A flag of the United Nations is hooked up to 1 of the vans carrying assist ready to head in direction of north Gaza for the duration of a temporary truce involving Hamas and in Israel, in the central Gaza Strip, November 27, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa | Reuters
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres vowed on Sunday to keep to account “any U.N. personnel concerned in acts of terror” soon after allegations that some refugee agency staffers ended up included in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
But Guterres implored governments to go on supporting the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) immediately after 9 countries paused funding.
“Any U.N. personnel involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, like by way of legal prosecution,” the U.N. main said in a statement. “The Secretariat is ready to cooperate with a competent authority in a position to prosecute the people today in line with the Secretariat’s ordinary methods for such cooperation.”
At the same time, he reported, “The tens of countless numbers of adult males and women of all ages who work for UNRWA, quite a few in some of the most harmful conditions for humanitarian employees, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve ought to be fulfilled.”
In his first direct comments on the challenge, the U.N. main gave details about the UNRWA staffers implicated in the “abhorrent alleged acts.” Of the 12 implicated, he mentioned, nine had been terminated, a single was verified dead and the identities of the other two have been remaining clarified.
Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland on Saturday joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the assist company, a crucial source of guidance for men and women in Gaza, immediately after the allegations by Israel.
“Whilst I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations – I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at minimum, promise the continuity of UNRWA’s functions,” Guterres reported.
Adopting a sharper tone, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said, “It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Agency and an overall neighborhood it serves simply because of allegations of felony acts against some people today, specially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region. ”
In a statement he urged nations to reconsider funding suspensions. “The life of individuals in Gaza rely on this support and so does regional balance,” Lazzarini reported.