The US ambassador to the UN expressed dissatisfaction with the Israeli military after several UN personnel were killed in Israeli attacks in the region.
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, lamented the “preventable” loss of life caused by the conflict.
“We continue to press for the need for Israel to facilitate humanitarian operations and protect humanitarian workers and facilities, such as the UNRWA school that the IDF attacked in Nuseira last week,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke after a meeting of the UN Security Council at UN Headquarters. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
UNRWA refers to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
She added: “We have also made it clear to Israel that there is absolutely no basis for its forces to open fire on vehicles that are clearly marked as UN vehicles, as has happened many times recently.”
A former school converted into a UNRWA civilian shelter came under attack by the Israel Defense Forces last week, killing 18 people, six of whom were UNRWA staff.
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon previously denounced criticism of the attacks on UNRWA shelters, claiming that the entire agency, including staff at the destroyed shelters, is overrun with terrorists and terrorist sympathizers.
Israel's UN ambassador denounces UNRWA, alleging it has been hijacked by Hamas terrorists in Gaza
Israeli soldiers take position next to a building destroyed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
“How long will the UN continue to turn a blind eye to reality and ignore the fact that Hamas terrorists have hijacked UNRWA?” Danon asked this week. “Yesterday's (Wednesday's) IDF attack killed nine blood-stained terrorists, some of whom had participated in the brutal massacre on October 7.”
Danon provided a list of names linking known Hamas terrorists to civilian shelters.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, UNRWA spokesperson Juliet Touma insisted that “Israeli authorities have not formally requested UNRWA to provide a list of staff killed in yesterday's attack on the UNRWA school. “She added that “the names included in today's statement by the Israeli army were not provided to us by the Israeli authorities prior to today.”
The U.S. ambassador noted on Monday that there continues to be a threat from Hamas infiltrating members within civilian institutions.
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Palestinians protested outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza City, protesting cuts to food aid for refugees. (Majidi Fathi/TPS)
“At the same time, we see Hamas harboring, occupying, or otherwise using civilian facilities to conduct operations and pose ongoing threats,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “There is no clear evidence of Hamas' complete disregard for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and for their sakes, and for the sake of all innocent people who are parties to this conflict, this must stop.”
UNRWA fired nine people last month after they were found to be likely involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of 1,200 people, including more than 30 Americans, in southern Israel.
“In relation to the nine individuals, there was sufficient evidence to conclude that they may have been involved in the October 7 attack,” UN secretary-general spokesman Farhan Haq told a news conference.
Fox News Digital's Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
