The UN refugee agency in turmoil. After France, it is now Austria's turn to stop funding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). The authority is accused of being involved in the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, 2023. She will no longer receive any money from Austria until “a complete, rapid and error-free investigation into these allegations” has taken place. Nine donor countries, including the USA, Germany and Japan, have announced similar measures in recent days. Follow our live stream.
Iran denies involvement in drone attack in Jordan. US President Joe Biden threatens the perpetrators of the retaliatory attack and names pro-Iranian groups as those responsible. The attack left three American soldiers dead and at least 34 people injured. This is the first time American soldiers have been killed in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas began in Gaza.
Four men executed in Iran. According to the Iranian justice agency Mizan Online, they were accused of spying for Israel and were hanged at dawn. The four convicts were arrested in July 2022 while preparing an operation on behalf of the Mossad against a Defense Ministry center in Isfahan, a major city in central Iran, the agency said. Their death sentences were handed down in September 2023.
Thousands of Israelis are demanding settlements in the Gaza Strip. At that meeting on Sunday evening in Jerusalem, 12 ministers were present, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said he wanted to “encourage voluntary emigration,” referring to a group of Israeli settlements formerly based in Gaza were . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never supported the plan to revive Gaza settlements, saying it is “not a realistic goal.”