INTERNACIONAL
‘UNRWA is Hamas,’ Israeli attorney warns as explosive Oct 7 lawsuit rocks UN agency
US envoy: Stop funding UNRWA, back Board of Peace for Gaza
Speaking at the U.N. July 1, Ambassador Jeff Bartos said donors could continue supporting United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugee or choose a framework offering Gazans «peace, prosperity and real durable change.» (Credit: UNTV)
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A legal battle between the family of an Oct. 7, 2023 attack victim and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has become a lightning rod for ongoing uncertainty about the agency’s future in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli civil rights attorney and president of the Shurat HaDin Law Center, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, told Fox News Digital that she filed a lawsuit in the District Court of Jerusalem on behalf of the family of 21-year-old Yonatan Samerano, who was murdered outside of Kibbutz Be’eri after fleeing the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023. Samerano’s body was returned to his family after 625 days in captivity, during the final stage of hostage releases, Darshan-Leitner said.
According to Darshan-Leitner, after Samerano was shot to death by terrorists, his body was picked up by UNRWA workers, placed in an UNRWA vehicle and kidnapped to Gaza. «Although the kidnapping was by UNRWA’s workers, UNRWA never revealed the place of the body, never cooperated with Israeli authorities to tell them where Yonatan Samerano was held and never admitted that it was done by its workers. And therefore we decided to sue UNRWA on behalf of the family.»
TRUMP BRINGS NEW HEAT TO CONTROVERSIAL UN AGENCY AS ALLEGED HAMAS TIES ENGULF SCORES OF EMPLOYEES
The body of Yonatan Samerano was recovered by Israel after being taken to Gaza by terrorists, who were allegedly employees of UNRWA. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters)
The difficulty in bringing suit against UNRWA has been the diplomatic immunity the organization enjoys by virtue of the Charter of the United Nations and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. Darshan-Leitner said that the charter «specifically prohibits any act of violence, let alone terrorism» and that because «UNRWA was aiding and abetting terror organizations and participating in acts of terrorism, they can no longer enjoy the immunity granted by the treaty.»
The Israeli Knesset passed legislation in December stripping UNRWA of its diplomatic immunity, which allows the Israeli government to expropriate UNRWA properties within East Jerusalem.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) building in Gaza, June, 2023. (Ahmed Zakot/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Due to UNRWA’s loss of immunity, the Samerano family is pursuing punitive damages of NIS 24 million (nearly $8million) under Israel’s Compensation for Victims of Terrorism Law. When the deadline for UNRWA to file its defense in the case arrived last week, Darshan-Leitner said that the agency asked for a 45-day extension.
UNRWA did not respond to requests for comment about the status of its immunity, or its response to the litigation it faces on behalf of Samerano’s family.
US URGES DONORS TO ABANDON UNRWA FUNDING AS UN DEFENDS AGENCY’S MISSION
This picture taken during a media tour organised by the Israeli army on February 8, 2024, shows Israeli soldiers inside an evacuated compound of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City. (Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, told Fox News Digital that Guterres has consistently «stated that the Knesset Law and its amendments are inconsistent with the status and international legal framework applicable to UNRWA. The source of UNRWA’s immunities is vested in the Charter of the United Nations and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which remain applicable.»
While Guterres «has been very clear that any UNRWA personnel who has been demonstrated to have participated in the terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7 must be held accountable,» he added that «Whenever we have been given information by the Israeli government on such individuals, we have acted.»
UNRWA’s role in the future of Gaza has been hotly contested in passing months. As the USAID Office of Inspector General and NGO Watch continue to turn up evidence of Hamas infiltration of UNRWA, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. have now fully stopped issuing funds to the organization.
Hamas terrorists emerge in a show of strength escorting Red Cross vehicles carrying 3 Israeli hostages to be released as part of the cease-fire deal. (TPS-IL)
The Board of Peace, charged with the reconstruction of Gaza, has stated that UNRWA will have no role in the future of the Strip.
However, the Associated Press reported on Sept. 25 that the Board of Peace members «have been more open to working with the U.N. agency for Palestine than it seems.» Their article cited a Board of Peace official’s confirmation that «board members had met multiple times with UNRWA officials.»
The Board of Peace shot back on X, saying that its «policy as it relates to UNRWA’s involvement in Gaza is unchanged. We will only work with trusted partners who will deliver for the people of Gaza and contribute to a deradicalized Strip. UNRWA fails on those litmus tests.»
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Displays featuring what organizers say are UNRWA facilities and personnel involved in terrorist activities. Displayed at the ‘Return to October’ exhibition in Israel. (Amelie Botbol for Fox News Digital)
A U.S. official told Fox News Digital that «The evidence continues to mount that UNRWA has become a vehicle for instability, violence and radicalization, and it has no place in Gaza’s future humanitarian operations. At the same time, we are confident there are many capable and dedicated service providers in Gaza today who, following robust vetting and background checks, will meet the high standards required to deliver critical goods and services to the Palestinian people. We expect many will welcome the opportunity to continue that important work in partnership with credible NGOs, other U.N. entities or alongside the [National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.] Following an orderly wind-down, UNRWA itself will neither be essential nor necessary to accomplishing the work that lies ahead in Gaza.»
Guterres continues to stand behind the organization. In remarks he delivered at the Ministerial Meeting on UNRWA on Sept. 24, the U.N. leader stated that «UNRWA remains a critical stabilizing presence.»
UN CHIEF BACKS OFFICIAL WHO REPOSTED ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST’S CLAIMS AMID CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION
Memorials at the site of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, Israel, on Monday, May 27, 2024. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images )
«For years now, UNRWA has been forced to operate under extraordinary pressure. I have repeatedly condemned in the strongest terms the appalling attacks by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Since then, UNRWA’s personnel in Gaza have endured terrible loss and hardship. Nearly 400 members of its workforce have been killed. Hundreds of its premises remain inaccessible, severely damaged, or utterly destroyed,» Guterres said.
Guterres also said that «a ceaseless political campaign has tried to manipulate public perceptions, undermine UNRWA’s ability to operate, and deny the rights of Palestine refugees.» He called on U.N. Member States to «take immediate action» to politically and financially support the organization and protect its mandate.
Darshan-Leitner said that allowing UNRWA to continue operations inside Gaza would be problematic. «UNRWA indoctrinated [Palestinian refugees] and let the terror organizations infiltrate their schools and education facilities.» She added that UNRWA facilities «served Hamas as bases, as launchers, as missile storage places,» which both «risk the life of the citizens in Gaza,» and ensure that there will be collateral damage if Israel retaliates against attacks.
«If the Board of Peace wants to re-educate the people to get rid of the terrorist system, to separate between the terrorists and the citizens of Gaza, it cannot do it when UNRWA is around because UNRWA is embedded in Hamas…UNRWA is Hamas. So letting UNRWA take care of the humanitarian needs of the population in Gaza is a fatal mistake,» Darshan-Leitner said.
anti semitism, united nations, hamas, international law, middle east
INTERNACIONAL
A tres años del ataque del 7 de octubre, Israel homenajeó a las víctimas de Hamas en plena campaña electoral
Israel homenajeó este miércoles a las víctimas del brutal ataque lanzado hace tres años por el movimiento islamista palestino Hamas, en medio de una fuerte crispación política a tres semanas de las elecciones y por nuevos bombardeos en la Franja de Gaza.
En Reim, donde ese 7 de octubre se celebraba el festival de música electrónica Nova, asaltado por milicianos islamistas, los allegados de las víctimas observaron un minuto de silencio a las 06:29 locales, la hora exacta en que comenzó el ataque desde Gaza, en la jornada más sangrienta desde la creación del Estado de Israel.
“Fue el minuto en que nuestras vidas cambiaron para siempre”, dijo Katia Zohar, la madre de Bar, asesinada con 23 años junto a otras 360 personas en ese festival a pocos kilómetros de la Franja de Gaza.
“Me acuerdo de todo. El momento en que me llamó para que viniera a buscarla, porque había misiles volando (…) y luego cuando llamó desde la carretera, gritando que le estaban disparando”, contó.
Anna Davitashvili, de 53 años, recordó a su hijo mayor Shaun, asesinado a los 25 años, junto a sus amigos en el festival Nova. “Lo extraño”, dijo.
Minuto de silencio en el kibutz Kfar Aza
También se observó un momento de silencio en el kibutz Kfar Aza, cerca de la frontera con Gaza, donde 64 personas fueron asesinadas y 18 secuestradas durante el ataque.
Las conmemoraciones se llevaron a cabo este año en plena campaña electoral, antes de las elecciones del 27 de octubre, que se anuncian muy reñidas.
El primer ministro, Benjamin Netanyahu, declaró en un comunicado que este es un día en el que “el pueblo se une en el recuerdo”.
“Completaremos la misión: estamos aquí y haremos rendir cuentas a todos los asesinos”, afirmó.
gaza
INTERNACIONAL
Former CIA officer warns against trusting Russia’s account of mysterious death in Siberia
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Glenn Corn, a former CIA officer, told Fox News Digital that Russia’s decades-long history of deception makes it difficult to trust the Kremlin’s account of a possible disease outbreak following the death of a 28-year-old researcher at a facility containing dangerous pathogens.
Darya Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, got sick near the end of September.
After unconfirmed reports that Shipilova died from pneumonic plague were shared far and wide on social media, Russian authorities pushed back, saying she died on Oct. 2 from «pneumonia of unknown etiology» and that testing found no evidence she had been infected with a pathogen from her lab.
Yet the Russian government’s past messaging around major crises has left Corn and others wary of its official account.
Glenn Corn attends a discussion organized by the Kyiv Security Forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 3, 2026. (Yuliia Ovsiannikova/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
RUSSIAN RESEARCHER’S MYSTERY DEATH COULD BE ‘FAR WORSE’ THAN THE PLAGUE, FORMER SENIOR TRUMP OFFICIAL WARNS
«This is what the challenge is, because they have the history of the ‘boy who cried wolf syndrome.’ They have this history of being deceitful. It’s very hard to believe what they’re saying,» said Corn, a professor at the Institute of World Politics, a graduate school in Washington, D.C.
Corn, who is fluent in Russian and spent more than 20 years overseas during his intelligence career, gave several examples of elaborate Russian coverups, including the 1979 anthrax outbreak that killed at least 64 people in the Soviet city of Sverdlovsk, now called Yekaterinburg.
For years, the Soviet Union claimed that the deaths were caused by intestinal anthrax from tainted meat, according to PBS’ «Frontline.» It wasn’t until 1992 that President Boris Yeltsin finally admitted the illnesses were the result of military activity at a nearby biological weapons facility.
This dedication to deception, Corn said, remains a feature of the current government under President Vladimir Putin.
Darya Shipilova, 28, an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, died after developing pneumonia of an unknown cause, prompting quarantines and heightened health precautions in the region. Russian authorities say testing has found no evidence her illness was linked to pathogens she worked with. (East2West news)
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Corn pointed to the Kremlin’s past denials of ties to the Wagner mercenary group, whose murky relationship with the state allowed its fighters to advance Moscow’s interests overseas while Russian officials maintained plausible deniability. Putin later acknowledged that the group had been fully financed by the Russian state.
«This goes to the strategic culture of leadership in Russia… and their fear of the rest of the world, and their belief that they have to deceive everybody because everybody is deceiving them,» Corn said.
Corn said this style of narrative control is also characteristic of China, which remains under Communist Party rule, while modern Russia inherited many of the institutions and governing practices of the communist-led Soviet Union.
For example, China faced criticism in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic for withholding or delaying the release of critical information about the emerging virus, which has gone on to kill more than 7 million people globally.
Workers in protective uniforms conduct testing in Russia amid heightened precautions following the death of an employee at a Siberian anti-plague research institute. (Khuvsguliinungu.mn/e2w)
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«In both systems, people are disincentivized to tell the truth when there’s a bad story,» Corn said. «Nobody wants to actually say that we have a real problem and we need to deal with it because they’re afraid that it will cost them their jobs, their lives, their freedom.»
With that history in mind, Corn said U.S. officials should not simply take Moscow at its word on Shipilova’s death, but independently verify its claims and closely monitor for any signs of a wider outbreak.
So far, there is no sign that Shipilova’s illness has spread. Russia’s health watchdog said Tuesday that 60% of the roughly 200 people quarantined after potentially coming in contact with Shipilova have been released. It added that no cases of plague have been found.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on Oct. 7, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday that the case presented a «very low» risk outside Russia, The Associated Press reported.
That same day, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media that the global health agency is in contact with Russian health authorities and has requested more information «to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia» that killed Shipilova.
President Donald Trump also told reporters on Tuesday that he has a call scheduled with Putin about the case «very soon,» adding that the U.S. is already in «very deep discussions» with Russia.
russia, vladimir putin, world, health, cia, viruses
The U.S. military has lost or sustained damage to at least 81 aircraft during the war with Iran — nearly double the number identified five months ago, according to a new government analysis that warns replacing some of the critical vehicles could strain the military’s ability to meet demands elsewhere.
The aircraft include some of the military’s most advanced fighters and critical support aircraft, as well as dozens of drones, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted in its report.
The tally is nearly double the 42 aircraft CRS identified in May as lost or damaged, although the increase partly reflects additional information becoming publicly available and does not mean all 39 additional aircraft were lost or damaged since that assessment.
ALARMING MISSILE REPORT DRAWS FORCEFUL RESPONSE FROM TRUMP AS IRAN WAR TESTS AMERICA’S ARSENAL
CRS, a nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress that provides research and analysis to lawmakers and congressional committees, identified 12 F-15E Strike Eagles, an F-35A Lightning II, seven KC-135 refueling tankers, an E-3 Sentry airborne warning-and-control aircraft and 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones among those lost or damaged since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, 2026.
The body also warned that losses among aging, high-demand aircraft could create capability gaps or increase risk in other theaters, while production constraints and competing demands could affect how quickly the military rebuilds its capacity.
The 81 aircraft were lost or damaged through a mix of Iranian attacks, enemy fire, friendly fire, accidents and aircraft deliberately destroyed during rescue operations — though some damaged aircraft have since returned to service.
«We do not comment on reports from outside organizations or non-DOW battle damage assessments,» a Department of War official told Digital when reached for comment on the report.
HOW IRAN ATTACKS ARE FORCING THE PENTAGON TO RETHINK ITS DECADES-OLD MIDDLE EAST BASE STRATEGY
CRS cautioned that the tally could continue to change because of classification, ongoing combat operations and questions of attribution.
The new accounting comes more than eight months into a war that has strained U.S. weapons stockpiles and raised broader questions about how quickly the defense industrial base can replenish what the military is using. A Pentagon inspector general report last month found that the U.S. had spent an estimated $22.3 billion on munitions through June alone and warned of «strategic inventory shortfalls.»
The Congressional Budget Office estimated in September that replacing equipment lost through Aug. 1 could cost between $1.9 billion and $3.3 billion, depending on the Department of War’s replacement plans.
Drones account for more than half of the aircraft in the new tally. At least 45 MQ-9 Reapers have been lost in operations against Iran, according to CRS, along with three MQ-1 drones and an MQ-4C Triton.
But while drones drive much of the raw number, the report also points to losses and damage among scarcer, harder-to-replace aircraft.
An E-3 Sentry was damaged in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia in March and was later reported to have sustained a «direct hit.» CRS specifically flagged the aging and limited E-3 fleet as an example of how losses among high-demand aircraft could create capability gaps or increase risks for U.S. forces in other theaters.
Iranian attacks have also inflicted damage on U.S. aircraft while they were on the ground at bases across the region. Five KC-135 tankers were reportedly damaged at Prince Sultan Air Base in March, while eight F-15Es sustained light damage during an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan in September. The eight fighters were returned to service.
At least 18 U.S. service members have also died since the war began, though the Pentagon has divided those deaths between Operation Epic Fury and a separate category for the renewed fighting that began in July.
PENTAGON RACES TO BUY 10X MORE MISSILES AS IRAN WAR DWINDLES ARSENAL, THREATENS READINESS FOR CHINA AGGRESSION
Other losses illustrate the dangers surrounding recovery operations. Two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft were intentionally destroyed while supporting efforts to rescue the crew of a downed F-15E, while an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter was damaged during the same rescue effort. Four AH-6 Little Bird helicopters were later destroyed by U.S. forces during separate rescue operations, according to the Defense Department inspector general.
Three F-15Es were destroyed by friendly fire over Kuwait in the opening days of the war, while an F-35A was later damaged by Iranian ground fire over Iran.
CRS said the losses could prompt Congress to examine whether the U.S. industrial base can replace aircraft quickly enough to meet military requirements. The report also pointed to a broader operational question: whether the losses reflect changes in Iran’s capabilities that require the U.S. to adjust its equipment, tactics or basing posture.
war with iran, politics, spending, military, armed forces, us air force, air force, middle east
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