U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres defended the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza on Sunday, dismissing claims that Hamas controls the organization. Addressing the recent allegations, Guterres emphasized that only “a few elements” within UNRWA had ties to the terrorist group Hamas, particularly in connection with the deadly October 7 attack on Israel.
Israel’s Claims vs. UNRWA’s Defense
Last week, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon accused the UNRWA of being completely compromised by Hamas. He further claimed that Hamas had taken over the agency, aligning its operations with the militant group. Responding to these accusations, Guterres acknowledged that Hamas had “infiltrated” the agency but rejected the broader claims, arguing they lack evidence.
“The fact is there was an infiltration with a few elements that indeed participated in the 7th of October,” Guterres stated.
Transitioning the conversation to broader rumors, Guterres refuted many of Israel’s accusations. “A lot of things have been invented that do not correspond at all to the truth,” he noted. “Of course there are tunnels below the premises of UNRWA, as there are tunnels everywhere in Gaza. But there has never been any commitment of UNRWA in general to provide any kind of support to Hamas,” he added, seeking to clear the air.
Israel Doubles Down on Accusations
Despite Guterres’ reassurances, Israel has continued to assert its claims against UNRWA. Ambassador Danon accused the United Nations and Guterres of “burying its head in the sand” over the matter. Danon’s defense of an Israeli airstrike that hit the UNRWA al-Jaouni school in a Gaza refugee camp further fueled the controversy.
According to Danon, “Those who were killed in the IDF strike were nine terrorists with blood on their hands, and some of them participated in the barbaric massacre on October 7. In case there are still any doubts, there are the names of the Hamas terrorists who were at the school compound disguised as ‘local UNRWA employees.’”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) maintained that the school, which was not operational at the time, had been repurposed as a command and control center by Hamas, further justifying the airstrike.
Photographic Evidence and UNRWA’s Response
The IDF released photos showing three individuals they claimed were Hamas combatants operating within the UNRWA compound in Rafah. While the release of these images has sparked heated debates, they have done little to sway the U.N.’s position on the matter.
In a related development, Fox News Digital reported that just last month, UNRWA was forced to terminate nine employees because of their likely involvement in Hamas’s mass killing of nearly 1,200 people on October 7. This incident has fueled criticism and renewed calls for accountability within the U.N. agency.
The U.S. Funding Suspension
The fallout from the October 7 attack also reverberated in U.S. policy. In the aftermath of the massacre, the U.S. government suspended funding to UNRWA due to the participation of some of its employees in the brutal attack. Initially, President Biden had restored aid to the controversial organization after former President Trump halted its funding in 2018. However, the role of certain UNRWA staff members in the violence has led to renewed scrutiny.
As the international community continues to grapple with the complex dynamics in Gaza, Guterres’ defense of the UNRWA will likely remain a contentious topic, particularly as Israeli officials persist in raising alarms about Hamas’s influence over the agency.
