Israel officially informed the United Nations, Monday, November 4, 2024, of the cancellation of the agreement with the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), voted on last week by the Israeli Parliament, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relayed by theAFP. This announcement caused an international outcry.
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Israel, long critical of the agency, accused UNRWA employees of having participated in the massacre perpetrated on its soil by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in the Strip. Gaza.
UNRWA, a problem more than a solution according to Israel
“UNRWA, the organization whose employees participated in the October 7 massacre and many of whose employees are members of Hamas, is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not the solution,” asserts the ministry, without providing proof.
In January 2024, Israel informed the BSCI, the highest investigative body in the UN system, that 19 UNRWA members were allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks.
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After the independent investigation, the UN dismissed nine employees considering that they “could have been involved in the armed attacks of October 7”, said Antonio Guterres' deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, Monday August 5.
An agreement that dates back to 1967
The agreement with the UN agency dates back to 1967. UNRWA provides essential aid and assistance to Palestinian refugees in the Palestinian Territories and several other countries in the region. Its cancellation would be a major blow to humanitarian work in Gaza if implemented, experts say.
UNRWA said on Monday at theAFP that its ban in Israel could cause “the collapse” of the aid system in the Gaza Strip, ravaged by more than a year of war. According to a latest count on October 20, 233 employees of the UN agency have been killed since the start of the conflict.
