The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has ordered an investigation to clarify the possible involvement of at least twelve members of the agency for Palestinian refugees – the largest in Gaza – in the October 7 attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israel, which resulted in the death of more than 1,100 people – most of them Israeli civilians – and the kidnapping of 240 more.
According to a statement from his spokesperson, Guterres was first informed by the Commissioner General of UNRWA (United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency), Philippe Lazzarini, about “extremely serious accusations” implicating members of the agency in those attacks. at which Guterres was “horrified.”
After that, he asked Lazzarini for a quick investigation, and for the moment he has proceeded to dismiss his members involved in the investigation “to protect the mission of the humanitarian aid agency.”
In addition to this specific investigation, Guterres has announced a more global one on the general activity of UNRWA.
Israel has repeatedly accused the agency of complicity with Hamas in Gaza, and has claimed that several of its members are in fact militants of the Islamist group, something the UN has always denied.
Furthermore, these accusations have served Israel to call into question the neutrality of UN bodies in general and all its agencies, including its secretary general.
With more than 30,000 employees, UNRWA is the largest organization in Gaza outside the strip government.
In this sense. The US government announced this Friday the temporary suspension of funding for UNRWA due to these accusations.
“The United States is extremely concerned about allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel,” the State Department said in a statement. US diplomacy announced that it has “temporarily suspended additional funding for UNRWA” while it reviews “these allegations and the measures the United Nations is taking to address them.”
The United States acknowledged that the agency has so far played “a critical role” in providing assistance to Palestinians, such as food and medicine, and has “saved lives.” Therefore, he stressed that “it is important for UNRWA to address these allegations and take appropriate corrective measures.”
In that sense, the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, spoke on Thursday with the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, to ask him for “a rapid and exhaustive investigation of this matter.”
