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Employees accused of taking part in the Hamas-led 7 October attack on Israel “betrayed” the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, the group’s Gaza chief has told Sky News.

The UK and US are among 16 countries that have suspended funding to the UN’s relief agency in Gaza (UNRWA) following Israeli accusations that 12 employees were involved in the assault.

Speaking to The World with Yalda Hakim, Tom White said he was shocked by the allegations, which led to the staff being immediately fired.

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“We are very clear with our staff and it’s in the contract they sign with UNRWA that they work as humanitarians and any sort of militant activity is totally incompatible with their work,” he said.

“I’ve spoken to a large number of our staff in the last few days, Palestinian staff, and equally they are shocked by the actions of this small group.

“Essentially, they’ve betrayed the organisation, they’ve betrayed their mission as humanitarians and they’ve betrayed the Palestinians themselves and compromised this vital aid operation.”

Israel’s claims came as the country faced a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on Gaza, and after years of it calling for the agency to be disbanded.

Mr White said they share a list of staff working in Gaza with Israel every 12 months, but concerns had never been raised.

While the allegations shock Mr White, he said only a small fraction of its 13,000-strong workforce are accused and that withdrawing funds would be “absolutely catastrophic”.

“If we run out of funds, the aid operation here will collapse and that will be absolutely catastrophic for the people of Gaza,” he said, adding the agency feeds 350,000 families and administers vaccines.

He spoke the day after accusing Israel of striking a UNRWA aid convoy, which was waiting on the coastal road in Gaza for the green light from Israel to deliver aid to the north of the enclave.

“It is exceptionally dangerous to deliver aid in Gaza,” he added.

“People in the north have not had an aid convoy with food for over 10 days.”

More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are now hemmed into Rafah, in the south, with Israel threatening to storm the area when it finishes a battle in Khan Younis just north of it.

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The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 27,585 people have been killed by Israel in Gaza since 7 October, with another 66,978 wounded.

Those figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters, while Israel says 1,200 people were killed on 7 October, with more than 200 taken hostage.

Taylor Swift’s lawyers have threatened legal action against a student who tracks the movements of her and other celebrities’ private jets.

Jack Sweeney is the creator of social media accounts that log the takeoffs and landings of planes and helicopters owned by billionaires, politicians, and other public figures.

His accounts gained traction at the start of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine for tracking the private jets of Russian oligarchs.

Mr Sweeney also became involved in a high-profile spat with Elon Musk, in November 2022 over the tracking of the X and Tesla owner’s private jet.

The University of Central Florida student said on Tuesday that he had received a cease and desist letter from Swift’s lawyers, who have described his actions as “reckless”.

“While this may be a game for you or an avenue that you hope will earn you wealth or fame, it is a life-or-death matter,” the 14-time Grammy winner’s lawyers wrote in the letter, provided by Mr Sweeney to NBC News – the US partner of Sky News.

It comes after a Seattle man, David Crowe, was arrested two weeks ago for allegedly stalking Swift outside her townhouse in New York City.

Swift’s lawyers have accused Mr Sweeney of “stalking and harassing behaviour” in the letter – an allegation the student’s own lawyers have firmly rejected.

According to Mr Sweeney, the accounts are aimed at providing “transparency” and use publicly available data from the Federal Aviation Administration.

“I think it’s important to note that nowhere do I intend for harm, I simply share the facts,” he told NBC News.

“I actually think Swift has some good songs.”

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James Slater, a Florida lawyer who is representing Sweeney, said Swift’s legal team had no legal authority to block the accounts.

“There’s no claim to just publicising public information,” Mr Slater said.

“And in Ms Swift’s lawyers’ letter, they didn’t address any real claims.”

Sky News has contacted Swift’s representatives for comment.

It comes as the singer could be days away from making one of the most closely watched private jet journeys in recent world history.

The 34-year-old star is about to play four nights at Japan’s Tokyo Dome.

The last of the gigs is set to take place on Saturday night – one day before her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

Experts say Swift could complete the gig and arrive in Las Vegas with enough time to attend the game, if she makes the journey in her private jet.

Swift has faced criticism over the carbon footprint from her use of private jets, though her representatives have previously stated that she uses offsetting through the purchase of carbon credits to compensate.

“Taylor purchased more than double the carbon credits needed to offset all tour travel,” her publicist said before the start of her recent Eras Tour.