Many Palestinian prisoners released by Israel have returned to the Gaza Strip “traumatized” after suffering “an ordeal,” the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA) said on Monday, March 4. Philippe Lazzarini also assured that there is an internal, unpublished report from the agency that refers to “hundreds of prisoners released by Israel” through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The agency had previously accused Israeli authorities of committing “torture, ill-treatment, abuse and sexual exploitation” against some of its employees detained in the Gaza Strip since October 7. Follow our live stream.
The Israeli army rejects UNRWA's allegations. In a statement, the army condemned “general and unsubstantiated allegations of sexual abuse of detainees in Israel Defense Forces facilities.” It also accuses UNRWA of employing “more than 450 terrorists” from the Islamist movement Hamas and other organizations in the Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day, Israel's foreign minister called his ambassador to the United Nations via his X account to denounce UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' “silence” on Hamas' alleged sexual violence during the October 7 attacks.
Kamala Harris expresses “deep concern” for Gaza. US Vice President Kamala Harris called on Israel to “take action” to increase the delivery of aid to the famine-prone area in a statement released by the White House.
Negotiations for a ceasefire are ongoing. For the third day in a row, discussions continue in Cairo, Egypt. Egyptian, American and Qatari mediators are trying to find a compromise to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan. “I will not stop pushing for an agreement that guarantees the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas,” Joe Biden said in a tweet posted overnight.