"Attempt to cover up": Israel condemns report over allegations on UNRWA's involvement with Hamas

TEL AVIV: The Israeli Foreign Ministry has condemned the interim report on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and called it an attempt to "cover-up" the failures of the UN body.

Israel Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat emphasised that despite Israel presenting detailed information about the "deep penetration" by the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad into UNRWA in Gaza, the report has not even mentioned that the UN body should fire or refrain from hiring such employees.

The interim report has been filed by the Independent Review Group, led by French diplomat Catherine Colonna.

Taking to social media platform X, Haiat said, "The interim report of the Independent Review Group is an attempt to cover up UNRWA's failures in order to enable the refunding of the agency."

Highlighting Israel's information, the spokesperson alleged that over 2000 UNRWA employees are members of terror outfits and tunnels or other terrorist infrastructure were found in more than 30 UNRWA facilities.

"Despite the detailed information presented by Israel about the deep penetration by the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations into UNRWA in Gaza that showed, among other matters, that more than 2,000 UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations, that one-fifth of UNRWA school principals and deputy principals are Hamas personnel and that tunnels or other terrorist infrastructures were found in more than 30 UNRWA facilities, the group's interim report did not even include the simple statement that UNRWA should fire or refrain from employing members of Hamas and other terrorist organizations," he said.

Further slamming the report, Haiat said that all the proposals for cosmetic reforms offered by the group are "meaningless" and ignore the real problem that "UNRWA is part of the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas."

"The committee's conclusions are another stain on the UN and on the UN Secretary-General," he added.

The Israel Foreign Ministry further called on the donor countries not to resume funding for the body.

"Israel calls on the donor countries not to allow their taxpayers' money to flow through UNRWA to terrorist organizations, and to divert this funding to other humanitarian organizations in Gaza," Haiat said.

Meanwhile, Japan is looking to resume funding to the United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees, after suspending assistance over Israeli claims that some of its staff participated in Hamas October 7 attacks, Al Jazeera reported.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa recently met UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini in Tokyo to discuss ways the agency could enhance its transparency and governance, including ensuring the traceability of funds and the neutrality of staff.

Tokyo's move follows the lifting of similar funding pauses by the European Commission, Canada, Australia, Sweden and Finland in recent weeks.

More than one dozen countries suspended funding to UNRWA in January after Israeli authorities alleged that 12 of its staff were involved in Hamas's attacks on southern Israel.

Founded in 1949, UNRWA provides food, healthcare and education to some 5.9 million Palestinian refugees. The agency pledged funding worth USD 1.2 billion in 2022, with the biggest contributions coming from the United States, Germany, and the European Union.