Israel allegations on UNRWA 'distraction' from ongoing onslaught, WHO says

The World Health Organisation (WHO), on Tuesday, urged countries to continue funding the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), calling Israeli allegations against the UN body a “distraction” from the ongoing onslaught in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The discussion right now is much of a distraction of what is going on every day, every hour, every minute in Gaza,” WHO spokesperson, Christian Lindmeier, told a UN press briefing in Geneva. “It’s a distraction from close to 27,000 deaths as of now, out of which 70 per cent are women and children.”

Lindmeier was referring to recent allegations by Tel Aviv that some of UNRWA’s staff was involved in the cross-border attack on Israel by Palestinian group, Hamas, on 7 October.

Arguing that, while these claims should be investigated, he said they currently serve as a “distraction” from measures preventing an entire nation’s access to food, water, shelter and electricity.

They also distract from the “continuous shelling” of Palestinians in Gaza, even in designated safe areas, as well as from attacks on “shelters, schools, hospitals,” he added.

READ: Israel minister calls for military rule in Gaza, expelling UNRWA

“It’s a distraction. And, as important as this discussion (on allegations) is, let’s not forget what the real issues are on the ground,” he urged.

At least 12 countries — Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Finland, Australia, UK, Netherlands, US, France, Austria, and Japan — have suspended funding for UNRWA, which was established in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.

UNRWA said it terminated contracts with several employees following the Israeli allegations.

Israel has repeatedly equated UNRWA staff with Hamas members in efforts to discredit them, providing no proof of the claims, while lobbying hard to have UNRWA closed as it is the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees. If the agency no longer exists, argues Israel, then the refugee issue must no longer exist, and the legitimate right for Palestinian refugees to return to their land will be unnecessary. Israel has denied that right of return since the late 1940s, even though its own membership of the UN was made conditional upon Palestinian refugees being allowed to return to their homes and land.

Delivering supplies to Nasser Hospital faces denials, delays

Lindmeier stressed that three missions were planned to deliver supplies to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis city in southern Gaza.

However, he said, only medicines went ahead as fuel is denied by Israel and food for internally displaced people, patients and health workers delayed, first, and eventually could not go ahead.

“Denials and delays are part of a pattern, which impede humanitarian supplies from reaching hospitals and could make them non-functional,” he said.

The spokesperson noted that another attempt was made to get food to Nasser Hospital today but, due to delays around 500 meters (0.3 miles) from the checkpoint, the crowds self-distributed the food and it could, once again, not reach Nasser.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on 7 October, killing at least 26,637 Palestinians and injuring 65,387. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

However, since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had, in fact, killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.

The Israeli offensive has left 85 per cent of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

READ: Rights groups: Halting UNRWA funding is ‘continuation of genocide’