NEW YORK – A UN spokesman said on Monday that Israel has yet
to officially submit a file regarding the allegations against UNRWA staff, Amad
Media reported.
اضافة اعلان
Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric stated that UN Secretary-General
António Guterres met with the head of the organization's internal
investigations section on Monday to ensure that an inquiry into Israeli charges
against UNRWA staff is carried out "as quickly and effectively as
possible."
Dujarric also stated that Guterres "is engaging with
UNRWA leadership and donors" and will hold a conference of key agency
donors in New York on Tuesday.
Reuters stated that it had seen a file compiled by Israeli
intelligence that persuaded numerous nations to stop funding UNRWA, accusing
several agency staff of colluding with the Al-Qassam Brigades during Operation
Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023.
The six-page brief claims that around 190 UNRWA staff,
including teachers, collaborate with Hamas. The dossier even has the names and
photographs of eleven accused conspirators.
One of the 11 is a school counselor who is accused in the
Israeli file of providing unspecified aid in the capture of an Israeli woman on
October 7.
Another UNRWA employee has been charged by Israeli
intelligence with bringing an Israeli soldier's body to Gaza as well as
arranging the supply of weapons and the movements of small vehicles used by
militants during the raid. The nature of the involvement was not described in
the filing.
The documentation accuses a third employee of participating
in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 in the Be'eri village near the border.
The fourth is suspected of entering Re'im Kibbutz.
The file was provided to Reuters by someone who declined to
reveal their name or nationality.
According to the source, Israeli intelligence obtained this
information and conveyed it to the US, which ceased funding UNRWA on Friday.
More than 10 nations, including major donors like the US and
Germany, have discontinued funding for the agency.
In response to the claims, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel
Katz canceled meetings with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and
requested his resignation.
“UNRWA staff participated on October 7th... Lazzarini should
draw conclusions and quit… Supporters of terrorism are not welcome here,"
Katz said.
Furthermore, the EU today demanded an urgent examination of
UNRWA's operations. It should be emphasized that the EU is a major donor to
UNRWA.
"We are asking them (UNRWA) to agree to an audit by
independent experts chosen by the European Commission," said Eric Mamer,
the EU's spokesperson. "It is obvious that these steps are urgent. They
are critical and must be implemented without delay."
The European Commission stated that it "will determine
the next funding decisions for UNRWA in light of the extremely serious
allegations made on January 24 regarding the involvement of UNRWA employees
[during] October 7," and that it does not expect to provide any additional
funding to UNRWA "until the end of February."
The European Commission added that it "will review the
matter in light of the results of the investigation announced by the UN and the
measures that will be taken."
It affirmed that humanitarian help for Palestinians in Gaza
and the West Bank "will continue relentlessly through partner
organizations."
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