Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described the UN Palestinian refugee agency as “the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza”.
Several countries have suspended funding to the agency over Israeli claims that 12 staff members took part in the October 7 attacks on the country.
“The humanitarian system in Gaza is collapsing,” Mr Guterres told a UN committee on Palestinian rights.
“Everyone in Gaza is hungry, while half a million grapple with catastrophic levels of food insecurity.”
He appealed to all member states to guarantee that the life-saving work of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) continues.
“Yesterday, I met with donors to listen to their concerns and to outline the steps we are taking to address them,” Mr Guterres said.
He underscored the importance of keeping the UNRWA’s “vital work going to meet the dire needs of civilians in Gaza, and to ensure its continuity of services to Palestine refugees in the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria".
“UNRWA is the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza,” Mr Guterres said.
The UN agency responded swiftly to allegations from Israel that 12 of its staff members took part in the October 7 Hamas-led assaults against Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 abducted.
Since the start of Israel's ground offensive in Gaza, which has killed 27,000 people, the UN agency has provided aid and used its buildings to shelter Palestinians fleeing bombardment.
The US, UK, France, Netherlands, Germany and Japan are among the nations that have suspended their funding to the UN agency.
On Tuesday, Israel’s government spokesman Eylon Levy said the UNRWA “has been fundamentally compromised”.
Mr Levy accused it of “hiring terrorists on a massive scale, letting its infrastructure be used for Hamas military activity and relying on Hamas for aid distribution in the Gaza Strip".
Meanwhile, the UNRWA this week responded to a US Congressional letter asking for more information about allegations that the agency is failing to stop Hamas from stealing food aid and fuel.
The agency’s Washington representative William Deere said that it “does not make transfer of values to the de facto authorities or any Palestinian faction”.
Mr Deere said that the UNRWA is “immune from paying taxes, including indirect taxes, to a host government”.
He said it “takes measures to ensure that it has no financial ties with any individual or organisation on the UN Security Council Consolidated Sanctions List".
Mr Deere said the agency has implemented “emergency screening procedures” to guarantee that aid is delivered efficiently.
The UNRWA was established in 1949 by the UN General Assembly.
Its mandate is to provide assistance and protection for about 5.7 million registered Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Celta Vigo 2
Castro (45'), Aspas (82')
Barcelona 2
Dembele (36'), Alcacer (64')
Red card: Sergi Roberto (Barcelona)
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Results
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,000m, Winner: Hazeem Al Raed, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: Ghazwan Al Khalediah, Hugo Lebouc, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Dinar Al Khalediah, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Faith And Fortune, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Only Smoke, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: AF Ramz, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mass, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
