Israel-Gaza war: UN agency under fire after October 7 involvement claims
- Israel has urged UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini to resign over the deepening row, as some donor countries suspend funding and Turkey urges them to reconsider
- The UN has promised a thorough investigation of Israel’s accusations, with UN chief Antonio Guterres pleading for donor states to ‘guarantee the continuity’ of the UNRWA
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has come under fire after 12 staff members were accused of taking part in the October 7 attacks on Israel, while fighting in Gaza sent more people fleeing south towards the Egyptian border.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, to quit over the deepening row and several countries suspended funding.
The agency, which has thousands of staff, said on Friday it had fired several employees over Israel’s unspecified accusations and promised a thorough investigation.
“Mr Lazzarini please resign,” Katz said on social media platform X late on Saturday in response to a post by the UNRWA chief warning that the funding cuts meant the agency’s operation in Gaza was close to collapse.
Katz said earlier that UNRWA “must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development” in the rebuilding of Gaza after the territory’s bloodiest war.
Donors including Germany, Britain, Italy, Australia and Finland have followed the lead of the United States, which said it had suspended additional funding to the agency over the accusations.