White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Monday called for a thorough investigation into Israeli terrorism allegations against UNRWA staff, but said the allegations should not taint the organization as a whole.
Kirby made the statement during a White House press conference on Monday. Reporters pressed Kirby on Israel’s claims that at least 13 UNRWA personnel in the Gaza Strip took part in the October 7 massacre in Israel.
“Is there any reason to believe that it could have been more widespread? That it could later show that there were more than those 13 people?” the reporter asked.
“I haven’t seen any information that confirms that, that it’s beyond that 13,” Kirby responded. “That’s why research is so important here to find out the scope of the problem.”
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National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby spoke at a White House press conference on Friday, January 26th. (AP/Evan Vucci)
“But there are 13,000 UNRWA employees, 13,000 of them in Gaza alone. As I said last week, we are not here to criticize the good work of the entire agency for the potential bad behavior of a few. Stop it,” he said. he continued.
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“I am not denying the seriousness of the allegations against these employees,” Kirby declared. “And whether or not we find anything more, we hope that the investigation will give us more insight.”
Israel announced that at least 13 UNRWA personnel took part in the October 7 massacre in Israel in various capacities. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Darsh/File photo)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to continue funding UNRWA despite reports. In the United States and a growing number of other countries, Funding temporarily suspended For the agency. Israel has released evidence showing that at least a dozen members of the organization in the Gaza Strip participated in the October 7, 2023 massacre of 1,200 Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists.
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“While I understand their concerns, I am also appalled by these accusations. I urge governments that have suspended contributions to at least guarantee UNRWA’s continued operations,” Guterres said in a statement on Sunday. mentioned in.
The Biden administration has suspended funding to UNRWA and has not yet announced plans to restart it. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Biden administration has not announced a timeline for resuming funding to UNRWA.
