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Israeli Officials Demand Resignation of UNRWA Chief

It may be noted that the IDF had discovered a tunnel shaft near a UNRWA school during its raids near the UNRWA head office in Gaza…reports Asian Lite News

Foreign Minister of Israel, Israel Kantz and the permanent representative of the country in the United Nations, Gilad Erdan along with a host of other senior leaders have demanded the resignation of Philippe Lazzarini, chief of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestinian Refugees of the Near East (UNRWA).

The demand arose after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unearthed a tunnel shaft under the headquarters of the UNRWA that houses important data centres of the terror outfit, Hamas.

Kantz while commenting on X said, “The exposure of UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters’ deep involvement with Hamas, including its use for terror activities and as an access point to terror tunnels, requires immediate action. Commissioner-General Lazzarini’s claim of unawareness is not only absurd but also an affront to common sense. His prompt resignation is imperative.”

Erdan also came out strongly against the UNRWA chief and said, “It’s not that you didn’t know, it’s that you didn’t WANT to know. We exposed terror tunnels under UNRWA schools and supplied evidence that Hamas’ exploits UNRWA. We implored you to carry out a comprehensive search of all UNRWA facilities in Gaza. But not only did you refuse, you chose to stick your head in the sand.”

He further said, “Take responsibility and resign today!”

Lazzirini had in an earlier statement on X said, “UNRWA did not know what is under its headquarters in Gaza. UNRWA staff left its headquarters in Gaza City on 12 October following the Israeli evacuation orders and as bombardment intensified in the area. We have not used that compound since we left it, nor are we aware of any activity that may have taken place there,”

He also stated that they perform routine checks on all of their premises, saying, “In times of ‘no active conflict,’ UNRWA inspects inside its premises every quarter. The last inspection for the UNRWA Gaza premises was completed in September 2023.

It may be noted that the IDF had discovered a tunnel shaft near a UNRWA school during its raids near the UNRWA head office in Gaza.

The tunnel shaft, near an UNRWA school, led to an underground shelter that served as a valuable asset for Hamas’s military intelligence wing, according to the IDF. The route connected to UNRWA‘s central headquarters in Gaza strip.

The IDF said that the tunnel was 700 meters long and 18 meters deep and contained several constructed side doors to various new routes.

IDF soldiers also discovered electric infrastructure inside the tunnels that were connected to the UNRWA headquarters building, indicating that UNRWA assets were supplying Hamas with electricity.

The IDF stated that the newly acquired intelligence from this operation will allow it to conduct additional raids on Hamas in the future.

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UN sets up ‘independent’ group to review UNRWA

Guterres said the group will “assess” whether UNWRA is doing “everything within its power to ensure neutrality…reports Asian Lite News

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has established an “independent” Review Group to look into how UNRWA (UN Relief Workers Agency for the Palestinian areas) workers took part in the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7.

Guterres said the group will “assess” whether UNWRA is doing “everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.”

The review will be led by Catherine Colonna, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, who will work with three research organizations: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

The Review Group will begin its work on February 14, 2024 and is expected to submit an interim report to the Secretary-General late March 2024, with a final report expected to be completed by late April 2024. The final report will be made public.

The Review Group will determine what, if any, “mechanisms and procedures” that UNWRA has in place to “ensure neutrality,” if they have been implemented and assess the “adequacy” of those mechanisms and procedures and whether they are fit for purpose, including in relation to the management of risks and taking into account the particular operational, political and security context in which the Agency works.

It will also make recommendations for the” improvement and strengthening, if necessary,” of the mechanisms and procedures that are currently in place or for the creation of new and alternative mechanisms and procedures that “would be better fit for purpose.”

Meanwhile, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees was notified that its Israeli bank account was blocked over unusual activity as an expert explained to the Tazpit Press Service that “every war is ultimately reflected in the banks.”

Bank Leumi, one of Israel’s largest and oldest banking institutions, alerted UNRWA to suspicious financial transfers, but the UN agency did not provide satisfactory explanations, prompting bank officials to freeze the account, the Israel Hayom daily reported on Sunday.

In particular, the bank said it was unable to trace the source or final destination of several money transfers, and is concerned money is being used to fund terrorism, the report said.

Officials from Bank Leumi and UNRWA did not respond to the Tazpit Press Service’s requests to comment.

Israel demands that UNRWA be stripped of its authority in Gaza amid revelations that members of the agency’s staff participated in Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel. The US and 14 other countries have suspended funding for the agency.

Israel provided intelligence incriminating 12 staffers of their participation, including using UNRWA vehicles and facilities as 1,200 Israelis were massacred. The New York Times received leaked information incriminating 12 UNRWA employees of participating in the attack and even using agency vehicles.

The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that one in 10 UNRWA employees is either an active member or has ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

We Had the Information ‘For Years’: “The basic idea says that when there is a war beyond weapons, there is the economic weapon, and every war is ultimately reflected in the banks,” Dr. Alex Coman told TPS. Coman is a senior financial analyst and a professor at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo.

Banks monitor transactions as part of their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing efforts. These measures are in place to detect and prevent the illicit flow of funds. Banks that don’t comply can be cut off from the SWIFT network, which enables banks and other financial institutions worldwide to send and receive standardized, secure messages, such as payment orders, fund transfer instructions, and other financial information, Coman explained.

“This mechanism worked very well when the accounts of many Russian oligarchs abroad were blocked” after Russia invaded Ukraine, he noted. (ANI/TPS)

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UAE Seeks Global Support For UNRWA

In meeting with UNRWA Commissioner-General, UAE foreign minister reiterated the country’s unwavering support for the agency, highlighting that sustaining its humanitarian efforts has become an urgent priority…reports Asian Lite News

UAE Foreign Minister H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed that supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is essential to consolidating security and stability in the region.

He made this statement during his meeting yesterday in Abu Dhabi with Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, during which they discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and their humanitarian fallout.

The meeting touched on ways to meet the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, and the efforts to deliver relief and medical aid to civilians.

During the meeting, the UAE top diplomat reiterated the UAE’s unwavering support for UNRWA, highlighting that in light of the current challenges, sustaining its humanitarian efforts has become an urgent priority, requiring concerted efforts from the international community to support the agency and all UN efforts made to provide relief to the Palestinian people.

He also expressed his appreciation for the UN and UNRWA’s immediate action to investigate the allegations made against a number of individuals, stressing that this step reflects the agency’s firm commitment to UN values and its noble humanitarian goals.

Sheikh Abdullah reiterated the call on donor countries that have suspended their funding to UNRWA to reconsider their decision.

He affirmed that UNRWA plays a vital role in relieving the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially those in the Gaza Strip, adding that the UAE is keen to stand by it and support its humanitarian efforts.

The UAE foreign minister also stressed that ending extremism, tensions and violence in the region and reaching a lasting ceasefire is the path to ensuring the protection of all civilians, preventing further loss of life and providing the necessary humanitarian support to the Palestinian people.

The meeting was attended by Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs and UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Last week, Sheikh Abdullah had met with Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, and discussed enhancing relief and medical aid delivery to the Palestinian people in a safe and sustainable manner.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that there would be “disastrous repercussions” in the stability of the region if funding for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is halted.

The Qatar Prime Minister was speaking to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, according to Hebrew media reports.

Media reports stated that the Qatar Prime Minister has stressed the “severe consequences” of discontinuing funding to the UNRWA and emphasized that halting financial support to the agency could lead to “disastrous repercussions”.

He also showcased its pivotal role in ensuring regional stability and providing humanitarian relief.

The discussion, as per reports, brought to the forefront the critical situation in the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Qatar Prime Minister highlighted the “indispensable” contribution of UNRWA in supporting millions of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

He further indicated that the stability of the region and the welfare of millions of people rely on the continuity of the agency’s operations.

Earlier, Israel said that UNRWA was “totally infiltrated” by Hamas and wants it to be replaced by another aid agency. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had conveyed this to the Ambassadors of the UN during a meeting with them on Wednesday at Jerusalem.

Israel had conveyed to the UN and funding countries that 12 UNRWA staff members had directly participated in the October 7 attack when Hamas swarmed into Israel killing 1,200 people and holding 253 hostage.

Israel has in its report presented before the UN stated that of the 12 UNRWA staff who had directly participated in the attack, seven were UNRWA teachers, two were educational consultants and others were administrative staff of the Agency.

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Discontinuing UNRWA Funding Disastrous, Warns Qatar

Qatar Prime Minister has stressed the “severe consequences” of discontinuing funding to the UNRWA…reports Asian Lite News

Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that there would be “disastrous repercussions” in the stability of the region if funding for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is halted.

The Qatar Prime Minister was speaking to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, according to Hebrew media reports.

Media reports stated that the Qatar Prime Minister has stressed the “severe consequences” of discontinuing funding to the UNRWA and emphasized that halting financial support to the agency could lead to “disastrous repercussions”.

He also showcased its pivotal role in ensuring regional stability and providing humanitarian relief.

The discussion, as per reports, brought to the forefront the critical situation in the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Qatar Prime Minister highlighted the “indispensable” contribution of UNRWA in supporting millions of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

He further indicated that the stability of the region and the welfare of millions of people rely on the continuity of the agency’s operations.

ALSO READ: Qatar Spearheads Peace Talks, Holds Sway with Israel and Hamas

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UAE allocates $5 mn in support of UNRWA’s Gaza efforts

The UAE foreign minister urged international multilateral work to achieve a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, protect civilian lives and facilitate urgent humanitarian relief…reports Asian Lite News

UAE has allocated $5 million in support of efforts of chief United Nations Coordinator for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Sigrid Kaag, towards the reconstruction of the Gaza strip after major funding cuts left its operations under threat, state news agency (WAM) reported.

The announcement came after UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met with Kaag to discuss enhancing relief and medical aid delivery to the Palestinian people in a safe and sustainable manner.

Both officials reviewed ways to quickly address the worsening humanitarian crisis, reaffirming the importance of UNRWA and the need to support the agency’s humanitarian aid efforts for Palestinian refugees.

The UAE foreign minister urged international multilateral work to achieve a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, protect civilian lives and facilitate urgent humanitarian relief.

Major donors to UNRWA earlier suspended funding after allegations emerged that around 12 of its tens of thousands of Palestinian employees were suspected of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas.

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Norway urges UNRWA donors to reflect on fund cut

The attack resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures…reports Asian Lite News

Norway, one of the few major donors to have maintained aid to the embattled UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, warned other donors Wednesday of the consequences of suspending funding.

“We urge fellow donor countries to reflect on the wider consequences of cutting their funding to UNRWA,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement to AFP.

“UNRWA is a vital lifeline for 1.5 million refugees in Gaza,” he said, adding that “to avoid collectively punishing millions of people, we need to distinguish between what individuals may have done and what UNRWA stands for.”

Thirteen countries, including major donors such as the United States, Germany, Britain and Sweden, have suspended funding to the UN agency over accusations that 12 on its staff members were involved in the October 7 attack by Hamas militants against Israel.

The attack resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also seized about 250 hostages. Israel says 132 of them remain in Gaza including at least 29 people believed to have been killed.

Following the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, its military launched a withering air, land and sea offensive that has killed at least 26,900 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry.

The heads of several UN organizations on Wednesday also warned that defunding UNRWA, which has around 30,000 staff members, risked a “catastrophic” humanitarian collapse in Gaza.

‘Defunding UNRWA will have catastrophic consequences’

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned that halting funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency would entail “catastrophic consequences” for people in war-torn Gaza

“Decisions by various countries to pause funds for UNRWA, the largest supplier of humanitarian aid in this crisis, will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need. We appeal for these announcements to be reconsidered.”

Explosives found hidden in UNRWA sacks

Israeli soldiers in Khan Yunis destroyed an underground weapons factory belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, where weapons were found hidden in sacks belonging to the embattled UN Relief and Works Agency, which supports Palestinian refugees.

Hidden inside the UNRWA sacks were rockets, anti-tank missiles, mines and explosive charges, the IDF said.

Soldiers also destroyed a rocket-manufacturing lathe and seized Kalashnikov weapons, warheads designed for RPG missiles, cartridges, spray charges, hand grenades and other explosives.

Israel demands that UNRWA be stripped of its authority in Gaza amid revelations that members of the agency’s staff participated in Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel. The US, European Union and 16 other countries have suspended funding for the agency.

Israel provided intelligence incriminating 12 staffers of their participation, including using UNRWA vehicles and facilities as 1,200 Israelis were massacred. The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that one in 10 UNRWA employees is either an active member or has ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Since October 7, the agency has been under fire numerous times, prompting Knesset lawmakers to reassess Israel’s relationship with UNRWA.

Reports released by IMPACT-SE and UN Watch documented UNRWA employees expressing support for the attacks on social media.

Soldiers found missiles hidden among UNRWA relief supplies while sacks belonging the agency were filled with dirt and used in the lining of tunnels.

Palestinian refugees are the only refugee population with its own dedicated UN agency. The rest of the world’s refugees fall under the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Israeli officials have called for UNRWA to be closed and for Palestinian refugees to be brought under the responsibility of the UNHCR.

ALSO READ-UNRWA Totally ‘Infiltrated’ by Hamas: Israel

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UN Aid Agency Under Scrutiny for Terror Ties

A dossier shared with several news media organisations by Israel also asserted that at least 190 UNRWA staff were working for Hamas and Islamic Jihad….reports Arul Louis

Major donors are sending one of the world organisation’s oldest and largest relief operations to the brink of collapse after disclosures that the employees of the organisation set up to help Palestinian refugees took part in the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.

“It’s not so much the existence of the agency is at stake. It’s the lives of the people that the agency serves that’s at stake,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday about the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

It will run out of funds past next month, he added.

UNRWA — and the UN itself — have been shaken by Israel’s allegations that 12 staffers of the organisation joined in the attacks on Israel.

A dossier shared with several news media organisations by Israel also asserted that at least 190 UNRWA staff were working for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The UN immediately fired nine of those accused of participating in the attacks, one was dead and the identities of two were being ascertained, Guterres said on Sunday.

He added that he was “horrified” by “the abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members” and it “must have consequences”.

Dujarric said that the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services has been activated to investigate the allegations.

On the other side of the ledger, at least 152 of the 13,000 UNWRA relief workers in Gaza have been killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack that killed about 190 people in Israel and had about 240 taken hostage.

After the US and at least a dozen other governments announced that they were freezing aid to UNRWA, Guterres said it will run out of funds next month to meet “the dire needs of the desperate population” of two million in Gaza.

He appealed to the donors not to suspend their aid but to continue helping UNRWA.

The US is the largest contributor sending nearly $344 million to UNRWA, which had a budget of $1.62 million last year.

Germany, which comes next with a $202 million contribution, also suspended payments.

UNRWA was founded by the UN General Assembly in 1949 in the aftermath of the war the previous year during which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes in Israel.

It provides an array of services, from schooling and medical facilities to food and economic assistance, to Palestine refugees scattered across the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank occupied by Israel, as well as Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Dujarric said that the organisation was irreplaceable in Gaza where 26,000 people, most of them women and children have been killed, 85 per cent of the population displaced, hospitals destroyed and mass starvation is threatened.

“No other organisation than UNRWA has the infrastructure to do the work that they do,” he added.

“It’s not as if anyone else can come in tomorrow and do the work that they do.”

According to Israel, nine of the 12 UNRWA workers who participated in the attack were teachers and one was a social worker.

It accused two of them of participating in the taking of hostages, two of participating in raids on kibuttzes and one of arming himself with an anti-tank missile.

US administration of former President Donald Trump had cut off aid to UNRWA in 2018 when Nikki Haley, a strong critic of the organisation and of Palestine, was the permanent representative to the UN.

Soon after his election, US President Joe Biden ordered the aid to resume and now he faces questions about the integrity of UNRWA.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged the work of UNRWA, saying on Monday that it “has played and continues to play an absolutely indispensable role in trying to make sure that men, women and children who so desperately need assistance in Gaza actually get it”.

Therefore, he said, “it is imperative that UNRWA immediately, as it said it would, investigate, that it hold people accountable as necessary and that it review its procedures”.

A Congressional hearing on UNRWA and its employees’ involvement in the 10/7 attack is scheduled.

India contributes $5 million directly to UNRWA every year and its representative in Palestine, Renu Yadav, handed over an instalment of $2.5 million in November.

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‘Systematic campaign’ against UNRWA: Arab League

Aboul Gheit added that it is surprising that some western nations have decided to suspend their funding to UNRWA in this critical period …reports Asian Lite News

Arab League warned of the perilous consequences of the incitement campaign unleashed against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), along with the decisions taken by some countries to suspend their financial contributions to UNRWA over the claim of the Israeli occupation that some of its staff were allegedly involved in October attacks.

The systematic incitement led by the Israeli occupation primarily intends to eliminate UNRWA’s role almost entirely after its facilities and personnel have been targeted in the attacks within the framework of the relentless aggression on the Gaza Strip, said Secretary-General of Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Aboul Gheit added that it is surprising that some western nations have decided to suspend their funding to UNRWA in this critical period based on unleashed accusations that target a limited number of individuals. He noted that, if such accusations are presumably valid, they do not reflect the nature of UNRWA that includes nearly 300,000 personnel, most of them are Palestinians.

Secretary-General of Arab League pointed out that such a campaign is not new, given the fact that the intention to liquidate UNRWA’s operation that serves millions of Palestinians in its five areas of operation, recurred differently over the past years whose purpose is debunked, which is to push the international community towards abandoning their responsibility in aiding the Palestinian refugees and shouldering the entire responsibility on the countries that are in sympathy with the Palestinian cause, primarily the Arab states.

UNRWA was established by a UN resolution in 1949, while the responsibility for the livelihood of Palestinian refugees falls on the international community and donor countries, pending a just solution for their cause, Aboul Gheit noted, adding that evading from this responsibility amid the bloody war implies forsaking them to face hunger and displacement and carry out the Israeli scheme to entirely liquidate their cause.

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UNRWA Funding Suspension Sparks Controversy

The Ministry, according to its statement, said that the decision to suspend funding to UNRWA was a form of “collective punishment”…reports Asian Lite News

The foreign ministry of Palestine Authority (PA) has said that suspension of funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in Near East (UNRWA) was deplorable.

In a statement on Sunday night, the PA said that the suspension of funds to the UNRWA by the US, the UK and other countries was highly deplorable and of double standards.

The PA also said that the UNRWA chief Phileppe Lazzarani has already announced that the UN agency was willing for an independent investigation on the Israeli claims regarding UNRWA staff.

Israel has complained to the United Nations and other funding countries that several UNRWA staff members were directly involved in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel when Hamas men swarmed into the Israeli communities and slaughtered 1,200 people — a majority being civilians.

Israel has in its complaint stated that the details of UNRWA staff members’ participation in the October 7 attack was obtained while interrogating arrested Hamas militants. Israel intelligence agencies and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have also provided information to the Israeli side regarding the participation and involvement of UNRWA staffers.

The foreign ministry of the Palestinian Authority defined the decision to suspend funding to the UNRWA as “highly politicized, disproportionate and unjustified”.

The Ministry, according to its statement, said that the decision to suspend funding to UNRWA was a form of “collective punishment”.

It also added that the UNRWA was about to run out of money and would not be able to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees throughout the region.

Israel has in its complaint stated that the details of UNRWA staff members participation in the October 7 attack was garnered while interrogating arrested Hamas militants. Israel intelligence agencies and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have also provided information to the Israeli side regarding the participation and involvement of UNRWA staffers.

Israel has all along been maintaining that the UNRWA was acting as a cover for Hamas in Gaza and that it should be replaced with some other agency.

UNRWA Chief Responds to Funding Pause

Funding suspension would force UNRWA to halt all its activities in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip in a few weeks, the UN relief agency’s Commissioner-General said.

Philippe Lazzarini said on his social media X account on Sunday that the suspension decision is “regrettable,” stressing that the agency “relies on the support of our partners to maintain our humanitarian response to two million people in Gaza and Palestinian refugees in the region”.

The US, Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, Finland and the Netherlands decided to pause funding to UNRWA after Israel accused several UNRWA employees of suspected involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel last year, Xinhua news agency reported.

Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini speaks at a press conference in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 14, 2022. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua/IANS)

Lazzarini said he was “shocked” upon knowing the accusations against its employees, adding that the agency has decided to “dismiss the employees concerned and to commence an investigation without delay”.

“UNRWA is also implementing structural reforms to enhance the commitment of its staff to humanitarian principles, including the principle of neutrality, with independent experts responsible for assessing and deepening our efforts in this direction,” he noted.

UNRWA, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1949, is tasked to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees registered in the agency’s operational areas until a just and lasting solution to their plight is found.

On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned Israel’s accusations against UNRWA employees.

“The accusations hurled by Israel against some of the UNRWA staff members are another malicious act in completion of Israel’s inhumane actions against Palestinians,” he was quoted in a statement published on the Ministry’s website as saying.

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Over 150,000 Palestinians have nowhere to go, says UNRWA

India has also contributed close to $30 million over the last five years, for the welfare of Palestine people, according to MEA…reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Thursday said that the over 150,000 Palestinians have nowhere to go amidst the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel, media reports said.

“People — young children, women carrying babies, people with disabilities & the elderly– have nowhere to go. They are forced to move again,” the UN aid agency said.

It said that the evacuation order by Israeli authorities of middle Gaza has caused the ongoing forced displacement.

“Only remaining hope is a humanitarian ceasefire,” the UNRWA said.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, has said that a staggering 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza — more than 80 per cent of the population — have been internally displaced.

“Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment across Gaza has damaged over 250,000 housing units, with an additional 50,000 units completely destroyed. Consequently, more than 1 million people in Gaza lack a safe and secure home to return to,” Egeland said.

India hands over $2.5 mn aid

India released the second tranche of USD 2.5 million to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Thursday.

With this, India also fulfilled its annual contribution of $5 million for 2023-24, the Indian Embassy in Palestine said in a statement.

The contribution was handed over by Chargee d’Affaires Mrs. Elizabeth Rodrigues. This is aimed to support the Agency’s core programmes and services, including education, healthcare, relief and social services provided to Palestinian refugees.

“The Government of India, today, released the second tranche’ a USD 2.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), fulfilling its annual contribution of USD 5 million for the year 2023-24, to support the Agency’s core programmes and services, including education, healthcare, relief and social services provided to Palestinian refugees,” the Indian Embassy statement read.

Notably, India has enhanced its annual contribution to the agency from USD 1.25 million in 2018 to $5 million.

India has also contributed close to $30 million over the last five years, for the welfare of Palestine people, according to MEA.

ALSO READ-Ongoing Conflict Leaves 150,000 Palestinians with No Shelter