Israel claims Hamas had a command tunnel beneath the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Gaza, and its funding has been cut following allegations that some of its staff took part in the October 7 attack on Israel. The agency is being investigated even more rigorously.
On Saturday, army engineers took foreign reporters on a tour of a tunnel that opens next to the school. The army said the tunnel was about 765 yards long, and the crew had to walk for 20 minutes to reach the basement of UNRWA headquarters, according to the Army lieutenant colonel who led the tour. Reuters.
The inspection comes as Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli Security Services (ISA) forces are raiding targets in northern and central Gaza.
In a joint statement obtained by The Hill, the IDF and ISA said: “Troops located electrical infrastructure in the tunnel leading to UNRWA headquarters and found an underground tunnel beneath it. This indicates that UNRWA facilities provide power to the tunnel. It shows that there was a
They also claimed to have found a weapon inside the room. The joint investigation also concluded that UNRWA offices were being used by Hamas.
“A large quantity of weapons, including rifles, ammunition, grenades and explosives, were found inside the building’s rooms,” the joint statement said. “Information and documents discovered in the UNRWA official’s office confirm that the office was indeed also used by Hamas terrorists.”
UNRWA announced on October 12 that it had abandoned its headquarters.
“UNRWA…does not have the military and security expertise and does not have the capacity to conduct military inspections of what is or may be on the premises,” UNRWA said. Reuters In a statement.
“In the past, whenever a suspicious cavity was discovered near or on UNRWA premises, letters of protest were immediately sent to the parties to the conflict, including both the de facto authorities in Gaza (Hamas) and the Israeli authorities. It has been submitted.”
UNRWA operates hospitals and schools in Gaza and distributes aid. He employs 13,000 people in the Gaza Strip and is an important source of aid. Funding for the agency has been frozen by several countries following reports that 12 of its employees took part in the October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people.
The United Nations announced on Monday that it had appointed an independent review group to investigate concerns surrounding UNRWA.
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