On January 26, the U.S. State Department announced the suspension of financial support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This decision was prompted by Israeli claims that 12 UNRWA employees from the Gaza Strip were allegedly involved in the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, conducted by Hamas on October 7 of the preceding year.
Subsequently, ten additional donor countries, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, likewise announced the suspension of funding for the agency, citing identical Israeli allegations.
In response, UNRWA condemned the suspension of financial support based on Israeli accusations, highlighting its urgent need for assistance. Despite undertaking measures such as dismissing nine employees and promptly launching an investigation into the alleged accusations.
Israeli Officials Call For Terminating UNRWA Operations
The suspension of support from several countries coincided with calls from official Israeli authorities for the termination of UNRWA's operations, accusing the agency of hindering the peace process.
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, posted a statement on the X platform on January 27, praised the U.S. decision to cease funding for UNRWA. He noted that the agency's continued operations perpetuate the refugee issue and obstruct the peace process. Katz accused UNRWA of serving as a civilian arm for Hamas in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a meeting with a delegation of United Nations ambassadors on January 31, called for the cessation of UNRWA’s operations and the establishment of an alternative in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu denied the charges leveled against Israel by UNRWA officials in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), claiming they were baseless. He pointed out that Israel had revealed UNRWA's involvement in the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
The Picture Depicts Security Personnel, Not Hamas Controlling Aid Distribution
Simultaneously with these allegations, Israeli accounts shared misleading information regarding UNRWA's activities in the Gaza Strip. Recently, users on the X platform shared an image falsely claiming to depict a member of Hamas managing humanitarian aid entering Gaza. They contended that the picture serves as evidence of Hamas's control over any humanitarian aid reaching Gaza.
Upon investigation, Misbar found that the image was originally published on the official page of the Rafah Police Department on January 10. It depicted a security personnel member from the intervention and law enforcement forces in Rafah securing the distribution of humanitarian aid to displaced Gazans in shelters. Contrary to the claims by Israeli accounts, the image does not show Hamas' control over humanitarian aid.
The Intervention and Law Enforcement Unit work to secure aid and shelter centers during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The Video Is From Old Clashes in Jenin, Not From Gaza
Recently, the "IsraelArabic" account on the X platform shared a video claiming to show a paramedic transferring weapons to a member of Hamas in civilian clothing during ongoing clashes in Gaza. The account commented, "Hamas erased all boundaries between civilian and terrorist, paramedic, and UNRWA employee." Other accounts alleged that the video featured a UNRWA staff member dressed as a paramedic.
Upon investigation, Misbar found that the footage dates back to November 9, 2023, capturing clashes between resistance members and Israeli forces in the Jenin camp in the West Bank. It is unrelated to the current clashes in Gaza.
It is noteworthy that Misbar has previously debunked several Israeli and Western claims that accuse Hamas of misappropriating humanitarian aid designated for Gaza.
Misleading Israeli Claim Accusing Hamas of Stealing Aid
The page of the Israeli Prime Minister's spokesperson to the Arab world, Ofir Gendelman, along with other accounts, shared a video falsely claiming to document Hamas attempting to steal flour from Gaza citizens and transporting it to the movement's headquarters. Misbar investigated the allegation and found it misleading.
Misbar found that those appearing in the video are civilians from Gaza driven by hunger and food shortages to raid UNRWA warehouses in the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza and other warehouses in the central part of the Strip. They sought to obtain essential food supplies. The footage also does not show armed members for Hamas attempting to steal flour from the citizens.
During that period, a Misbar correspondent in Gaza visited both the UNRWA warehouse at the Gaza Training Centre and the Khan Yunis Training Centre. The correspondent interviewed several displaced individuals who affirmed that those who attacked the warehouse were civilians. These civilians took bags of flour, oil, and rice. It was emphasized that later on, government-affiliated individuals pursued them, trying to stop them from taking the supplies.
Baseless Claims of Hamas Stealing Humanitarian Aid
In a related context, Samuel Werberg, the regional spokesperson for the US State Department, claimed on October 24 that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is stealing humanitarian aid intended for the residents of Gaza. When questioned about the evidence supporting his allegations during an interview, he responded that "the rockets coming from Hamas are sufficient to prove his claims."
In rebuttal to his allegations, the UNRWA released a statement on the same day, confirming that they had received the aid that entered Gaza through the Rafah Border Crossing. This affirmation was also supported by the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The Ongoing Israeli Aggression in Gaza
The Israeli aggression on Gaza continues for the 115th consecutive day, claiming the lives of 26,900 Palestinian civilians, in addition to 65,949 injuries. Some victims remain trapped under the rubble and on roads, as Israeli forces prevent ambulance crews and civil defense teams from reaching them, according to the latest statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza released on Wednesday, January 31.
Meanwhile, Israeli demonstrators deliberately obstruct aid trucks, preventing them from reaching the residents of the Gaza Strip.
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