Hamas slams Israel over threats to stop UNRWA activities in Gaza after war

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has condemned the recent Israeli regime’s “threats” against the United Nations Relief Works and Agency (UNRWA), urging the world body and other international organizations not to “cave in to the threats and blackmail.”

The resistance group made the remarks in a statement on Saturday, after Israel accused several UNRWA staff of involvement in Hamas’s attack against the occupying entity in early October and threatened to stop the UN body from operating in the besieged Gaza Strip after the war.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a post on social media platform X that Tel Aviv is aiming to ensure “UNRWA will not be a part of the day after”.

The latest development comes a day after Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency, vowed to hold “accountable, including through criminal prosecution” any UNRWA employee found to have taken part in “acts of terror.”

He added that the UN agency had sacked several employees accused by Israel of involvement in Hamas attack in early October.

UN chief Antonio Guterres also pledged to conduct an “urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA.”

Separately on Saturday, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) called on countries that have decided to suspend their support for the UNRWA to “immediately reverse their decision,” stressing that such a move “entails great political and humanitarian relief risks”.

Hitting shelters by Israel shows total disregard for humanity: UNRWA chief

Since 7 October, Israel has directly hit 17 of UNRWA’s facilities in Gaza, the UN agency said.

PLO Secretary General Hussein al-Skeikh made the remarks in a post on X, after Australia and Canada said they had suspended their funding to the agency following a similar step by the US.

“At this particular time and in light of the continuing aggression against the Palestinian people, we need the maximum support for this international organization and not stopping support and assistance to it,” he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a post on X on Saturday that she was “deeply concerned” by the allegations against the UNRWA, adding that Canberra is “speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding.”

She also welcomed “UNRWA’s immediate response, including terminating contracts and launching an investigation, as well as its recent announcement of a full investigation into allegations against the organization.”

Canada’s International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen also announced that Ottawa had “temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA while it undertakes a thorough investigation into these allegations.”

“Canada is taking these reports extremely seriously and is engaging closely with UNRWA and other donors on this issue,” he wrote on X on Friday.

UN agency says over half a million Palestinians face ‘catastrophic hunger’ in Gaza

The UN experts have already said Israel was using food as a weapon against Palestinians in Gaza.

This came after the US announced that it has “temporarily” halted its funding to UNRWA, while reviewing the allegations against 12 employees who “may have been involved” in the Hamas attack in early October.  

The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.

Since the start of the aggression, Israel has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The Tel Aviv regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

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