Daily Tribune(Editor’s Note: DAILY TRIBUNE is one of only eight global newspapers granted media coverage at ground zero of the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October last year. This is the seventh in a series of articles. For more photos and videos, visit https://tribune.net.ph/special-report.)
AFP
A senior Israeli diplomat has accused the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) of helping Hamas carry out its deadly attack in southern Israel on 7 October last year.
Mijal Gur-Aryeh, Israeli ambassador to Costa Rica, told DAILY TRIBUNE in an interview in Tel-Aviv that some employees of the international aid agency had something to do with the terrorist activities of the Palestine-based militant organization.
Gur-Aryeh joined a group of international journalists in checking on the condition of the tiny kibbutz community that was attacked by Hamas terrorists on 7 October.
She said it was her first time to personally view the extent of the horrific cross-border attack that resulted in the murder of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction, rape and torture of victims of all ages in southern Israel.
Gur-Aryeh said UNRWA, whose employees are mostly Palestinian teachers and social workers, had something to do with the Hamas attack that resulted in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Palestine-controlled Gaza Strip.
“UNRWA is a UN (United Nations) agency that is dedicated only to Palestinians. It doesn’t exist anywhere in the world — just for Palestinians. It is their own agency,” said Gur-Aryeh, referring to the humanitarian relief organization that draws its funding from the contributions of UN member states.
It has been operating in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria for nearly 75 years.
“Most UNRWA employees are teachers. But what they teach is the destruction of Israel and the western world in general, hatred and violence.”
“Now, we already know that UNRWA employees are active members of Hamas. There were letters that were found with the Hamas logo at the top that were sent to UNRWA headquarters, requesting that this person be made the principal of this school tomorrow. And it happened. He became principal of the school because of his ties to Hamas.”
Gur-Aryeh has wide knowledge of international law and diplomacy. She joined the Israel Foreign Ministry in 1999 and served as spokesperson in New Delhi, vice consul general in Istanbul, deputy ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, and counselor for political affairs in Rome.
She is also a qualified advocate and mediator with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, and a Master’s Degree in Conflict Research, Management and Resolution from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“This is my area of expertise: According to the Geneva Convention, when a protected place is used for terrorism, it loses its protection,” she said.
“This is something that many journalists forget. The moment there are weapons there, it loses its protection. It becomes a legitimate military objective,” she added.
“So we know very well that UNRWA, for many years now, basically has become like an operative of Hamas. Basically, they are under the control of Hamas.”
Connections to terror
According to an Israeli intelligence report obtained by DAILY TRIBUNE, a handful of ranking UNRWA employees and social workers have strong links to the Hamas terrorists.
UNRWA school principal Hafez Mousa Mousa was said to have played a key role in the 7 October massacre of Israeli civilians as he reportedly notified other Hamas operatives to meet him at the border.
Another ranking UNRWA employee, school counselor Mousa Subhi Musa Al Qidra is said to be an assistant in the Khan Yunis Brigade Command that carried out the abductions in Israel.
UNRWA mathematics teacher Rani Mohammad was also in the intelligence report for being an operative in communications and combat support of the Nusirat battalion and was said to be a prime mover in the kidnapping of Israeli civilians.
UNRWA social worker Faisal Ali was identified as one of the leaders in the kidnappings in the southern Israeli area of Beeri and was the chief coordinator in the transfer of weapons and trucks.
On its official website, the aid and relief agency strongly denied that its employees had a hand in the deadly terror attack.
The names of the 12 individuals against whom allegations were made were all shared multiple times with Israel and other UN member states. Prior to January 2024, “UNRWA did not receive any indication from the relevant authorities of any involvement of its staff in armed or militant groups,” the agency, which has 30,000 staff across the region, including 13,000 in Gaza, said.
