Following the serious allegations against employees of the United Nations Palestine Relief Agency (UNRWA), Secretary-General António Guterres has now announced an investigation. The committee, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, is tasked with assessing the organization’s neutrality.
To this end, we work together with three human rights organizations from Sweden, Norway and Denmark. As reported, twelve UNRWA employees are suspected of involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Governments such as the Austrian, British, Japanese, Canadian and German announced that they would temporarily stop their payments to the aid organization.
Report scheduled
The committee is now tasked with determining “whether the agency is doing everything in its power to ensure its neutrality and respond to serious cases of abuse when they arise.” An interim report should be available by the end of March and the final report by the end of April. Part of this should include “recommendations for improving and strengthening” the existing mechanisms.
The new investigation is being conducted in parallel with an internal UN review launched in January (see video above). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that the aid agency had been completely “infiltrated” by Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
Humanitarian crisis
About two million people live in the Gaza Strip. At least 27,478 residents are believed to have died since the start of the war. Many people are displaced and living in catastrophic conditions. The reason was the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on Israel on October 7. About 1,160 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
