No Alternative to UNRWA in Gaza besides Israel, Agency Chief Says

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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No Alternative to UNRWA in Gaza besides Israel, Agency Chief Says

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 only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency's work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, its chief told reporters on Monday, repeating calls for countries to resist an Israeli ban on the organisation.

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, is in Geneva for a strategy meeting with donors after it was banned by Israel from operating there last month in what he said is one of the darkest moments in the agency's history, Reuters reported.

"I have drawn the attention of the member states that now the clock is ticking ... We have to stop or prevent the implementation of this bill," he told reporters, saying there is no alternative to the agency's services in Gaza besides allowing Israel to take them over.



US Says Anti-ISIS Operation in Iraq Kills Coalition Soldier

A soldier from the anti-ISIS coalition. (Reuters file)
A soldier from the anti-ISIS coalition. (Reuters file)
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US Says Anti-ISIS Operation in Iraq Kills Coalition Soldier

A soldier from the anti-ISIS coalition. (Reuters file)
A soldier from the anti-ISIS coalition. (Reuters file)

The US military said on Monday operations against ISIS in Iraq over the past week led to the death of a non-US coalition soldier and wounded two other non-US personnel.

It also detailed operations in Syria against ISIS militants led by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, including one that resulted in the capture of what the US military's Central Command said was an ISIS attack cell leader.

US officials have said ISIS is hoping to stage a comeback in Syria following the fall in December of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.