Israel closes 6 U.N. schools for Palestinians in east Jerusalem

JERUSALEM — Israel permanently closed six U.N. schools in east Jerusalem on Thursday.

Last month, Israeli police and Education Ministry officials ordered six schools in east Jerusalem to close within 30 days.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, runs the six schools. UNRWA also runs schools in the West Bank, which continue to operate.

The closure orders come after Israel banned UNRWA from operating on its soil earlier this year. Israel says UNRWA schools teach antisemitic content and anti-Israel sentiment, which UNRWA denies.

The Israeli Ministry of Education says it will place the students into other Jerusalem schools.

In a previous statement to The Associated Press, the Ministry of Education said it was closing the schools because they were operating without a license.

In Gaza, a group of American security contractors, ex-military officers and humanitarian aid officials is proposing to take over the distribution of food and other supplies based on plans similar to ones designed by Israel.

The Associated Press obtained a proposal from the newly created group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to implement a new aid distribution system supplanting the current one run by the U.N. and other international aid agencies.

Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine and all other supplies from entering Gaza for 10 weeks. It has said it won’t allow aid back in until a system is in place that gives it control over distribution.

The U.S.-based World Central Kitchen, which was serving 133,000 meals per day, shut its community soup kitchens Thursday as it faced empty warehouses and no replenishment of supplies.

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said the government was concerned that Hamas controlled the humanitarian aid, and that Israeli officials were exploring ways to get it only to “those in need.”

Mencer said hunger has been “engineered by Hamas,” and the blockade would end when the terrorist group lays down its weapons.

The Israeli military said they are targeting Hamas infrastructure in Gaza. On Wednesday, chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told commanders that Israel plans to “expand and intensify our operations” in Gaza.

Also on Thursday, a series of Israeli airstrikes hit hilltops in the vicinity of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, killing at least one person and wounding eight others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The Israeli military said it bombed infrastructure that belonged to the Hezbollah terrorist group and included weapons and tunnels. Israel said that Hezbollah’s activities at the site violated a November ceasefire.

Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the strikes. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said public institutions in the area were closed after the attacks.