UN chief urges resumed funding of aid agency after Hamas attack claims

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on countries to resume funding the main agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip after a dozen of its employees were accused of taking part in the Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war last October (Fatima Shbair/AP)

The secretary-general of the United Nations has called on countries to resume funding the main agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip after a dozen of its employees were accused of taking part in the Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war four months ago.

The dispute engulfing the UN agency for Palestinian refugees came as US officials said negotiators are closing in on a ceasefire agreement. The emerging deal would bring a two-month halt to the deadliest-ever Israeli-Palestinian violence, which has stoked instability across the Middle East.