2024-01-28 16:33:00
What we know regarding Israel’s accusations once morest UN staff in Gaza
The main UN agency in Gaza is in crisis following Israel accused some of its members of involvement in the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, which have not been made public. The United States and several other countries also suspended funding to the organization, which employs some 13,000 people in Gaza, as the humanitarian disaster spirals in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
This is what we know.
What is UNRWA?
UNRWA was created by the United Nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced Palestinians.
The organization defines Palestinian refugees as “any person whose place of residence was Palestine during the period from June 1, 1946 to May 15, 1948, and who lost both their home and livelihood as a result of the war of 1948”.
Those who fit that definition are now 5.9 million. Israel rejected the possibility of allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes, arguing that the move would change the country’s Jewish character.
Since its creation, UNRWA’s mandate has been repeatedly renewed by the United Nations General Assembly (a voting body of all member states). The agency helped four generations of Palestinian refugees, according to its website, covering education, health care, camp infrastructure, social services and emergency assistance, even in times of conflict.
According to the agency, at least 152 UNRWA employees have been killed in Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas began.
What are the accusations?
Neither Israel nor UNRWA have specified the nature of the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the events of October 7, nor did they specify the number of employees allegedly involved.
However, an Israeli official told CNN on Friday that Israel shared information regarding 12 employees allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks with both UNRWA and the United States.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said he received “information regarding the alleged involvement of several employees.” To protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance in Gaza, he decided to “immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and initiate an investigation to clarify the truth,” according to a statement.
Any UNRWA employee found to have been involved in acts of terrorism “will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” he added.
In addition to the alleged involvement of personnel on October 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also alleged this Saturday that UNRWA facilities were used for “terrorist purposes,” in a statement to CNN on Saturday.
“The Intelligence Directorate compiled a case incriminating several UNRWA employees for their alleged involvement in the massacre, along with evidence pointing to the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorist purposes,” the IDF statement said.
When asked regarding the claim regarding UNRWA facilities, the agency told CNN: “We have no further information on this at this time. The Office of Internal Oversight Services (the UN’s internal oversight body) will examine all of these allegations as part of the investigation that the UNRWA Commissioner-General has asked them to conduct.”
In an official statement released on Saturday, Hamas criticized the decision to end employees’ contracts and accused Israel of trying to undermine UNRWA and other organizations providing humanitarian aid in Gaza.
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