UNRWA Says Unable to Assist Gaza After February if Funding Does Not Resume 

Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
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UNRWA Says Unable to Assist Gaza After February if Funding Does Not Resume 

Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Monday that it would not be able to continue operations in Gaza and across the region beyond the end of February if funding were not resumed. 

A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have paused their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that 12 UNRWA staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in southern Israel. 

"If the funding is not resumed, UNRWA will not be able to continue its services and operations across the region, including in Gaza, beyond the end of February," a spokesperson for the agency said. 

On Sunday, Japan was the latest country to suspend funding. 

The agency has fired several staff over Israel's accusations and promised a thorough investigation into the claims, which were not specified, while Israel has vowed to stop the agency's work in Gaza after the war.   

Japan said it was "extremely concerned about the alleged involvement of UNRWA staff members in the terror attack on Israel on October 7 last year."  

"In response, Japan has decided to suspend additional funding to UNRWA for the time being while UNRWA conducts an investigation into the matter and considers measures to address the allegations," a foreign ministry statement said, reported AFP. 

"At the same time, Japan will continue to make persistent and active diplomatic efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and to calm down the situation as soon as possible by providing support to other international organizations," it added. 



At Least 7 Sudanese Migrants Found Dead after Being Stranded in Libyan Desert

A view from the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya, where two approximately 7,000-year-old Pastoral Neolithic female individuals were buried, is seen in this handout photo released on April 2, 2025. Archaeological Mission in the Sahara, Sapienza University of Rome/Handout via REUTERS
A view from the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya, where two approximately 7,000-year-old Pastoral Neolithic female individuals were buried, is seen in this handout photo released on April 2, 2025. Archaeological Mission in the Sahara, Sapienza University of Rome/Handout via REUTERS
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At Least 7 Sudanese Migrants Found Dead after Being Stranded in Libyan Desert

A view from the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya, where two approximately 7,000-year-old Pastoral Neolithic female individuals were buried, is seen in this handout photo released on April 2, 2025. Archaeological Mission in the Sahara, Sapienza University of Rome/Handout via REUTERS
A view from the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya, where two approximately 7,000-year-old Pastoral Neolithic female individuals were buried, is seen in this handout photo released on April 2, 2025. Archaeological Mission in the Sahara, Sapienza University of Rome/Handout via REUTERS

At least seven Sudanese migrants were found dead on Friday after their vehicle broke down and left them stranded for days deep in the Libyan desert, according to an ambulance service official.

The car was carrying 34 Sudanese when it broke down some after crossing Libya's border from Chad and onto a deserted path often used by smugglers, Ebrahim Belhassan, director of the Kufra Ambulance and Emergency Services, told The Associated Press.

They were discovered in the sand dunes after 11 days, having run out of food and water, he said.

"The survivors were almost about to die. They are severely dehydrated and exhibiting signs of distress and trauma with such circumstances and given that they’re seeing those around them dying and they know if they will die next,” he said. The 22 rescued, including five children, were transferred to Kufra for further medical checkups.

Five people are missing, but Belhassan said hopes were slim they would survive on foot in a vast desert.

A smuggler who found them alerted emergency crews, Belhassan said.

Libya, which shares borders with six nations and has a long coastline along the Mediterranean, is a main transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East to seek better lives in Europe. The International Organization for Migration estimates around 787,000 migrants and refugees from various nationalities lived in Libya as of 2024.

During last year, the Kufra ambulance service responded to emergencies involving more than 260 Sudanese migrants found in the desert, Belhassan said.