Israel votes to ban UN aid agency; Palestinians say 100,000 residents trapped

Israel's parliament passed a law on Monday to ban the UN relief agency UNRWA from operating inside the country, alarming some of Israel's Western allies who fear it will worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israeli officials cited the involvement of a handful of the UNRWA's thousands of staffers in the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and a few staffers' membership in Hamas and other armed groups.

The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said the vote opposes the UN charter and violates international law.

"This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to #Palestine Refugees," he wrote on social media platform X.

The vote came the same day Israeli tanks thrust deeper into northern Gaza, the Palestinian emergency service said, in what Israel's military said were operations to eliminate regrouping Hamas militants.

The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said around 100,000 people were marooned in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun without medical or food supplies, Reuters reported, but said it could not verify the number independently.

The Israeli military said soldiers captured around 100 suspected militants in a raid on a hospital in the Jabalia camp. Hamas and the hospital have denied any militant presence at the hospital.

The Gaza Strip's health ministry said at least 19 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and bombardment on Monday.

Ceasefire talks

Talks led by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar to broker a ceasefire resumed on Sunday after multiple abortive attempts. Egypt's president proposed a two-day truce to exchange four Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners, followed by talks within 10 days on a permanent ceasefire.

Netanyahu had said mediators would resume talks in the coming days "in a continued attempt to advance a deal."

Israel has repeatedly said the war will go on until Hamas is eradicated, while the Islamist movement has ruled out any end to fighting until Israeli forces leave Gaza.

Gaza's war has kindled wider conflict in the Middle East, raising concern about global oil supplies, with Israel bombing Lebanon and sending forces into its south to disable Hezbollah, a Hamas ally.

At least 16 people were killed in Israeli strikes on three villages in eastern Lebanon's city of Baalbek, the Lebanese health ministry said on Monday.

The conflict also triggered clashes between Israel and Iran. Israeli warplanes pounded Iranian missile production sites during the weekend in retaliation for an October 1 Iranian missile volley at Israel.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said Tehran would "use all available tools" to respond.

(With input from Reuters)