterday that ban the UN’s relief and works agency for Palestinian refugees from conducting “any activity” or providing any service in Israel, including the areas of East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank (see 6.39 post).
The ban is set to come into effect within three months, at which point millions of Palestinian refugees will be cut off from its help.
“This decision brings down an agency, a UN agency, that has been leading the humanitarian response, especially in Gaza, since the start of this current genocide and this brutal war in Gaza,” Jamil Sawalmeh told Sky News.
“It’s been providing services and commitment to the Palestinian refugees for over 70 years.
“No organisation can match the scale of operations of UNRWA or the services that have been provided.
“There is no justification to take down a UN agency that is so crucial, especially in this very critical time.”
Dozens killed in Gaza in past 24 hours, health ministry says
Some 41 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in the past 24-hour reporting period, the Hamas-run health ministry has said.
According to its latest figures, 43,061 people have now been killed by Israel since 7 October 2023.
A further 101,223 have been injured during that time, it added.
The toll does not include those killed in today’s attack on the northern Gazan town of Beit Lahiya.
For context: The ministry’s figures do not differentiate between Hamas fighters and civilians.
While Israeli officials have cast doubt on the numbers killed in Gaza, several independent groups say the ministry’s figures have proved to be largely reliable and broadly in line with those later produced by the UN and Israel itself.
Examination of data from previous Gaza conflicts, comparing the ministry’s counts with post-war United Nations analysis, shows the initial data is largely accurate with, at most, a 10-12% discrepancy.
The Israeli military told Sky News earlier this month that 20,000 Hamas militants had been killed, but this remains unverified.
‘Operation Days of Repentance’: How Israel’s strike on Iran unfolded
By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor
Israel’s pre-dawn attack on Iran was one of the biggest and most complex air assaults the country has ever conducted.
Dozens of aircraft, including Western-made fifth-generation F-35 stealth jets as well as F-16 and F-15 warplanes, flew more than 1,000 miles to strike multiple targets inside Iran, including the regime’s prized, Russian-provided S-300 air defence systems.
An Israeli source said four of the S-300 systems were hit along with radars and other air defence capabilities, reducing the risk to Israeli aircraft should they be deployed on any future mission against the Iranian regime.
The raid – codenamed “Operation Days of Repentance” – also targeted sites where Iran was manufacturing missiles used to threaten Israel.
“It was a significant attack… We were able to achieve all the goals,” the source said.
The Israeli government had vowed to retaliate after Iran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on 1 October in response to Israeli attacks against Iranian interests.
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