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Added on the 16/11/2023 16:15:54 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
UN chief Antonio Guterres warns that Israel's military offensive on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for their unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, has created a "humanitarian hellscape" for civilians trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory. SOUNDBITE
Vedant Patel, the US Department of State deputy spokesperson, says that Israel should let the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA into Gaza, after he was denied entry. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urges the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) to address allegations its staff were involved in attacking Israel, but distanced himself from calls for its end. "UNRWA has played and continues to play an absolutely indispensable role in trying to make sure that men, women and children who so desperately need assistance in Gaza actually get it," Blinken tells reporters. "That only underscores the importance of UNRWA tackling this as quickly as effectively and as thoroughly as possible," he says after the United States suspended funding. SOUNDBITE
The EU demands an "urgent" audit of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA and says it is reviewing funding, following Israeli allegations that some staff participated in Hamas's October 7 attack. The audit should be led by European Commission-appointed experts and be conducted alongside a UN investigation into the claims, commission spokesman Eric Mamer tells journalists. SOUNDBITE
Israeli military vehicles are seen entering the northern Gaza Strip, as Israel resumed its deadly bombardment of the Palestinian territory, saying it struck more than 200 targets in the densely-inhabited Palestinian territory despite international calls for a renewed truce. IMAGES