A top Biden aide has defended UNRWA work in Gaza and has reiterated a claim that Hamas uses hospitals as command centres, Al Jazeera reports.

The UN agency is doing “important work” in Gaza, said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby after a reporter suggested Washington should rethink its support.

“You can’t hold them accountable for the depredations of Hamas and the way Hamas uses civilian infrastructure, including hospitals as command and control centres, for storage of weapons, for the holding of hostages,” he said without providing any evidence.