Tunnel under headquarters?

Accusations from Israel: UNRWA chief refuses to resign

Israel makes serious accusations against UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini.(Bild: AFP)

The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, will not resign. He said this at a press conference in Brussels on Monday. Israel had demanded his resignation after, according to Israeli sources, a Hamas tunnel was found under the UNRWA headquarters. 

EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell agreed with Lazzarini: He had not yet seen any proof of the allegations against UNRWA. The EU chief diplomat reiterated once again that it was important for the agency to be able to continue its work in the Gaza Strip. If the aid agency were to disappear, this would have a "devastating impact on 5.6 million people", said Borrell. The only way to dissolve UNRWA was a two-state solution in the Middle East.

Serious accusations from Israel
Israel had already made accusations in January that several UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7. Some EU states, including Austria, suspended their aid payments to the UN agency as a result. Lazzarini pointed to ongoing investigations to clarify the allegations. The agency's work in southern Gaza was also becoming increasingly difficult due to Israeli military operations. There is a "deep sense of panic and fear".

The Belgian Development Minister and current representative of the Council Presidency, Caroline Gennez, criticized the lack of transparency on the part of Israel. The reports on the allegations against UNRWA had not been shared with the agency itself or with its donor states. Following the destruction of the office of the Belgian development cooperation agency in Gaza, Belgium recently summoned the Israeli ambassador. Here too, further information is still awaited, said Gennez.

USA seeks information
According to government sources, the USA is trying to obtain more information about reports that the radical Islamic Hamas has been operating a command post under the headquarters of the UN refugee agency UNRWA. Israel and UNRWA have been contacted about this, says a spokesperson for the US State Department, according to the Reuters news agency.

Regarding the recent Israeli air strikes on Rafah, the US does not believe that this is the beginning of a larger offensive. Hamas battalions were in Rafah.