Israel floods Hamas tunnels, while UN warns of ‘catastrophic consequences’ in Gaza over funding row
- Major donors suspended funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees over accusations some staff were involved in the October 7 attack that sparked the war
- Israel begun flooding tunnels. It accuses Hamas of operating from under hospitals in Gaza and using medical facilities as command centres, a charge Hamas denies
Artillery fire pounded southern Gaza early on Wednesday as Israel said it has begun flooding Hamas tunnels and mediators sought a halt to the nearly four-month war.
The focus of the fighting in recent weeks has been Khan Yunis, the southern Gaza Strip’s main city, which was bombarded with constant air strikes and shelling overnight.
The health ministry recorded at least 125 deaths across the Hamas-ruled territory in the latest Israeli strikes.
UN agency chiefs said a bitter row over the main aid agency for Palestinians could “have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza”.
Major donors, including Israel’s top ally the United States and Germany, have suspended funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, over accusations that several staff members were involved in the October 7 attack that sparked the war.
Withholding the funds was “perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza”, the heads of the UN agencies said in a joint statement.