US urges Israel to halt UN Palestinian agency ban amid fears over Gaza aid

 Israel's allies have condemned a vote in the Israeli parliament banning the UN's Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa from working within the country. The laws - to come into effect within three months - also severely curtail Unrwa's ability to work in the occupied West Bank and Gaza

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: "We continue to urge the government of Israel to pause the implementation of this legislation. We urge them not to pass it at all" 

Israel has objected to Unrwa for decades, with this intensifying over recent years. It alleged that some Unrwa employees were involved in the 7 October attacks. The UN held an investigation and fired nine staff members in August

UN chief Antonio Guterres says Unrwa is indispensable and the ban would have devastating consequences for Palestinians

In a separate development, at least 60 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli attack in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the region's health ministry.

FULL ARTICLE AT: Israel Gaza latest: Allies condemn vote in Israel to ban UN agency for Palestinian refugees