A UN-commissioned review led by the former French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, reveals that ‘Israel’ hasn’t provided “any supporting evidence” to back up its claims that UNRWA employees are involved in 7-October attack and have direct affiliation to Palestinian resistance factions.
Colonna said in the report that Israeli authorities have not yet responded to letters from Unrwa in March and April requesting names and evidence of those involved in the attack in order to open an investigation.
“However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this,” the report said.
Israel’s claim against Unrwa staff, which was issued on the same day that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its interim ruling on Israel’s actions in Gaza saying it could amount to genocide, had led to a number of UNRWA staff losing their jobs and millions in international aid to the agency being cut off.
The allegations led by ‘Israel’ against Unrwa also pushed 16 countries to pause or froze their financial support to the agency, amounting to around 50% of the agency’s budget for the year and providing vital humanitarian services including food, schooling and medical support to Palestine refugees in Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.
Following Israel’s failure to provide any proof backing its allegations against the biggest and most important relief agency, Foreign Affairs Minister Espen Barth Eide emphasized the vital role of UNRWA for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza, urging countries that have suspended their contributions to resume funding.
Israel claims of UNRWA staff being affiliated with Hamas is part of its efforts to discredit them and continue lobbying hard to have UNRWA closed.
‘Israel’ argued that if Unrwa, the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees, no longer exists, the refugee issue must no longer exist, and the legitimate right for Palestinian refugees to return to their land will be unnecessary.
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