As the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip worsens, suspicions have surfaced that UN staff working there were involved in a surprise attack by Hamas in October last year, raising concerns about the impact on future aid operations. .
*We will keep you updated on developments regarding Israel and Palestine as of January 27, Japan time.
US media: “United Nations vehicles and facilities may have been used in the attack”
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), which provides assistance in the Gaza Strip, suspects that several UNRWA staff were involved in an attack on Israel last October by Hamas, the Islamic organization that effectively controls the Gaza Strip. We have begun an investigation after receiving information from the Israeli side.
On the 26th, American news site Axios quoted a senior Israeli government official as saying, ``Israel has provided information that UNRWA personnel actively participated in the attack and that its vehicles and facilities were used.'' .
It then reports that ``this information was obtained from interrogations of Hamas fighters.''
In response to this suspicion, six countries so far, including the United States, which contributes the most funds, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom, have announced that they will temporarily suspend additional funding until the necessary measures are taken. is expanding.
On the 27th, health authorities in the Gaza Strip announced that 174 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 26,257 against the Israeli army, which continues to attack the area, mainly in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
As UNRWA plays an important role in distributing aid supplies and operating evacuation centers in the Gaza Strip, there are concerns about the impact this situation will have on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
What is UNRWA?
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) is a United Nations organization established in 1949 to support Palestinian refugees who were forced to leave their homes during the First Middle East War, which began with the establishment of the State of Israel.
Initially, there were 750,000 Palestinian refugees, but as of January 1st last year, there were approximately 5.9 million registered refugees, including those from neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon.
In the Gaza Strip, we support the lives of Palestinian refugees by distributing food and running schools.
UNRWA has been operating evacuation shelters in various locations using schools and other facilities, although its activities have been affected after a series of clashes, resulting in the deaths of more than 150 staff members.
Most of UNRWA's activities are funded by support from Western countries and other countries.
According to UNRWA and other sources, the budget for the year 2017 was 1,174.64 million dollars, or about 174 billion yen in Japanese yen, with the United States receiving the largest amount of aid at 343.93 million dollars, nearly 30% of the total, followed by Germany with approximately 1.7 billion yen. %, with Japan contributing $30.15 million, the sixth largest contribution.