Brussels – European Union Foreign Policy Commissioner Josep Borrell welcomed the report of the team of experts assigned by the United Nations to investigate Israeli accusations once morest UNRWA.
Borrell said in his post on the “X” platform yesterday, Tuesday: “I welcome the report of the expert group headed by Colonna, which recognizes UNRWA as an irreplaceable and indispensable humanitarian lifeline for the Palestinian people.”
He added: “I add my voice to Colonna in strongly encouraging the international community to stand by the UN agency so that it can carry out its tasks with adequate funding.”
Borrell pointed out that 249 humanitarian workers and regarding 100 journalists were killed in the ongoing Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip since October 7, stressing that “Israel must respect international law, implement the interim measures of the International Court of Justice, and ensure the protection of all civilians.”
The report of the independent expert group headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna concluded that Israel did not provide any evidence for its accusations once morest UNRWA, stressing that the agency has no alternative and cannot be dispensed with.
Israel claimed that 12 UNRWA employees participated in the attack led by the faction movement – on October 7. It later claimed that 30 other UNRWA employees helped or facilitated the commission of the crimes on October 7 and that up to 12% of the organization’s employees belonged to terrorist organizations.
Israel’s allegations once morest UNRWA employees led 16 countries to stop or suspend funding worth $450 million, which constitutes a blow to the agency, which is grappling with the humanitarian crisis that has swept Gaza since Israel launched its attack there.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini warned in March of a “deliberate and coordinated campaign” to end the operations of the agency, which employs 32,000 people in its area of operations, 13,000 of whom are in Gaza.
Source: Wafa+RT
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2024-04-24 13:15:34
