"In the border region between Jordan and Syria, a drone strike claimed the lives of three US soldiers"
The CIA chief met with Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials for ceasefire negotiations on Sunday while Israeli forces engaged in "intensive battles" with Hamas terrorists in southern Gaza, according to the army.
In the border region between Jordan and Syria, a drone strike claimed the lives of three US soldiers. Since the start of the war, this was the first time when hostile fire has claimed an American military life, adding to concerns about a wider battle.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is under peril due to a heated dispute over staff members' alleged involvement in Hamas's October 7 strike that ignited the war. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres begged for continuing support for UNRWA as violence raged.
Several of UNRWA's major donors, notably the US and Germany, stopped funding the organization after the Israeli claims. UNRWA has been the backbone of humanitarian services in Gaza.
"The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, urging donor governments to ensure the delivery of essential supplies to the beleaguered Gaza Strip.
The war is currently being fought in Khan Yunis, the biggest city in southern Gaza, according to reports from the Israeli army.
At least 24 Palestinians were slain on Sunday in Israeli strikes on Khan Yunis, where gunfire echoed throughout the day, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled region.
The head of the Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, met with senior officials from Qatar, Israel, and Egypt in Paris.
Israel reported having had "constructive" talks. More negotiations are anticipated in the upcoming days, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, despite "significant gaps" still existing.
AFP was informed by a security source that US President Joe Biden was dispatching Burns to attempt to broker a ceasefire in exchange for the release of the Israeli captives who were still being held by Hamas.
-"A famine is imminent"-
Mass displacement and a worsening humanitarian disaster are the results of more than three months of warfare. According to the UN, over a million people are crammed into a small region close to the Egyptian border.
The UN special envoy for the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, issued a warning, stating that cutting off UNRWA money "overtly defies" the International Court of Justice's Friday ruling to permit humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
The highest court of the UN did not demand an end to hostilities, only that Israel refrain from committing genocidal acts in its conflict with Hamas.
According to an AFP tally of official data, UNRWA stated on Friday that it has sacked a number of staff members due to Israel's accusations that some of its employees were complicit in the October 7 attack, which claimed the lives of about 1,140 people, the majority of whom were civilians.
Approximately 250 hostages were also taken by militants; according to Israel, 132 of them are still in Gaza, along with the bodies of at least 28 deceased captives.
In retaliation, Israel pledged to annihilate Hamas. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, its military onslaught has killed at least 26,422 people in Gaza, the majority of whom were women and children.
After being forced to flee from north Gaza to the extreme south, Bassam al-Masry predicted "a major disaster" and "famine" if aid was stopped.
According to Guterres, hundreds of other UNRWA humanitarian workers shouldn't be punished because of the "abhorrent alleged acts" of a small number of employees.
"I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's operations," said Guterres.
-"Lifeline" -
In a social media post, the agency's head, Philippe Lazzarini, issued a warning, stating that the agency's activity in Gaza was in danger of collapsing due to budget shortages.
Gilad Erdan, Israel's UN representative, accused UNRWA of being "used for terrorism" and asked donors to hold off on giving the organization's cash until after "a comprehensive investigation of the organization."
In a statement, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated that Norway, "a major donor to UNRWA... has decided to continue its funding".
While emphasizing that "UNRWA is a lifeline" for many Gazans, he stated that Oslo "expects full transparency" from the organization.
"We should not collectively punish millions of people."
According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, "cutting off funding will only hurt the people of Gaza who desperately need support" on the social networking platform X.
According to Israeli officials, demonstrators, including relatives of captives, stopped the Kerem Shalom gate in southern Israel on Sunday. This crossing is where aid is vetted before being transferred into Gaza.
In a separate demonstration, thousands of supporters of Israel's Gaza resettlement, including a few far-right cabinet ministers, convened in Jerusalem on Sunday and implored Netanyahu to realize their divisive ambition.
In public comments, the prime minister has opposed settlement in Palestinian territory.
In addition, he has been the target of growing protests and calls for early elections due to his inability to free the majority of the hostages.
US President Biden attributed the deadly attack on US personnel, which injured 25, according to the military's Central Command, to insurgents backed by Iran.
Many of the hundreds of attacks that have targeted US and ally forces in Iraq and Syria since Israel's war against Iran-backed Hamas began have been attributed to a loose coalition of armed groups with ties to Iran. The coalition against jihadists includes the international soldiers.
End//voice7news.tv
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