UN Secretary-General rejects Israeli allegations against UNRWA

Shafaq News/ UN Secretary-General António Guterres firmly rejected Israeli claims that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) had provided support to Hamas.

In an interview with CNN, Guterres clarified, "Yes, there are tunnels under UNRWA buildings, just as there are tunnels all over Gaza, but UNRWA has not been involved in offering any support to Hamas. This is very clear."

He further emphasized that if Hamas received any critical support at certain moments, it did not come from UNRWA. "That support came from Israel," Guterres said, adding, "As everyone knows, Israel's government in the past was interested in fostering Hamas to weaken the Palestinian leadership."

UNRWA has been the target of Israeli attacks and systematic defamation, particularly over allegations involving 12 of its staff members, leading to 18 countries and the European Union suspending their funding. However, after UN investigations proved these claims false, some of those entities resumed funding for the agency.