Following Israel’s serious accusations against the UN aid agency UNRWA in Palestine, the interim report is now available. The experts see a need for improvement in several “critical areas”. Specific recommendations are still being developed.
As reported, the Israeli government accuses a dozen UNRWA employees of involvement in the terrorist acts of the Islamist Hamas on October 7. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari even spoke of 450 terrorists (see video above). As a result, several people were laid off and the governments of many Western countries temporarily stopped their payments. The Austrian government also agreed. UN Secretary General António Guterres promised a comprehensive investigation.
Details from the first interim report were announced on Wednesday. The experts working with former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna identified “critical areas” but did not say what they were. The aid organization is also said to have “a significant number of mechanisms and procedures” to guarantee neutrality.
The report will be published in April
“The Review Group will now develop concrete and realistic recommendations on how to address these critical areas to strengthen and improve UNRWA,” the group said. Deployed in early February, it examines the extent to which neutrality measures in the Middle East conflict were respected or violated.
However, there was only a UN communication about the interim report; the full report was not allowed to be published at all. However, the final report is expected on April 20 and should be available to the public. At the same time, a second internal United Nations investigation is underway that focuses on individual allegations against employees. This should take several weeks.
UNRWA has been caring for Palestinian refugees for decades and manages educational and healthcare facilities, among other things. In total, more than 30,000 people work for the organization, of which approximately 13,000 in the Gaza Strip. More than two million people live there.
Source: Krone
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