JERUSALEM.- The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) dismissed “several” employees accused of Israel of being involved in the lethal incursion carried out on October 7 by Islamist commandos in the south of the Hebrew State.
“Las Israeli authorities communicated to UNRWA information about the involvement of several of its employees” in that commando operation, the head of that UN agency, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a statement.
“I decided to terminate the contracts of these staff members with immediate effect and initiate an investigation to establish the truth without delay,” he said.
“Any employee found to have been involved in acts of terrorism will be held accountable, including through legal action,” he added.
The United States announced for its part that it is suspending funding to UNRWA “while it examines these accusations and the measures the United Nations is taking to address them.”
The US State Department said it was “extremely concerned” about suspicions towards the agency.
UNRWA reiterated its “condemnation in the strongest terms” of the October 7 attacks and called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of the hostages held in Gaza.
The agency stressed that “more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on the vital aid that the agency has provided since the war began.”
The war between Israel and Hamas broke out after the incursion of Islamist commandos in southern Israel, which resulted in the death of some 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping of nearly 250, according to an AFP report carried out in based on official Israeli data. According to Israel, 104 remain captive and 28 have died.
Israel’s retaliatory actions, with incessant bombing and ground actions in Gaza, have so far left at least 26,083 dead, mostly women and minors, according to the Health Ministry of Hamas, which governs the small Palestinian territory.
Source: AFP
