Gilad Erdan challenges UNRWA head’s claim that agency was unaware of its links to Hamas in Gaza, says organization was repeatedly warned by Israel about terror ties.
By World Israel News Staff
An Israeli diplomat called for UNRWA head Phillip Lazzarini to step down, after he claimed that the UN-funded agency was unaware of how its physical assets were exploited by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Lazzarini denied that UNRWA was aware of a terror tunnel and massive Hamas data collection center located directly under its headquarters in Gaza City.
In a statement on social media platform X, Lazzarini said that “UNRWA did not know what is under its headquarters in Gaza.”
The agency’s staff “left its headquarters in Gaza City on 12 October following the Israeli evacuation orders and as bombardment intensified in the area,” Lazzarini continued.
“We have not used that compound since we left it nor are we aware of any activity that may have taken place there,” he added, implying that the terror assets were not in place before UNRWA workers fled the location.
But Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan challenged Lazzarini’s claims, stating that Jerusalem had issued repeated warnings Hamas exploiting UNRWA in the Gaza Strip.
“It’s not that you didn’t know, it’s that you didn’t WANT to know. We exposed terror tunnels under UNRWA schools and supplied evidence that Hamas exploits UNRWA,” Erdan wrote on X.
“We implored you to carry out a comprehensive search of all UNRWA facilities in Gaza. But not only did you refuse, you chose to stick your head in the sand,” he continued.
“Take responsibility and resign today! Every day we find more proof that in Gaza the UN=Hamas and vice versa. Anything the UN says or claims about Gaza cannot be trusted,” added the Ambassador.
Numerous UNRWA staff have been found to have close ties to the Hamas terror group.
An investigation by Israel revealed that around a dozen staff members participated in the Oct. 7th terror onslaught, triggering several countries to freeze funding to the organization.