Hamas ‘infiltrated’ main aid provider in Gaza, Netanyahu tells UN

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of ambassadors to the United Nations from primarily European countries that Hamas terrorists have “infiltrated” the main aid provider to Palestinians in Gaza and that it must be shut down.

Netanyahu’s remarks on Wednesday follow Israel’s allegations that 12 employees with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel that killed 1,200 people in Israel and sparked the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu told the group of eight visiting ambassadors that an alternative and impartial aid provider should be found.

The United States and more than a dozen other countries have announced plans to suspend contributions to UNRWA.

U.N. officials fired most of the workers and vowed an investigation. UNRWA said the agency, which employs 13,000 workers in Gaza, should not be punished for the alleged actions of a dozen employees.

The heads of the World Health Organization, World Food Program, UNICEF, International Organization for Migration and other agencies and partners said the allegations were “horrifying.”

“However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need,” the joint statement said.

U.N. officials have warned that UNRWA will have to halt operations by the end of February if funding is not restored.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to 35 donor nations in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday and sought new support as well.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in New York, acknowledged Tuesday that UNRWA plays “a critical role in providing life-saving assistance to Palestinians,” but said “we need to see fundamental changes before we can resume providing funding directly” to the organization.

Martin Griffiths, the U.N. humanitarian aid coordinator, insisted Wednesday that UNRWA was “the beating heart” of all humanitarian aid operations in Gaza, and said its work to reach more than three-quarters of Gazans “should not be jeopardized by the alleged actions of a few individuals.”

Hostage talks continue

Netanyahu has told the families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip that efforts are underway to bring about the captives’ release.

Netanyahu told the representatives of 18 families that efforts were being made “at these moments” to return the hostages. In a statement about the meeting from his office Wednesday, he did not disclose details on talks on a new hostage release agreement.

Netanyahu met the families as Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. were mediating talks meant to strike a deal between Israel and Hamas that could free the roughly 100 remaining hostages and usher in a temporary cease-fire in Gaza.

Hamas-led terrorists captured about 250 people, including children, women and older people, in their Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, an assault that triggered the war.

More than 100 captives, mostly women and children, were released during the first and only deal between the sides in late November.

A relative of a hostage being held in Gaza says he is concerned Israeli leaders are putting their political fortunes above the fate of the captives.

Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat was abducted on Oct. 7 from southern Israel, said he feels “insecure” about the chances for a deal. At the same time, he said the current talks appeared serious and were the first chance at progress since the one previous deal in late November.

Court ruling complaint

Israel has ignored the ruling by the U.N.’s top court last week by killing hundreds more civilians in a matter of days in Gaza, South Africa’s foreign minister said Wednesday, adding that her country has asked why an arrest warrant for Netanyahu has not been issued in a case South Africa filed at the separate International Criminal Court.

Israel is not a signatory to the treaty that created the ICC and does not recognize the court’s authority.

Since the ruling by the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, Israel has continued its military offensive, which it says is aimed at Hamas terrorists and the group’s leaders.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said Wednesday the total number of Palestinian deaths in the war has risen to more than 26,700. The count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said South Africa would “look at proposing other measures to the global community” in a bid to stop Israel killing civilians during its war in Gaza against Hamas terrorists, but didn’t go into details.

Netanyahu has said that Israel “will continue to do what is necessary to defend our country and defend our people.”

Israel says it has abided by international law and is doing its best to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza. It says it has killed more than 9,000 terrorists and accuses Hamas of embedding in civilian areas, making it difficult to avoid civilian casualties.