A United States envoy to the UN has told a Security Council meeting that the country supports Israel’s move to cut all contact with the UN’s Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, AFP reports.

In backing Israel’s move, Washington also raised accusations that hostages taken by Hamas were kept in UNRWA facilities and called for an investigation.

“The United States supports the implementation of this decision,” said Dorothy Shea, a United States representative to the UN who suggested UNRWA officials were “exaggerating the effects of the laws”.

On Israeli claims that Hamas used UNRWA sites, which in Gaza include schools, clinics and depots, to hold hostages, Shea said: “It is vital for a full and independent investigation to assess these very serious allegations.

“Unfortunately, this follows a pattern of serious allegations on the misuse of UN facilities — particularly UNRWA facilities — by Hamas terrorists,” she said.