UN cutting international staff in Gaza by a third due to safety concerns

The United Nations is cutting its international staff in Gaza by around a third, a UN spokesperson said on Tuesday, citing safety concerns.

"We are trying to reduce the number of international staff by about one third and this is really because the Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) doesn't have the power of guaranteeing the safety of UN staff," UN spokesperson Alessandra Vellucci told a Geneva press briefing, saying that the cuts would affect around 30 of 100 international staff.

The agencies affected included the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation and the UN children's agency, she added.