Israel-Palestine live: Netanyahu rejects Hamas ceasefire proposal, vows ‘total victory’

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is to meet with key Unrwa donor nations in New York on Tuesday, according to his spokesperson.

Unrwa funding is expected to be discussed when the the UN’s new Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag briefs the UN Security Council for the first time on Tuesday.

The meeting takes place after 12 staff with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees were accused by Israel of involvement in the 7 October attacks, Agence France-Presse reports. The allegations have not been independently verified. 

A group of 21 aid organisations issued a joint statement saying that as “the largest humanitarian agency in Gaza” Unrwa's role “cannot be replaced by other agencies working [there]”.

Good morning readers of Middle East Eye,

We are on day 116 of the Israeli war on Gaza and the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since 7 October now stands at 26,637, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In its latest update, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said that at least 65,387 have been wounded in attacks by the Israeli military.

More than 8,000 missing, who are believed to be dead and buried under rubble. 

Here are the major developments from the last few hours: 

• Dozens of Palestinians have been reported killed in strikes on Gaza City as Israel issues new evacuation order for the west of the city
• Israeli forces arrested dozens of Palestinians after raiding a shelter run by Unrwa in Gaza City, Wafa news agency reports
• Three Palestinians were reported killed when Israeli forces stormed Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera Arabic and Voice of Palestine radio reports
• Relatives of captives held in Gaza criticised Israeli ministers’ attendance and celebrations at a conference where calls were made for the construction of illegal settlements in Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut reports

Hello Middle East Eye readers.

As US, Egyptian, and Qatari officials continue working on securing a second pause in the fighting in Gaza, Israeli forces renewed an operation in Gaza City, weeks after it said it ended its campaign in the north of the besieged enclave.

An Israeli bombing in the west of Gaza City killed 20 people, several Palestinian news outlets reported.

In the south of Gaza, particularly in Khan Younis, Israeli forces intensified attacks including on hospitals, which have faced Israeli besiegement for more than a week now.

The cutting of aid to Unrwa was condemned by more than a dozen relief agencies, who said that the UN agency was providing critical, life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is deliberating its options following a drone strike in Jordan that killed three US soldiers. Biden has vowed a response, and US media reports say that response is likely to be more powerful than any of Washington's previous strikes on Iraq and Syria since 7 October.

However, the US is also wary of triggering a widescale war with Iran.

Here's what you need to know from today's developments:

• Despite suspending aid based on the allegations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington had not investigated the claim that 12 Unrwa employees were a part of the 7 October attacks.

• After three US troops were killed in a drone attack in Jordan, which the US suspects Iran was involved in, a spokesperson for the defence department said the Biden administration isn't seeking war with Tehran.

• Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson for Gaza's Ministry of Health, said that Israeli forces are committing mass executions in Gaza.

• Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said discussions have moved towards the possibility of permanent ceasefire in the near future.

• Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, says it fired a salvo of rockets targeting Tel Aviv, demonstrating it still has the capacity to fire rockets toward Israel.

• The White House said that comments made by some Israeli politicians on the Israeli resettlement of Gaza were reckless and incendiary. France has also condemned these comments.

• Spain said it was monitoring the Unrwa investigation, but it wasn't going to suspend funding to the aid agency.

Jill Stein, a US presidential candidate representing the Green Party, has issued a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the return of US funding to Unrwa.

"Biden's withdrawal of Unrwa funding worsens the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the tragic deaths of US service members in Jordan intensify the international violence emanating from  Israel's war on Gaza," Stein said in a statement.

"Up to 68% of voters want an immediate ceasefire and diplomatic solution. So we have critical mass to demand a ceasefire and delivery of aid."

Stein is a long-shot candidate to win the presidency this November, however, has been vocally critical about US support for Israel's war in Gaza. Her call for a ceasefire and end to the war reflects the views of a majority of Americans.

You can read her full statement below.

At an event for reproductive rights in San Jose, California, US Vice President Kamala Harris was interrupted by a group of protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

"There is no reproductive justice without a ceasefire now," one protester yelled at the vice president.

After Israel's claims that several Unrwa employees took part in the 7 October attack led to countries suspending funding for the aid agency, MEE took a look at Israel's long-held claim that Unrwa is a hub for Palestinian militancy.

The accusations are heavily disputed by Unrwa and the UN more broadly, and with 13,000 staff in Gaza alone, the survival of the organisation could mean life or death for many of the enclave's inhabitants.

Read the full story by clicking below.

Israel, Unrwa and the West: A history of claims and cuts

Al Jazeera has reported that over the past few hours, Israeli forces stormed a UN-run shelter in Gaza City and arrested several Palestinians who were sheltering inside.

The move comes after the US and other countries suspended funding to the Unrwa agency, which provides life-saving assistance to Gaza's population.

The countries cut funding to the UN agency over claims brought by Israel that a dozen staff members were involved in the 7 October attacks.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society gave an update on the situation of Hind, the young girl trapped in a car with the bodies of her family members killed by Israeli fire.

The PCRS said that a rescue crew arrived on scene, but since then it has lost contact with them and is unsure if the girl was rescued.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington will look hard at what steps Unrwa takes in response to the "deeply troubling" allegations that its staff were involved in the 7 October attack on Israel.

"It is imperative that Unrwa immediately, as it said it would, investigate, that it hold people accountable as necessary, and that it review its procedures," Blinken said at a news conference.

The secretary of state said that the US itself has not investigated the claims, but still said they were "highly credible".

A spokesperson for the US Defence Department said the Biden administration doesn't believe Iran is seeking a war with the US.

Washington also is not looking for a war, said spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

"We don't seek war, but we will take action, and respond to attacks on our forces," Singh said.

Singh said that the latest attack on the US, which killed three troops in Jordan, had the "footprints" of Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah, a paramilitary group in Iraq.

Our correspondent in Gaza, Mohammed al-Hajjar, spoke about the conditions in Gaza City today, as residents are experiencing mass displacement as a result of renewed Israeli military operations.

Several Palestinian news outlets have reported that an Israeli strike on a residence in Gaza City has killed 20 people.

The strike targeted the home of the Madoukh family in the Sabra neighbourhood located in western Gaza City.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the comments made by some Israeli politicians on the Israeli resettlement of Gaza were reckless and incendiary.

Israel's Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Israeli settlers to return to Gaza at a packed conference on Sunday. France has also condemned the comments.

Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson for Gaza's Ministry of Health, said that Israeli forces are committing mass executions in Gaza as well as besieging hospitals in the area, and are blocking ambulances and emergency services from reaching wounded Palestinians.

A group of 20 aid groups have released a statement expressing "deep concerns" and "outrage" over the decision by several countries, including the US and UK, to cut funding to Unrwa.

"The suspension of funding by donor states will impact life-saving assistance for over two million civilians, over half of whom are children, who rely on UNRWA aid in Gaza," said the groups, which include the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, and Save the Children.

"We urge donor states to reaffirm support for the vital work that UNRWA and its partners do to help Palestinians survive one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of our times," they said, adding a plea that countries should reverse their decisions to suspend funding.