The Israel Defense Forces found equipment manufactured in a Hamas structure in Iran and China under the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) in Gaza.
The information published by Israel National News indicates that the Israeli operation enabled the seizure of several servers that are currently being intelligence analyzed by the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA).
The IDF had already found several hard drives and servers attributed to Hamas under the UNRWA building. Military actions by the Israel Defense Forces resulted in the destruction of servers and other computer equipment and the neutralization of 120 terrorists.
tunnel
Operations in the building were guided by intelligence from the ISA, which discovered a tunnel under the building after identifying another tunnel entrance near a UNRWA school.
Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallantsaid during a meeting with a delegation of UN ambassadors led by Israel's UN ambassador: Gilad ErdanThe UNRWA is “Hamas with plastic surgery”.
Eylon LevyIsraeli government spokesman had previously accused UNRWA of being a front for Hamas, recruiting terrorists, allowing its facilities to be used for military activities and creating a dependency on the organization to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Revelations threaten the funding of the UN agency
The cessation of funding by several donor countries for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a milestone in the organization's history.
This action was influenced by the testimony of Hillel Neuer, Director of UN Watch, before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives on January 30, 2024. Neuer presented evidence that about 10% of UNRWA staff were linked to terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with at least twelve of these officials being directly involved in an attack on October 7.
The revelations led more than a dozen countries and the European Union to suspend funding, calling into question UNRWA's ability to carry out its purported humanitarian mission. Under Neuer's leadership, UN Watch has been vigilant in UN activities, particularly in relation to the management of the IsraelPalestine conflict.
Founded in 1949, UNRWA was created to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees following the ArabIsraeli War. However, findings about his ties to terrorist groups raise serious questions about his integrity and goals. The allegations suggest that the agency may have contributed to the continuation of the conflict and the promotion of extremist ideologies.
The consequences of these revelations not only affect UNRWA, but also the credibility of the UN in the Middle East. The need for transparency and scrutiny in the work of UN organizations is particularly salient in areas of intense conflict.