United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher has asked Israel to provide evidence backing its claim that staff with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are linked to Hamas.
At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said Fletcher and OCHA were no longer neutral, announcing that hundreds of OCHA employees would undergo security vetting and that staff visas would be restricted to one month.
“Israel has uncovered clear evidence of Hamas affiliation within OCHA’s ranks,” Danon told the 15-member council, without presenting proof.
In a letter to the council on Thursday, Fletcher called the accusations “extremely serious” and said this was the first time Israel had raised such concerns.
“I expect the Israeli authorities to immediately share any evidence that led them to make such claims,” he wrote.
Fletcher said OCHA engages with all sides in conflicts to secure humanitarian access and protect civilians, noting that contacts with Hamas had helped secure hostage releases.
Israel says it is committed to aiding civilians but “will not work with organizations that have chosen politics over principles,” Danon said.
“We must hold all parties to the standards of international law,” Fletcher wrote. “We do not choose between demanding the end to the starvation of civilians in Gaza and demanding the unconditional release of all the hostages.”
Israel, which controls supplies entering Gaza, denies responsibility for food shortages.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Poland on Thursday following a summit of the European Council in Brussels.
US intelligence assessments indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to seek full control of Ukraine and to expand Russia’s influence in parts of Europe formerly under Soviet rule, contradicting repeated claims that Moscow poses no threat to the continent.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a stark warning over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Tokyo represents more than a strengthening of bilateral relations; it is a strategic step that broadens the economic and diplomatic horizons of the region.
Ukraine has welcomed the European Union’s decision to provide €90 billion in support over the next two years, calling it a vital lifeline even as the bloc failed to reach agreement on using frozen Russian assets to finance the aid.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that attempts to reach a peace agreement in Ukraine are being undermined by Russia’s continued refusal to engage meaningfully in negotiations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held a phone conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil at the latter’s request.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed that Russian-made Oreshnik missile systems have been deployed on Belarusian territory and placed on combat alert.
The European Union has postponed signing its long-awaited free trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc until January, after failing to secure sufficient backing from member states, according to media reports.
The release of a new collection of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice has reopened long-running questions about how the Jeffrey Epstein case has been handled, what has been made public, and what remains undisclosed.
The United States is not concerned about a potential escalation with Russia over Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, as President Donald Trump increases US military deployments in the Caribbean.
The U.S. military carried out large-scale strikes on dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in response to an attack last week that killed American personnel, U.S. officials said.
US intelligence assessments indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to seek full control of Ukraine and to expand Russia’s influence in parts of Europe formerly under Soviet rule, contradicting repeated claims that Moscow poses no threat to the continent.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a stark warning over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
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