Hamas stops senior UN staffer from leaving Gaza

A UN World Health Organisation official says Hamas has prevented a senior employee of the international group from leaving the Gaza Strip. 

The official said Mahmoud Daher, the Palestinian head of the WHO's Gaza office, was barred from leaving on Thursday. 

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the incident. The official said Hamas announced two weeks ago that international organisations would need a Hamas-issued exit permit when leaving the territory into Israel. 

The organisation had previously been exempt from acquiring the permit. The UN asked for a month to study the request.

 The move appears to be an attempt by Hamas to exert its influence on the UN, which provides assistance to hundreds of thousands of impoverished Gazans.

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