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US Face Sharp Criticism for Stopping Palestinian Refugee Funds

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US Face Sharp Criticism for Stopping Palestinian Refugee Funds

Palestinian Authority officials have sharply criticised a US decision to halt funding to the United Nations’ agency assisting Palestine refugees across the Middle East, calling it a “flagrant assault” against Palestinian people.

According to Aljazeera, Nabil Abu Rdainah, the spokesperson of Palestinian Authority, on Friday, said, “The consecutive American decisions represent a flagrant assault against the Palestinian people and a defiance of UN resolutions. Such a punishment will not succeed to change the fact that the United States no longer has a role in the region and that it is not a part of the solution.”

In Gaza, the Hamas resistance group, known to be having ties with Iran, has condemned the U.S move as a “grave escalation against the Palestinian people.”

Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman said, “The American decision aims to wipe out the right of return and is a grave U.S escalation against the Palestinian people. US leadership has become an enemy of our people and of our nation and we will not surrender before such unjust decisions.”

The US halted all funding to a UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees in a decision further heightening tensions between the Palestinian leadership and the US administration.

US Face Sharp Criticism for Stopping Palestinian Refugee FundsHeather Nauert, the spokeswoman of State Department said that the business model and fiscal practices of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) made it “irredeemably flawed operation. The administration has carefully reviewed the issue and determined that the US will not make additional contributions to UNRWA.”

Read More: Supporting Israel: US more isolated on Palestine at UNSC

She said that the “endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years.”

Chris Gunness, the UNRWA spokesman has also voiced agency’s “deep regret and disappointment” at the US decision, which he said was surprisingly given that a December US funding agreement had acknowledged UNRWA’s successful management.

“We reject in the strongest possible terms the criticism that UNRWA’s schools, health centers, and emergency assistance programs are ‘irredeemably flawed,” he added in a series of twitter posts.

Palestinian Chronicle, a Gaza based portal, quoted Foreign Policy news outlet, saying that the decision was made at a meeting earlier this month between Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The UNRWA, a 65 year old agency, provides services to about 5 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and West Bank and Gaza. Most are the decedents of the people who were forced out of their homes during 1948 war that led to Israel’s creation on occupied Palestinian land.

Read More: Palestine to ask India to replace US as sole mediator in negotiations with Israel, says official

Earlier in May this year President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved US embassy to the holy city. During the decades’ long so-called peace-talks mediated by US, Palestinians were told that East Jerusalem would the capital of the State of Palestine, to be established under two-state theory.

The US move was a reversal of long time US policy and led the Palestinian leadership to boycott the Washington peace efforts being led by Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law.

Under the Donald Trump administration, the US government had previously reduced its budget to UNRWA operations in the occupied Palestinian territories from $365m to just $65m, resulting in affecting its operations.

Read More: Netanyahu rejects OIC declaring East Jerusalem as capital of Palestine

In late June, the UN had asked member states to fill a critical funding gap caused by the US government’s funding cuts. “The situation of Palestinians is defined by great anxiety and uncertainty, first because Palestinian refugees do not see a solution to their plight on the horizon,” Pierre Krahenbuhl, UNRWA’s director told a UN conference.

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Gaza sees largest anti-Hamas protest amid ongoing humanitarian crisis

In a rare show of defiance, Palestinians in northern Gaza rallied in large numbers against Hamas, demanding the group step down and calling for peace.

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Gaza protest, Hamas Gaza, anti-Hamas protest, Gaza war news, Gaza humanitarian crisis,

In a rare and bold display of public dissent, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of northern Gaza on Tuesday, staging what is being described as the largest anti-Hamas protest since the outbreak of the war in October 2023. The demonstrations unfolded in Beit Lahia, where crowds were seen chanting slogans such as “For god’s sake, Hamas out,” “Hamas terrorists,” and “We want an end to the war.”

The scale of the protest, captured in video footage verified by a journalist present in the area, highlights a growing frustration among civilians as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens. The death toll has now crossed 50,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry, with the enclave devastated by sustained military action and blockade.

A circulating social media message also called for nine separate protests across Gaza on Wednesday, encouraging citizens to make their voices heard. The message urged, “Let them hear your voice, let them know that Gaza is not silent, and that there is a people who will not accept to be eradicated.” The origin of the message has not been independently verified.

Since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 following a civil conflict with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, the group has faced sporadic internal criticism. However, public demonstrations of this magnitude are rare, especially amid an active conflict.

The protest comes at a time when northern Gaza is virtually cut off. Following the collapse of ceasefire talks earlier this month, Israel announced it was suspending all humanitarian aid to the enclave. UNRWA reported that no food, water, medicine, or fuel had entered Gaza in three weeks, warning of an impending acute hunger crisis.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of diverting humanitarian aid to serve its military operations—allegations the group denies.

With infrastructure in ruins and the population relying almost entirely on international assistance, the protests underline growing public anger over both the war and Hamas’ governance during this crisis.

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Tiger Woods confirms relationship with Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr’s ex-wife

Tiger Woods has officially confirmed his relationship with Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr’s former wife. The pair shared the news via social media following weeks of public curiosity.

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Tiger Woods and Vanessa Trump confirmed relationship on social media

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he is in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, the former wife of Donald Trump Jr. The golfing icon made the announcement public via a heartfelt post on social media, requesting privacy as their relationship moves forward.

“Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together,” Woods wrote to his 6.4 million followers on X. He also asked for privacy for all those close to them.

Vanessa Trump was married to Donald Trump Jr from 2005 until their separation in 2018. The former couple shares five children, including 17-year-old Kai, who is expected to play collegiate golf at the University of Miami in 2026. Notably, Kai attends the same school as Woods’s children, Sam and Charlie, and recently competed alongside Charlie at a golf invitational.

The couple had been the subject of growing speculation across gossip platforms in recent weeks. Despite being known for guarding his personal life, Woods made the relationship public, drawing comparisons to his 2013 social media announcement about dating Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn.

In the past, Woods explained that going public was a strategy to deter paparazzi and safeguard his children. His children Sam and Charlie were born during his marriage to Elin Nordegren, which ended in 2010 following revelations of Woods’s extramarital affairs.

Woods’s most recent public relationship before Vanessa Trump was with Erica Herman, which ended in 2022 after a long-term partnership and legal disputes over property matters.

Woods also shares a professional connection with the Trump family. He has played golf with Donald Trump on multiple occasions and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump in 2019. In February, Woods was also seen attending a meeting with Trump to discuss developments in the golf world, especially around the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV tour.

The announcement comes shortly after Woods revealed he had ruptured his Achilles tendon, ruling him out of the upcoming Masters tournament.

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Israeli airstrike kills Hamas political leader Salah al-Bardaweel in southern Gaza

Sources aligned with Hamas further disclosed that the attack not only killed Bardaweel, a key figure in the group’s political office, but also his wife, marking a significant blow to the organization’s leadership structure.

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An Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, claimed the life of Salah al-Bardaweel, a prominent political leader within Hamas, as reported by both Hamas and Palestinian media outlets in the early hours of Sunday, March 23.

Sources aligned with Hamas further disclosed that the attack not only killed Bardaweel, a key figure in the group’s political office, but also his wife, marking a significant blow to the organization’s leadership structure.

Israel ramped up its military campaign in Gaza earlier that week, resuming large-scale strikes on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. The Israeli government pointed to Hamas as the reason for the renewed offensive, accusing the group of violating a ceasefire agreement that had held since January 19.

That truce, which lasted nearly two months, had offered a rare period of calm in the volatile region. The collapse of this agreement has reignited tensions, with both sides trading blame for the breakdown.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been vocal about the overarching goal of the war, emphasizing that Israel seeks to completely dismantle Hamas as both a military force and a governing body in Gaza. In this latest wave of attacks, Netanyahu underscored that a key objective is to compel Hamas to release hostages still held captive, a lingering issue from previous escalations. The intensified strikes reflect Israel’s determination to weaken the group’s operational capacity.

The casualties from Tuesday’s bombardment included high-ranking Hamas officials, such as Essam Addalees, who served as the de facto head of the group’s administrative government, and Mahmoud Abu Watfa, the chief of internal security.

Several other mid-level officials were also killed, further disrupting Hamas’ organizational framework. Palestinian health authorities reported a devastating toll, stating that at least 400 individuals perished in the strikes on Tuesday alone. More than half of those killed were women and children, highlighting the heavy civilian cost of the operation.

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