The Israeli army has discovered a tunnel under the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. She makes serious allegations. UNRWA disagrees.
The Israeli Army (IDF) has announced that it has discovered a tunnel belonging to the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip under the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). This was reported by Israeli media where journalists were able to participate in an IDF tour of the tunnel. On Sunday, the IDF also posted a video on the messaging site X showing a Hamas tunnel. Accordingly, the tunnel served as a data center and an important facility for Hamas's military intelligence service.
According to the IDF, the underground passage is 700 meters long and 18 meters deep. Its main entrance is at the UNRWA school and leads from there to the aid agency's main building in Gaza City. The army also claims that a large number of weapons and explosives have been found there in the past two weeks. Further evidence suggests that offices and premises at UNRWA headquarters were used by Hamas terrorists. There is no information as to when exactly this application took place, either before or after the outbreak of war. The information could not be independently verified at first.
Israel accuses UNRWA of knowing about Hamas passing under its building and harboring terrorists. “There is no doubt that the UNRWA staff knew that a large tunnel was being dug beneath them,” Colonel Benny Aharon, commander of the 401st Armored Brigade, told The Times of Israel during a tour of the tunnel. “There is a wall, a gate, cameras, locking at the entrance and exit gates. Anyone who worked at UNRWA knows very well who came in and who they represent,” Aharon said. “UNRWA supports Hamas, it knows very well what's going on underground, and UNRWA uses its budget to fund part of Hamas' military capabilities, that's for sure,” he said.
UNRWA denies the allegations
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini denies the allegations. UNRWA staff had already evacuated the headquarters on October 12 at the behest of the Israeli military, he writes about the parties to the conflict, namely the IDF and Hamas.
He added that UNRWA is a humanitarian organization and “does not have the military and security expertise or the ability to militarily inspect what is or could be under its facilities”. Israeli authorities have also not officially informed UNRWA of the alleged tunnel. Information provided by either party cannot be independently verified at this time.
Serious allegations against UNRWA have recently become known: 12 staff members of the UN relief agency are suspected of involvement in an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October. In response to the allegations, countries such as Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the United States announced they were temporarily suspending their payments to the aid organization. The UN called for an independent panel to investigate the allegations.
The Gaza war was sparked by an unprecedented massacre by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations in Israel near the Gaza border on October 7. They killed more than 1,200 civilians and took many hostages in Gaza. The terrorist organization and its allies continue to fire rockets at Israel.
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