A man identified as a Palestinian living in Gaza told the Israel Defense Forces via audiotape that Hamas has direct control over the United Nations group that coordinates the delivery of humanitarian aid in the territory.
In a recording of the phone call obtained by The Post, the man accused the troubled Palestinian Relief and Works Agency for Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA, of being under the authority of Hamas, telling IDF officials that the terrorist group had hidden all supplies.
“This situation is very bad because humanitarian people, those who are responsible for humanitarian aid, are thieves,” the frustrated Gazan said in the recording.
“Hamas has their hands on the administrative staff of UNRWA, and it manages UNRWA,” he claimed. “Since their day [Hamas] rose to power they dominate everything.”
The man also claimed that Hamas had ensured that incoming humanitarian supplies were distributed to its own people first rather than the more than one million civilians who had been displaced by the war.
Palestinian refugees are allegedly left to fend for themselves because of Hamas’ influence on the highest humanitarian aid organization. ZUMAPRESS.com UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has been accused of having Hamas operatives in the group’s top ranks. AP
An IDF official told The Post that the call between the soldier and the civilian was recorded as the officer made the rounds to inform Palestinians of where to evacuate and get aid supplies as Israel continued its bombardment of Gaza.
The allegations, which reveal public frustration at the lack of aid arriving in Gaza amid the war, are just the latest in a troubling series of discoveries made by the Israeli military during its offensive, including the presence of UNRWA-labeled bags carried by Hamas operatives, IDF officials said. .
UNRWA did not respond to The Post’s request for comment Sunday.
The group’s mission is to “provide aid and protection for registered Palestinian refugees.”
It previously faced allegations of providing support to the terrorist group
UNRWA, which is officially dedicated to humanitarian aid, has long faced criticism for allegedly providing support to the terrorist group.
Mourning Palestinians wept over the deaths of loved ones killed in Israeli airstrikes yesterday. ZUMAPRESS.com Much of the Palestinian enclave has been reduced to rubble, with aid trickling in slowly. ZUMAPRESS.com
In November, an Israeli hostage freed by Hamas during a temporary lull in fighting said they were kept for 50 days in the attic of an UNRWA teacher, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The IDF said it had discovered a Hamas tunnel near an UNRWA school.
UNRWA has repeatedly denied claims that they have links to the terrorist group.
Hamas has been accused of stealing aid supplies for more than a million Palestinians displaced by the war. ZUMAPRESS.com
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee is expected to launch an investigation into UNRWA, according to three members of the committee.
“There is extensive evidence of a disturbing relationship between UNRWA and Hamas, and it goes much deeper than is known,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the committee’s senior member. “Congress must now investigate and reveal how much UNRWA knows, what it is doing, and what it may be hiding from the world.”
While the US halted aid to UNRWA under the Trump administration in 2018, President Biden renewed funding in 2021, launching $153 million in aid.
The US has provided at least $730 million since Biden took office.
The IDF said it would be happy to cooperate with any US investigation into UNRWA.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
