Jakarta –
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced the formation of an independent panel. The panel aims to investigate the alleged involvement of employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Hamas attack on Israel in October last year.
“The new independent panel will be led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and will work with three European research organisations,” the UN said in a statement. AFPTuesday (6/2/2024).
UNRWA is currently in the spotlight after being suspected of being involved in the attack Hamas to Israel on October 7, 2023. 12 countries then stopped funding assistance to UNRWA.
The aim of the investigation is to “assess whether the agency is doing everything in its power to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious misconduct when they are made.”
The independent panel is scheduled to submit its interim report to the UN Secretary General at the end of March. The final report is scheduled to be submitted at the end of April.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz congratulated the UN on the creation of this panel. Katz said his party would hand over any evidence they had regarding UNRWA’s alleged involvement in the Hamas attack.
“We will hand over all evidence highlighting @UNRWA’s ties to terrorism and its devastating impact on regional stability,” Katz wrote in X.
“It is very important for this committee to uncover the truth,” he added.
(ygs/ygs)
2024-02-05 20:40:04
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