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Talks about a possible new ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of more hostages are expected to continue this week.
© Tsafrir Abayov/AP/dpa
The extent of the alleged connection between UN aid workers and terrorists is said to be greater than assumed.
Meanwhile, concerns about an expansion of the war are growing.
The overview.
Tel Aviv/Gaza - The scandal surrounding the alleged involvement of some employees of the UN Palestinian Relief Agency in the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel is becoming increasingly widespread.
Around ten percent of all 12,000 UNRWA aid workers working in the Gaza Strip have connections to Hamas or Islamist Jihad, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an Israeli intelligence dossier.
Meanwhile, talks about a possible new ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of more hostages are expected to continue this week.
While Washington has been cautiously optimistic so far, according to Israeli media reports, Hamas has declared that it will not accept any agreement that does not include an end to the war and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza.
Blinken: UNRWA plays an indispensable role
The allegations against twelve UNRWA employees for their alleged involvement in the Hamas massacre caused outrage around the world.
In response, numerous countries temporarily stopped their payments to the aid organization, including Germany, the USA, Great Britain and France.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken again called for a quick clarification.
The aid agency plays “an absolutely indispensable role in ensuring that the men, women and children who so urgently need help in Gaza actually receive it,” said Blinken in Washington.
Israel's ambassador: UNRWA is in cahoots with terrorists
The UN aid agency fired the employees and wants to investigate the allegations.
"UNRWA's problem is not just 'a few bad apples' involved in the October 7 massacre," the Wall Street Journal quoted a senior Israeli government official as saying.
“The institution as a whole is a haven for Hamas’ radical ideology,” the official said.
“UNRWA has been in cahoots with the terrorists for a long time,” said Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, to the “Tagesspiegel”.
The attackers of the Munich Olympic massacre in 1972 were graduates of UN aid agency schools.
USA: Don't want war with Iran
Meanwhile, after the deadly attack by pro-Iranian militias on US military personnel in Jordan, the US government has made it clear that it will not seek escalation with Iran.
“We are not looking for a war with Iran.
We do not seek conflict with the regime through military means,” National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby said in Washington.
They don't want another war or escalation.
“But we will do what is necessary to protect ourselves, to continue this mission and to respond appropriately to these attacks.”
Three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack by pro-Iranian militias in Jordan near the Syrian border.
US President Joe Biden blamed “radical, Iran-backed militant groups” for the attack and threatened retaliation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, US government officials said they were considering military strikes against militias in Iraq, Syria and possibly Iran.
However, an attack on Iranian soil is a less likely scenario, it said.
USA cautiously optimistic about Gaza war
Meanwhile, the USA was cautiously optimistic about a possible new ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of more hostages.
“We can't talk about an impending agreement yet, but based on the discussions we've had over the weekend and over the last few days, we feel like it's moving in a good direction,” Kirby said in Washington.
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At the weekend, representatives of the USA, Israel, Egypt and Qatar discussed a new ceasefire in Paris.
Good progress has been made to at least lay the foundation for a path forward, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told US broadcaster MSNBC.
Before the consultations, there was a clear demand for a permanent ceasefire - this possibility exists, said Al Thani.
According to the Times of Israel, in a joint statement with the terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on Monday evening, Hamas insisted that Israel must end its "aggression" and withdraw from Gaza before an agreement could be reached.
According to estimates, just over 130 people are still in the hands of the Islamists.
Israel: At least a quarter of Hamas eliminated
According to Israeli reports, at least half of Hamas fighters have now been killed or wounded.
“We have already eliminated at least a quarter of Hamas terrorists, and there are a similar number of wounded terrorists,” said Defense Minister Joav Galant.
His information cannot currently be independently verified.
As the news portal Axios reported on Monday, citing four US and Israeli officials, Galant assured the US government that he and the military would prevent Israelis from repopulating Gaza.
A planned buffer zone in the area will be temporary in nature and only serve security purposes.
Blinken: The situation in the Middle East is more dangerous than it has been for a long time
According to US Secretary of State Blinken, the situation in the Middle East is more dangerous than it has been for a long time.
“I maintain that we have not experienced a situation as dangerous as this in the entire region since at least 1973 - perhaps even before that,” Blinken said in Washington at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
With the year he was probably referring to the Yom Kippur War, which began on October 6, 1973, when an alliance of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria unexpectedly attacked Israel.
At that time, more than 2,600 Israeli soldiers were killed and more than 7,000 were injured.
What is important today
The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, is in Israel talking to survivors of the Hamas massacre.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, meetings are also planned with witnesses, victim assistance experts and representatives of the police and security forces who will tell it about Hamas' sexual violence against women and men.
dpa