US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reportedly seen images of a large tunnel positioned beneath the central headquarters of the United Nations Aid and Works Company in Gaza, which the Israel Protection Forces consider could belong to Hamas.
The Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom reported this week that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Blinken pictures of a tunnel positioned within the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza Metropolis under the UNRWA headquarters, which the Israel Protection Forces consider might be considered one of Hamas' strategic tunnels.
In response to an announcement from Netanyahu's workplace, the Israeli chief met with Blinken on Wednesday in Jerusalem. Excessive-ranking officers from the American and Israeli sides attended. Blinken and Netanyahu had a personal assembly that was later expanded.
The Israel-Hayom report states that Netanyahu confirmed Blinken alleged proof of misuse of the UNRWA headquarters.
UNRWA has confronted elevated scrutiny in latest weeks following allegations that a number of company members have ties to Hamas and different Islamic terrorist teams and that some UNRWA employees could have participated within the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel that killed over 1,200, principally civilians.
A U.S. State Division spokesman advised The Christian Put up that the company doesn’t touch upon non-public diplomatic conversations. UNRWA didn’t instantly reply to The Christian Put up's request for remark.
Late final month, plenty of media shops reported on intelligence documentation that estimated that some 1,200 UNRWA employees in Gaza had ties to Hamas, the terrorist group that has managed the Gaza Strip since 2007, or to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The report additionally mentioned that about half of the company's staff have relations who belong to extremist teams.
The doc got here on the heels of the United Nations' announcement that it had terminated a number of UNRWA employees accused of involvement within the October 7 Hamas assault. This terrorist group additionally kidnapped over 240 folks within the days of their assault.
In response to the October 7 assault, Israel launched a navy offensive in Gaza to root out Hamas and free the hostages. The Hamas-run Gaza Well being Ministry says over 27,000 folks have been killed for the reason that warfare started. These figures don’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
At the least 12 UNRWA employees are mentioned to have hyperlinks to Hamas assaults towards Israel, and 7 of the accused employees are mentioned to have been major or secondary college academics. In response to an intelligence report, six UNRWA employees have been mentioned to have participated within the October 7 bloodbath, and two have been mentioned to have helped abduct the Israelis.
Two staff have been traced to the websites the place a number of Israeli civilians have been murdered, and others are believed to have helped procure weapons and coordinate logistics for the assault.
Following the allegations towards UNRWA, america suspended funding to the company. Requested by the press about his Wednesday assembly, Blinken mentioned the US was “deeply involved” by allegations that UNRWA employees have been concerned within the October 7 assault.
“And it’s crucial, because the UN has mentioned it’s doing, that there’s a thorough investigation, that there’s clear accountability and that there are clear measures in place to make sure that this can not occur once more,” Blinken mentioned. . “We all know that the work that UNRWA does, the capabilities that it does, should be preserved as a result of so many lives rely on it. he mentioned it was important that the capabilities be preserved.”
In an announcement final month, UNRWA Commissioner-Basic Philippe Lazzarini urged nations that had suspended funding to the company to rethink.
“It’s stunning to see the suspension of funding for the company in response to allegations towards a small group of employees, particularly given the rapid motion UNRWA took by terminating their contracts and requesting a clear unbiased investigation.” The UN Workplace of Inside Oversight Companies (OIOS), the very best investigative physique within the UN system, has already seized this very critical matter,” the Commissioner-Basic mentioned.
In November, UNRWA mentioned it was searching for extra details about a report by Almog Boker of Israel's Channel 13. The journalist claimed {that a} UNRWA trainer was holding one of many folks kidnapped by Hamas in his attic on 7 October. The trainer allegedly saved the person within the attic for over a month, barely offering him with meals and neglecting the person's medical wants.
On January 31, a gathering of Christians and Jews on Capitol Hill spoke to Congressional leaders about supporting Israel throughout the ongoing warfare. One of many coalition's requests to Congress included a whole freeze on UNRWA funding, based mostly on latest allegations and considerations that supporters of the Jewish state have had in regards to the company for years.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Put up. You possibly can contact her at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Observe her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
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