Western media dispute Israeli claim of UNRWA involvement on Oct. 7
4 Min Read
"Israel" has provided donor countries with a file regarding UNRWA's affiliations with Hamas, but provided no proof therein, raising questions about the accuracy of all allegations.
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Activists demand countries to resume funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians Refugees (UNRWA) and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, near the EU headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, February 7, 2024. (AP)
A number of Western media outlets have come forward to say that the 'evidence' provided to them by "Israel" regarding UNRWA being affiliated with Hamas and partaking in Operation Al Aqsa Flood on October 7 contains no real evidence that implicates the UN agency.
On January 26, "Israel" accused 12 UNRWA staffers of directly and indirectly aiding the Resistance during Operation Al Aqsa Flood.
As a result, several Western countries led a movement, kickstarted by the United States, to defund the organization until an investigation reveals the accuracy or falsity of the claims, with more countries following.
The claims themselves had no solid foundation, creating conspiracy over whether this was just a ploy to collectively punish Palestinians in Gaza by obstructing the operations of the only organization that provided substantial and great relief amid the brutal Israeli onslaught.
Read more: UNRWA funding suspension shows donor nations complicit in war: Hamdan
'Israel's' dodgy dossier
"Israel" prepared a six-page dossier, which was shared with the Canadian government to back "Israel's" claims of UNRWA's affiliation with the October 7 operation.
The government, however, found no evidence of any ties linking UNRWA to Hamas. Sources told CBC News that the occupation reiterated its claim, but provided zero evidence to factually prove it.
The United Kingdom's Channel Four also reviewed the file, which was initially sent to the British government after it had also opted to defund UNRWA, and drew the same conclusion: "Israel" provided no evidence to back its accusations.
Channel 4's Lindsey Hilsum presented a broadcast addressing the contradiction, and took to X to voice her thoughts, saying, "We got hold of Israel’s dossier against UNRWA - why did the donors including the UK withdraw funding on such flimsy unproven allegations before an investigation?"
We got hold of Israel’s dossier against UNRWA - why did the donors including the UK withdraw funding on such flimsy unproven allegations before an investigation?https://t.co/9ssCrIbfPK
— Lindsey Hilsum (@lindseyhilsum) February 5, 2024
The UK's Sky News joined in on the consensus, saying, "The Israeli intelligence documents make several claims that Sky News has not seen proof of, and many of the claims, even if true, do not directly implicate UNRWA."
France 24, a French public broadcaster, also remarked on the suspicious nature of the Israeli report, calling it a "dodgy dossier" for its lack of authenticity and actuality.
UNRWA responds
Juliette Touma, UNRWA's director of communications, gave an interview to Channel 4 and revealed that UNRWA cannot operate without Israeli approval. She clarified that every year, UNRWA sends the Israeli authorities a file containing all members who will be working with the organization in Gaza for approval.
Touma also revealed that this past May, "Israel" approved all UNRWA workers operating in the Gaza Strip.
As countries rushed to defund UNRWA almost immediately after the allegations had been made, Touma defended the organization's commissioner general's decision to fire the staffers, saying the move was done for UNRWA's best interest "due to the huge risks both to the reputation of the agency and also the largest humanitarian operation in response to the war in Gaza."
She also expressed how the immediate action taken by these nations paralyzed relief operations had not been anticipated, especially when knowledge of the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis is well known.
In this context, Touma said aid workers will be forced to make extremely tough decisions if funding is not restored.
"Without @UNRWA there's no supplies, there's no convoys"@JulietteTouma tells @AJEnglish more food supplies are needed to avert famine in📍#Gaza & those supplies are with @UNRWA - but our operations are likely to come to an end in the next few weeks if funding remains suspended. pic.twitter.com/14Y02NdNCs
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 8, 2024
UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, said during an interview for the Financial Times that "Israel" has not furnished evidence to support its accusations that approximately twelve UNRWA staff members were implicated in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.
The Financial Times, having reviewed the intelligence assessment, reported that "Israel" offered no proof for the accusations, including the claim of a staff member kidnapping a woman.
Read more: UNRWA to be underfunded by $65 million, over 30,000 workers unpaid
As of now, UNRWA is due to be underfunded by a whopping $65 million by the end of this month as a result of the suspension of payments by many countries, leaving humanitarian workers, Palestinians relying on aid, and Gaza, under the possibility of a catastrophic humanitarian collapse.
