January 27, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has suggested that Israel will seek to stop the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from operating in post-war Gaza, saying it "will not be a part of the day after."

It follows allegations that its staff members were involved in the October 7 attacks on Israel.

On Friday, an Israeli official told CNN that Israel shared information about 12 staffers allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks both with UNRWA and the US. The official did not share more specifics on the alleged actions of the 12 former staffers.

CNN has reached out to UNRWA and the Israeli authorities about the information Israel provided UNRWA and the nature of the alleged involvement of the UNRWA employees on October 7.

Israel’s relations with the UN have deteriorated in recent months, after the organization’s senior officials repeatedly condemned the country’s military approach to the war in Gaza.

It was supposed to be a safe haven – a new life for those seeking refuge from the turbulence of war.

But when tens of thousands of Ukrainians fled to Israel in the wake of Russia’s invasion, they had no idea of what the future would hold.

With men aged 18 to 60 forbidden to leave Ukraine, the refugees were mostly women, children and the elderly. Among them, four courageous teenagers who arrived alone in Israel to start a new life as a result of Moscow’s assault on their homeland on February 24, 2022.

Little more than a year and a half later, these young people found themselves immersed in another conflict, as they study at a boarding school just 8 miles from Gaza.

Read their story here.

More countries have joined the US and Australia in pausing funding to the main UN relief agency operating in Gaza after some of its staff were accused of participating in the October 7 attacks.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) on Friday fired several staff members after Israeli accused them of involvement in Hamas’ murderous rampage into southern Israel.

The revelation prompted the US State Department to announce soon after that it had “temporarily paused additional funding” to the agency.

Now, Canada and Italy have followed suit.

Canada's Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, made the announcement late on Friday on X.

Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, confirmed on X that Italy has also suspended funding to UNRWA, adding "we are committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population, and protecting Israel's security."

This is a developing story. This post will be updated.

The UN chief Antonio Guterres said he hopes Israel will "duly comply" with the ruling from the International Court of Justice ordering it to take action to prevent acts of genocide being carried out in war-torn Gaza. 

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary General told reporters in New York that Guterres had taken note of the orders from the UN's top court, which made the ruling as part of a genocide case brought by South Africa.

In the statement, Guterres reiterated the legally binding nature of ICJ decisions, adding that he trusts "that all parties will duly comply with the Order from the Court." 

The UN chief has repeatedly called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, expressing deep concern about the "unprecedented" number of civilian casualties and the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in the enclave. 

A landmark case: In a rebuke of Israel, the ICJ on Friday said Israel must “take all measures” to limit the death and destruction caused by its campaign in Gaza but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

The ICJ’s decisions are binding and cannot be appealed, but it has no way of enforcing them. Israel previously indicated it would not abide by the ruling.

Australia is “temporarily” pausing “disbursement of recent funding” to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following allegations that its staff were involved in the October 7 terror attacks on Israel. 

She added that while “Australia welcomes UNRWA’s swift response,” it will “temporarily pause disbursement of recently announced funding” as Canberra engages "closely with UNRWA on investigations" and consults international partners.

She added that “Australia will continue to support the people of Gaza and work to provide humanitarian assistance,” and reiterated Canberra’s call for “civilians to be protected, and for humanitarian access.” 

Some background: On Friday, UNRWA – the main UN agency operating in Gaza – said that Israel had accused some of its staff of being involved in the October 7 attacks, and that their contracts would be “immediately” terminated.

The US also announced it was pausing funding in the wake of the allegations.

An oil tanker went up in flames in the Gulf of Aden after being hit by a missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group Friday.

The Indian Navy published pictures of the burning tanker Saturday.

The Houthis say they are retaliating for recent strikes on their infrastructure in Yemen by the US and UK militaries. Those attacks have been aimed at stopping the Houthis from disrupting global shipping in the region.

It all stems from Israel's ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza: The Houthis say their actions are aimed at pressuring Israel to stop its ground offensive and widespread bombardment of the Palestinian enclave.

The US sent a destroyer — which had itself been the target of Houthi fire Friday, according to US Central Command — to respond to the commercial ship's distress call.

It's just the latest example of flaring tensions in the Middle East, where world leaders are trying to contain the ripple effects of the war in Gaza.

Here's what else to know today:

Allegations against UN workers in Gaza: Israel will seek to ensure the main United Nations relief agency in Gaza will not operate in the enclave after the war, the country's foreign minister said Saturday.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) fired staff members this week after allegations they were involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel. An internal investigation is underway.

The allegations have jeopardized the group's ability to offer desperately needed humanitarian aid in the enclave: The US and a growing list of other nations are pausing funding to the UNRWA.

Deteriorating conditions for Gaza medical workers: Vital medical services "have collapsed" at Nasser Hospital, the largest functioning hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to Doctors Without Borders. Intense fighting around the hospital has made it perilous to resupply the medical center.

Nearby in southern Gaza, the Palestine Red Crescent Society says its medical workers are living in a "state of terror and panic" due to what it described as an Israeli siege on Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis.

Fewer than half of Gaza's hospitals are still partially functioning, the UN said Thursday. Those that remain open face shortages of staff, basic medical supplies, fuel, food and drinking water.

Growing pressure to free hostages: There are no "imminent developments" on an agreement to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, the US says, even as it orchestrates a flurry of diplomatic efforts to reach a deal.

The White House coordinator for the Middle East wrapped up meetings in the region Friday, while CIA Director Bill Burns is set to meet in the coming days with Israel and Egypt’s intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister to discuss a deal.

Hamas, meanwhile, released a heavily edited video showing three female hostages, in an apparent attempt to ramp up pressure on Israeli leaders.

Friday's ruling by the UN's top court: The UN secretary-general said he hopes Israel will comply with today's order from the International Court of Justice, which called on the country to prevent a genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the ruling as a rejection of what he called "discrimination" against his country, while the Palestinian Authority and South Africa said it represented a victory for human rights.

This post has been updated with some of the latest developments from the region.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning of the repercussions of declining humanitarian access in parts of Gaza and the blocking of aid at the Kerem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom border crossing on Thursday and Friday.

"On January 25 and January 26, Israeli protesters blocked aid trucks from accessing Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing," OCHA said in a statement early Saturday, adding that the trucks carrying food, flour, tents, and hygiene items were not able to enter the strip.

The protests were organized by families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza in order to stop aid getting into the strip through Kerem Shalom until the return of all abductees

"Representatives of the families of the abductees arrived at the Kerem Shalom crossing and prevented trucks carrying a lot of aid to Hamas from entering the Gaza Strip," the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum spokesperson Haim Rubinstein said in a statement on Friday.

"This is the third day that the families physically prevent the transfer of aid to Hamas."

Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) confirmed to CNN that no trucks had entered Gaza through Kerem Shalom on Thursday or Friday due to the protests.

Meanwhile, OCHA said that only about 15 percent (eight out of 51) of humanitarian aid missions planned for northern Gaza between January 1-25 were facilitated, while 29 were denied.

The remaining missions included two that were partially facilitated, four postponed, and eight impeded due to unpassable routes and "excessive delays" at checkpoints.

During the same period, OCHA says 63 percent (55 out of 87) of humanitarian aid missions to Gaza's middle area were facilitated, with 22 missions denied and 10 others postponed.

The head of the UN Human Rights Office Ajith Sunghay further warned on Friday of the deteriorating conditions in the southern governorate of Rafah, where 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering.

"I saw displaced people who had been ordered by Israeli authorities to leave their homes, with no provision for their accommodation, literally living on the street, with sewage running in the streets and conditions of desperation conducive to a complete breakdown in order," Sunghay said in a statement.

"Humanitarian aid needs to be delivered without impediment to all those who need it."

Vital medical services "have collapsed" at Nasser Hospital, which is the largest functioning hospital in the Gaza Strip, according to Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said access to resupply the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis "remains challenging" due to intense fighting in the vicinity.

"[H]undreds of patients and health workers have fled," he said in a statement on Friday. "Currently 350 patients and 5000 displaced people remain at the hospital."

Earlier on Friday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said “fragments of shrapnel” were going through the walls of their headquarters at the Al-Amal Hospital building in Khan Younis, which the aid agency said was surrounded by Israeli tanks.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Hamas was operating from inside the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals. CNN cannot independently verify those claims.

CNN's Celine Alkhaldi and Abeer Salman contributed to this report.

The Marlin Luanda oil tanker is on fire in the Gulf of Aden after it was struck by a missile, the commodities group Trafigura said on Friday.

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement they fired missiles toward the "British oil tanker" in response to the "American-British aggression against our country (Yemen)" and in support of the Palestinian people. 

Trafigura, which has offices in Britain, said it is monitoring the situation and that military ships in the region are headed to provide assistance.

A US destroyer, the USS Carney, is among the vessels responding to the distress call, according to a US official. The Carney shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward the warship earlier Friday, according to US Central Command.

The British government has yet to comment on the attack.

CNN's Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky contributed to this report.