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UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres referred to as his organisation’s Palestinian refugee company the “spine” of Gaza help on Wednesday (Jan 31) after a number of international locations suspended funding over Israeli claims that 12 UNRWA staffers participated in the Oct 7 attacks.
“Yesterday, I met with donors to take heed to their issues and to stipulate the steps we’re taking to deal with them … UNRWA is the spine of all humanitarian response in Gaza,” Guterres advised a UN committee on Palestinian rights.
Withholding UNRWA funding was “perilous and would consequence within the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza”, the heads of the UN companies stated in a joint assertion on Tuesday.
The dispute intensified earlier on Tuesday after Israel accused UNRWA of permitting Hamas to make use of company infrastructure in Gaza for navy exercise.
UNRWA stated it had acted promptly over allegations by Israel that 12 of its employees have been concerned within the Hamas assaults. Washington, Britain, Germany and Japan are among the many international locations which have suspended funds in mild of these disclosures.
The UN company has lengthy been underneath scrutiny by Israel, which accuses it of systematically going in opposition to the nation’s pursuits.
Israel has vowed to cease the company’s work in Gaza after the struggle and doubled down on Tuesday when authorities spokesman Eylon Levy stated that UNRWA “has been essentially compromised”.
He accused it of “hiring terrorists on a large scale, letting its infrastructure be used for Hamas navy exercise and counting on Hamas for help distribution within the Gaza Strip”.
UN Gaza help coordinator Sigrid Kaag stated earlier on Tuesday that “there isn’t a method that any organisation can change or substitute (the) large capability … of UNRWA”.
Following the Oct 7 assault on Israel, which resulted within the deaths of round 1,140 folks, principally civilians, in response to an AFP tally primarily based on official figures, its navy launched a withering air, land and sea offensive.
It has killed not less than 26,900 folks in Gaza, most of them girls and youngsters, in response to the territory’s well being ministry.
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