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Arab World

US Cuts off Funding for UN Aid Agency in Gaza

A displaced Palestinian takes a break while on the move after the Israeli army asked residents of Khan Younis camp to leave their homes and go to Rafah camps near the Egyptian border, south of the Gaza Strip, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
A displaced Palestinian takes a break while on the move after the Israeli army asked residents of Khan Younis camp to leave their homes and go to Rafah camps near the Egyptian border, south of the Gaza Strip, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
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US Cuts off Funding for UN Aid Agency in Gaza

A displaced Palestinian takes a break while on the move after the Israeli army asked residents of Khan Younis camp to leave their homes and go to Rafah camps near the Egyptian border, south of the Gaza Strip, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
A displaced Palestinian takes a break while on the move after the Israeli army asked residents of Khan Younis camp to leave their homes and go to Rafah camps near the Egyptian border, south of the Gaza Strip, 26 January 2024. (EPA)

The Biden administration has temporarily suspended assistance to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees following allegations that some of its employees took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.  

The State Department said Friday it was “extremely troubled” by the allegations and had paused additional aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency pending a review of the claims and any action the UN takes to address them.  

It said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken to UN chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday to inform him of the decision, which is a significant reversal from the administration’s past support for UNRWA.  

Blinken had visited UNRWA’s offices in Jordan just a month ago and praised the agency’s work in Gaza while lamenting the deaths of dozens of its employees in the conflict.  

“We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres’ pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate,” the department said of the UN probe.  

“We also welcome the UN’s announcement of a ‘comprehensive and independent’ review of UNRWA. There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7,” it said.  

Shortly after taking office, the Biden administration resumed funding to UNRWA that had been cut off during Donald Trump’s presidency.

The head UNRWA said he fired several employees and ordered an investigation following Israel's allegation that some of the agency's staff took part in the October 7 attacks.

In a statement Friday, Philippe Lazzarini described the allegations as “shocking.” He said his agency condemns the attacks, in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. He called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages to their families.

Lazzarini said Israeli authorities provided his agency with information about the alleged involvement of several employees in the attacks. The refugee agency, which provides education, medical care and welfare services to hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, has tens of thousands of employees.

“Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world,” Lazzarini said.

He said that in addition to the people fired, additional agency employees would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution, if they were found to have been involved, he said.

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Arab World

International, Local Bodies Warn of Impending Famine in Yemen

Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 
Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 
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International, Local Bodies Warn of Impending Famine in Yemen

Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 
Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 

A number of UN, international and local bodies said Yemen is again on the brink of widespread humanitarian disaster, characterized by accelerated hunger, widespread displacement, funding shortfall, in addition to worsening economic and climate pressures that are leaving millions in deeper levels of deprivation amid ongoing political and economic instability.

UN agencies and international organizations reveal that the crisis is no longer limited to food shortages, but includes a simultaneous threat to food, shelter and income, at a time when more than a decade of conflict and economic decline continue to erode the resilience of communities in Yemen.

A recent UN report indicates that approximately 5.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen are among the most severely affected by the nation's food insecurity crisis.

The reports came while the Yemeni government plans to establish the High Commission for Relief and to organize several workshops that address issues related to overlapping authorities, as announced earlier by Minister of Local Administration, Badr Basalma.

The Minister’s plan focuses on organizing relief efforts between the central government and the liberated governorates to ensure aid reaches vulnerable populations through official channels.

In its latest assessment of food security in Yemen, the World Food Program (WFP) stated that the country continues to host the fifth largest internal displacement crisis globally, exacerbated by ongoing conflict and deteriorating economic and humanitarian conditions.

“With an estimated 5.2 million IDPs, Yemen remains the fifth largest internal displacement crisis in the world. WFP remote monitoring data revealed a relative improvement in the food security among surveyed IDPs in March 2026,” it said.

WFP also noted that food consumption gaps remain notably worse among IDPs compared to residents, particularly for those living in camps.

In March, it showed, around 39% of surveyed IDPs in Yemen experienced moderate to severe hunger, double the level recorded among residents.

This trend was more pronounced among IDPs in camps (50%) compared to community-based IDPs (34%). Additionally, 17% of surveyed IDPs nationwide reported at least one member spending an entire day and night without eating, more than double the rate among residents.

Compounding these vulnerabilities, WFP said nearly one-third of IDPs nationwide live in informal displacement sites as last resort, while 92% cannot afford rent and face eviction risk.

Last week, the Executive Unit for Managing Displacement Camps in Marib governorate reported a dire, looming humanitarian crisis threatening over a quarter of a million IDPs in the province after they faced the imminent threat of losing their rented homes due to severe economic deterioration, escalating living conditions, accumulated rental debts and lack of income sources.

It showed that the most affected groups include 118,000 women, 72,000 children, and 8,200 seniors, who may find themselves homeless in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said last Tuesday that from January 1 to May 2, Yemen tracked 923 households (5,538 Individuals) who experienced displacement at least once, indicating that economic reasons and conflict remain the main drivers of new displacement.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) estimated that the scale and severity of acute food insecurity are expected to remain high across Yemen through September.

It said outcomes of the Crisis, or the third level of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC 3), are expected to remain widespread, with Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes persisting in Hodeidah, Hajjah, and Taiz.

Households most likely to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes include those with minimal income sources, the displaced, and those with limited or no access to humanitarian assistance, the Network showed.

It said funding gaps remained substantial in 2025, with only 22% of food security and agriculture requirements funded, while coverage remained similarly low in nutrition (9%) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (22%).

 

Arab World

EU Ministers Agree to Lift the Sanctions on Syria's Interior and Defense Ministers

The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)
The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)
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EU Ministers Agree to Lift the Sanctions on Syria's Interior and Defense Ministers

The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)
The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)

European Union foreign ministers reached an agreement on Monday to lift the sanctions on ‌Syria's ‌interior and ‌defense ⁠ministers, EU's foreign ⁠chief Kaja Kallas said.

Earlier on Monday, EU foreign ⁠ministers had ‌already ‌agreed to restore ‌improved trade ‌ties with Syria, reinstating a cooperation agreement ‌that had been suspended in ⁠2011 ⁠when an uprising against then-leader Bashar al-Assad expanded into a 14-year civil war.

Arab World

Türkiye-Syria Border Gate to Reopen After 12-Year Closure

The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)
The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)
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Türkiye-Syria Border Gate to Reopen After 12-Year Closure

The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)
The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)

One of the border crossings between Türkiye and Syria is to reopen on Tuesday, ending a 12-year closure, local officials said Monday.

The reopening of the Akcakale crossing, which sits roughly in the middle of Türkiye's 900-kilometer (550-mile) border with Syria, is the latest step in Damascus's move towards normalization with its neighbors.

The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014 after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took over the town following the defeat of the ISIS group.

Türkiye has long viewed the SDF as linked to the Kurdish militant PKK and a major threat along its southern border.

It was partially reopened in 2019 for trade, funerals and the crossing of government officials after a Turkish military operation against ISIS and Kurdish fighters.

The decision will now mean the crossing is open to civilians.

"In light of the normalization of life in the region... entry and exit procedures using passports to and from the Syrian Arab Republic via the Akcakale Land Border Crossing will start on Tuesday," the Sanliurfa governor's office said in a statement.

The move will mean six of the 12 crossings between Türkiye and Syria will be open.

Türkiye has forged close ties with Syria's new rulers, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa joining a diplomacy forum in Türkiye's southern Antalya resort in April.