US won't rule out sanctions against Israel after ties are cut with UN aid agency

Palestinians carry their belongings as they flee areas north of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip (Getty)

Palestinians carry their belongings as they flee areas north of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip Source: Getty / OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP

Israel has informed the United Nations of its intentions to cut ties with the organisation's Palestinian Relief Agency, despite global concerns. It comes as the Israeli forces continue their operations in northern Gaza, making the work of local medical groups extremely challenging.


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TRANSCRIPT

Israel is moving forward with its plans to end its relations with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA.

The Israeli government has notified the UN of its intentions, following new legislation that was passed by the Israeli parliament last week.

The new laws ban the organisation's operations in the country after accusations that it had been infiltrated by members of the military group Hamas.

Varsen Shahin, a senior official in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, has condemned the Israeli government's actions.

“As Palestinians we reject the unlawful Knesset legislations regarding UNRWA. We condemn the Israeli Knesset's decision on approving to pass the two laws that prohibit UNRWA from operating in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. We are deeply concerned by this unlawful decision which revokes the privileges and immunities of UNRWA and terminates its operations in the occupied state of Palestine. We consider these laws as illegal, null and void."

The Israeli government's decision has also raised questions from other high ranking officials across the world.

There are concerns that by imposing a ban on UNRWA, Israel could further deepen the humanitarian crisis taking place in Gaza.

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller says the White House does not support this decision.

"We oppose that (UNRWA) legislation. We have serious concerns about the implications of it being fully implemented, as well as our concerns about the underlying humanitarian situation in Gaza Even before Israel passed this legislation, that relates to the inability of a sufficient number of trucks to get into Gaza and the inability of humanitarian workers for a variety of reasons to be able to deliver that aid to places inside Gaza, to the people that need it."

Mr Miller says that the US has addressed its concerns towards the Israeli government and did not rule out the possibility of the White House imposing sanctions on Israel in the future.

"It is incidents like this in the past that have led us to impose sanctions, and we certainly will be looking at this one, as we have looked at others to see, first of all, if the government of Israel take steps to impose accountability and if they don't, what we might do on our end."

It comes as the Israeli forces are intensifying their efforts in northern Gaza, where they say Hamas militants are attempting to regroup.

Twelve people lost their lives in the latest round of attacks which have been focused on the grounds of Kamal Adwan, the last operating hospital in the area.

Eyad Zaqout, a senior official at the Health Ministry in Gaza, has made a troubling announcement regarding the lack of resources and medics in the north of the enclave.

"We announce to the whole world that there are no longer any ambulances in the northern Gaza Strip governorate to carry out the duty of transporting the injured. A large number of injured people are bleeding on the roads and in the places of various targets in the northern Gaza Strip, and there are no civil defence or first aid crews to perform humanitarian duties and transport and provide the necessary medical assistance to them."

Sarah Davies, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, says it is becoming increasingly difficult for medics in the area to provide first aid.

"In the hospitals as well as in the surrounding areas in the north, it is increasing challenge after challenge for people every single day. For medical staff to provide services in the midst of ongoing hostilities where there is no sense of calm, where you can hear explosions very loudly, where all of the patients are terrified, where they don't know what will happen next is an incredibly challenging position to be in."

Israel is continuing to fight on two fronts as reports from Lebanon say a city in the nation's east has suffered significant damage from an air strike.

Heritage landmark sites, government infrastructure and civilian areas in Baalbek were all targeted in the attack.

Head of the Baalbek municipalities union Shafiq Qassem says other religious landsites have also been left entirely or partially destroyed.

"As you can see, a Zionist (Israeli) target of a civilian house led to its destruction, and this was not included in the warning that occurred yesterday, of course. And all the damage around me, all the residential houses around me, including the municipality building and the cemeteries belonging to the Christian community, were also severely damaged."

It comes in the latest exchange of attacks between the Israeli forces and military group Hezbollah, which began following the launch of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.


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