Sawt Falasteen - Israel reports 'intensive battles' in south Gaza as UN defends aid agency

As fighting raged, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded for continued support for UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, threatened by a fierce row over alleged staff involvement in Hamas's October 7 attack.

Several of the agency's top donors including the United States and Germany have halted funding to UNRWA, which has been at the heart of humanitarian efforts in Gaza, over the Israeli claims.

Guterres called on donor states to guarantee the flow of vital aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, saying late Saturday that "the dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met."

The Israeli army reported "intensive battles" in Gaza's main southern city of Khan Yunis, where it said special forces eliminated "terrorists" and seized weapons.

The health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory said at least 24 people were killed Sunday in Israeli strikes on Khan Yunis, where the sound of gunfire reverberated throughout the day.

Strikes were also carried out in central and northern Gaza, the army added.

Meanwhile, Burns was in Paris on Sunday for talks with top Egyptian, Israeli and Qatari officials, sources close to the participants said, after media reports suggested some progress in negotiations towards a halt to hostilities.

More than three months of war have led to a spiralling humanitarian crisis and mass displacement within the Palestinian territory, with many Gazans driven south towards the Egyptian border.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, warned that suspending UNRWA funding "overtly defies" an order issued Friday by the International Court of Justice to allow more aid into Gaza.

The UN's top court also said Israel must prevent genocidal acts in its war with Hamas, but stopped short of calling for an end to the fighting.

- 'There will be famine' -

UNRWA on Friday said it had it had fired several employees over Israel's accusations that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 attack that sparked the war.

The attack on Israel resulted in about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Militants also seized around 250 hostages, of whom Israel says around 132 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 28 dead captives.

Israel's ensuing military offensive has killed at least 26,422 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Bassam al-Masry, displaced from north Gaza to Rafah in the far south, said if aid was cut off it would be "a major disaster" and "there will be famine."

The agency "are the ones giving us flour, food and drinks," he said.

Guterres said the "abhorrent alleged acts" of some UNRWA staff should not mean that its thousands of other humanitarian workers should be penalised.

"I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's operations," Guterres said.

The agency's chief, Philippe Lazzarini, warned in a social media post that funding cuts meant its operation in Gaza was close to collapse.

A statement from Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's office said the threat to UNRWA's operations could "disproportionately punish millions of our people without just cause".

Israel's envoy to the UN, Gilad Erdan, charged that funding for the agency "will be used for terrorism" and urged donors to await "a comprehensive investigation of the organisation".

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on Lazzarini to quit after saying earlier the body, whose ties with Israel have been strained for years, "must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development".

- Aid crossing protest -

With combat ongoing, diplomatic efforts to find a solution have gathered pace.

Quoting unidentified US officials, it said negotiators had developed a draft agreement that would be discussed in Paris on Sunday.

The Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, where aid is inspected and sent into Gaza, was blocked on Sunday by protesters including the families of hostages, Israeli officials said.

AFPTV footage showed multiple aid trucks turning back and leaving the crossing point to return to Egypt. Trucks were also blocked on Thursday and Friday.

Many of them live in "conditions of desperation conducive to a complete breakdown in order", said Ajith Sunghay of the UN Human Rights Office.

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I.Saadi--SF-PST