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UNRWA ties to Hamas undeniable, its leadership should be fired — Israeli foreign minister

UNRWA’s ties with Hamas, providing refuge for terrorists, and perpetuating its rule are undeniable, Israel Katz said

TEL AVIV, January 27. /TASS/. Israel believes that the links of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas are undeniable, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, urging the world to stop funding the UNRWA and demanding that its leadership be dismissed.

"The US, Canada, Finland, Australia, Italy, and the UK have stopped funding UNRWA due to staff involvement in the October 7 massacre. I call for more nations to join in. UNRWA’s ties with Hamas, providing refuge for terrorists, and perpetuating its rule are undeniable," he wrote on his X page.

"The leadership of UNRWA should be dismissed and thoroughly investigated for their knowledge of these activities. In Gaza’s rebuilding, UNRWA must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development," Katz said.

Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli foreign minister welcomed the decision of the United States and Canada to suspend their funding of UNRWA. He said that his country’s policy is to make sure that UNRWA has no place in the post-war life of the Gaza Strip.

Katz made the statements in the wake of decisions by Australia, the UK, Canada and the US to suspend funding for UNRWA after some of its employees were suspected of having ties with Hamas. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini ordered that several employees, who were allegedly related to a Hamas attack on southern Israel last fall, be fired.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the border were killed and over 200 people, including children, women and the elderly, were taken hostage. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.

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