An UNRWA truck moving from the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considered that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) was “completely infiltrated” and demanded that its mission be ended, while an Israeli official came out with a contradictory position, assuring the United States that there was no alternative to the United Nations in Gaza.

A few days ago, Israel accused UNRWA employees of participating in the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by the Palestinian resistance last October, and the organization responded by terminating the contracts of a number of accused employees and opening an investigation. Despite this, several countries, led by the United States, announced the suspension of their funding to the agency.

A statement issued by Netanyahu's office yesterday, Wednesday, stated that he told a United Nations delegation, "It is time for the international community and the United Nations itself to understand that UNRWA's mission must end."

He added, "The organization is completely infiltrated by Hamas. It was in the service of Hamas in its schools and many other things. I say this with great regret because we had hoped that there would be an objective and constructive body to provide aid. We need other UN agencies and other aid agencies to replace UNRWA." ".

In contrast, "Israel Today" newspaper quoted Major General Ghassan Alian, coordinator of Israeli government operations in the Palestinian territories, as saying to senior officials in the US administration that "at this stage there is no alternative to UNRWA's activity in the Gaza Strip," without further details.

Independent investigation

For its part, UNRWA considered yesterday that conducting an independent investigation into the accusations against its workers is “extremely important,” warning of the “catastrophic impact” of stopping the agency’s funding.

In a letter sent by the director of the UNRWA office in Washington, William Deere, to the US House of Representatives, he indicated that the agency is trying to help 1.7 million displaced people from Gaza through 154 facilities in and around Gaza.

He stated that the Israeli attacks affected the agency's facilities and caused the death of 330 people since October 7th.

He stressed that donations made by the United States or other countries "do not go to terrorist elements," stressing that they use strong oversight mechanisms on this issue. He explained that if any employee appears to have violated the principle of neutrality applied by the agency, they will immediately initiate a transparent investigation. He added, "We take the necessary disciplinary measures when we discover any violation."

He stressed that all of the agency's work is open to the international public, especially United Nations institutions, and that the truth will be revealed when the investigation into the recent Israeli allegations is completed.

Guterres' call

In turn, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres considered that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees constitutes “the backbone of humanitarian work in Gaza,” and called for support for the organization in order to continue its life-saving work.

Guterres was speaking in his speech during the opening of a meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. He explained that he met with major donors to UNRWA and stressed that the main work of UNRWA must continue.

He warned that the humanitarian aid system in Gaza was on the verge of collapse, and expressed deep concern about the inhumane conditions suffered by 2.2 million people in Gaza, reiterating his call for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire.

UNRWA was established by a decision of the United Nations General Assembly in 1949, and was mandated to provide assistance and protection to refugees in its five areas of operations, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, until a just solution to their problem is reached.

Since last October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 26,000 Palestinians and the injury of about 65,000, most of them children and women, in addition to massive destruction of infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Source: Agencies