Van Hollen confirmed the investigation into Israel's allegations and not holding two million Palestinians responsible without guilt (Reuters)

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) cooperated with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) were a "blatant lie," and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others were lying to advance their own agenda.

A report in the American newspaper "Politico" stated that Van Hollen said in an interview with "CBS" that "the demonization of UNRWA in relation to the Hamas attack on Israel on the seventh of last October was an attempt by Netanyahu to get rid of the agency." .

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The report stated that Van Hollen explained to host Margaret Brennan that there is no doubt that the claim made by Netanyahu and others that UNRWA is, in some way, an agent of Hamas is just lies.

He pointed out that the person responsible for the agency's operations on the ground is a 20-year veteran of the US Army, and called on his host to make sure that he does not cooperate with Hamas, stressing that Netanyahu had wanted to get rid of UNRWA since at least 2017.

Some Republicans in Congress have called for halting funding for the agency, but Van Hollen said UNRWA's work is still necessary at a time when many Gazans are living in deplorable condition due to the ongoing Israeli war.

Anyone who cooperates with Hamas must be held accountable

He also said that if there were specific members of UNRWA who cooperated with Hamas in that attack, they must be held accountable.

Van Hollen recalled that the Israeli government had previously claimed that up to 14 of the International Agency's 13,000 workers participated in the "horrific" attack, saying that what should be done is to investigate the matter and hold the 14 people responsible, instead of holding them responsible. For two million innocent Palestinian civilians dying of hunger.

Van Hollen met last week with the families of some of those still detained in Gaza, stressing that they were very clear that what is required now is to focus on the recovery of the detainees and a ceasefire.

Source: Politico