The head of Israel’s military intelligence division, Aharon Haliva, has resigned following the failure to prevent a deadly Hamas invasion in October. The attack resulted in over 1,200 deaths and sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Haliva accepted responsibility for the intelligence lapse, which allowed hundreds of Hamas fighters to breach Gaza’s border and overrun communities and military bases.
Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based terror organization, launched 35 rockets towards Israel on Monday. The IDF responded by striking the sources of the launches in the southern Lebanese area of Arzoun. The rockets crossed into northern Israel and triggered sirens in several cities, but no casualties were reported. Following the rocket fire, suspected hostile aircraft intrusion sirens sounded in other northern communities. This incident came in response to Israeli airstrikes earlier that day on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Israel has criticized the United Nations for its handling of Hamas infiltration within the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Foreign Minister Israel Katz alleges that Hamas’ presence has compromised UNRWA’s neutrality and called for its closure. The accusations include over 2,000 UNRWA workers being Hamas members, and 12 alleged participants in an attack against Israel. Katz argues that UNRWA-Gaza is part of the problem, not the solution, and urges donor countries to redirect funds to other organizations. A report commissioned by the UN acknowledged flaws in UNRWA but emphasized the importance of its services to Palestinian refugees.
A UN review of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has found that it has robust frameworks for ensuring compliance with humanitarian neutrality principles. However, issues persist, including staff expressing political views, problematic textbooks, and politicized staff unions. Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence for its claims that a significant number of UNRWA staff are members of terrorist organizations. The report has prompted some donors to review their funding freezes.
An independent review of the U.N. agency assisting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has found that Israel never expressed concerns about staff lists provided to them since 2011. The review was conducted after Israel alleged that 12 UNRWA employees participated in Hamas attacks in October 2022. The report cited serious gaps in implementation of neutrality procedures, including staff expressing political views, problematic textbook content, and union disruptions.
An independent review of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has found that Israel has yet to provide evidence to support its claims that a significant number of agency staff are members of terrorist organizations. The review also found that UNRWA has robust policies in place to ensure staff neutrality, although issues persist.
Israel has rejected the findings, saying that they only provide “cosmetic fixes” and reasserting its position that UNRWA is intertwined with Hamas and cannot play a future role in Gaza.
Foreign policy in 2024 is not so much a question of Republicans versus Democrats as it is of Republicans versus Republicans and Democrats versus Democrats. For President Biden’s party, Israel is the dividing line between supporters of the Jewish state and those with Palestinian sympathies. For Donald Trump’s party, the internal conflict is over Ukraine, and the bitterness of the battle risks costing Mike Johnson his speakership.
While Israel’s robust response to an April 13 aerial assault by Iran showcased the effectiveness of anti-missile defense systems, analysts warn of limitations and the challenges of larger-scale missile exchanges. Defense technology remains far from foolproof, and in major power conflicts, such systems may not perform as well.
An independent UN review led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has found that Israel has failed to provide credible evidence to support its claims that UNRWA staff were members of “terrorist” groups. The allegations led to a significant funding deficit for UNRWA. Despite the report’s findings, some donor countries, including the US, continue to suspend funding. The review highlights the importance of UNRWA’s work in Gaza, where famine threatens millions due to restricted food convoys.
More than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested on Thursday at Columbia University in New York City after blocking an encampment set up in protest of Israel’s actions in Gaza. In response, university officials have ordered classes to be held virtually on Monday to de-escalate tensions and give the community time to consider next steps.
