Axios

Germany, Canada, the U.K., and six other Western nations have joined the U.S. in pausing funding for UN Palestinian refugee agency after Israel alleged 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

The big picture: UNRWA has fired the accused staffers and launched an investigation. The head of UNRWA warned on Saturday that "lifesaving assistance is about to end" due to nine countries' decision to suspend funding.

China's clout is growing in the Middle East, where the U.S. wants Beijing's help to stop the war in Gaza from turning into a larger regional conflict.

Why it matters: Beijing's leverage with Tehran, a key backer of Hamas and Houthi rebels in Yemen, means China could play a unique role as regional peacemaker.

The first film of a new entertainment company that was founded to help elevate Latinos in Hollywood won the top prize at the Sundance Film Festival awards on Friday.

Why it matters: Latinos are underrepresented both behind and in front of the screen in film and TV, a cycle many say is perpetuated by the lack of enough Latino studio heads.

President Biden spoke separately on Friday with the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss the efforts to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, the White House said.

Why it matters: The calls are part of a push by Biden personally and his team for a new hostage deal that could lead to a two-month pause in the fighting in Gaza and open the way for ending the war.

The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to take urgent action to prevent genocide in Gaza, but it stopped short of ordering the Israeli military to halt its offensive in the enclave completely.

The big picture: The ICJ, known as the World Court, also ordered Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, take effective measures to prevent and punish incitement to genocide and submit a report to the court within a month on what actions it has taken to comply with the order.

A Russian court on Friday again extended Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's pretrial detention by another two months.

Why it matters: The extension, which was at least the fourth since Gershkovich was arrested last March on espionage charges, means he will spend roughly a year behind bars in Russia without having been convicted of a crime.

David E. Sanger, White House and national security correspondent for the New York Times, will be out April 16 with his fourth book, "New Cold Wars" — reported from around the world, with interviews with leaders, combatants and former government officials.

Driving the news: "The first hundred pages or so are a reported, sometimes anecdotal account of how the U.S. deceived itself into thinking it would bring China and Russia into the West's economies and into its embrace," Sanger tells Axios.

President Biden last week pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale down the Israeli military operation in Gaza, stressing he is not in it for a year of war, two U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Biden's comments during the two leaders' call last Friday reflect the growing U.S. concern about the continuation of the war and the president's desire to see it end long before the November elections.