“No one is being held accountable. It is time for independent investigations + accountability.” Philippe Lazzarini
The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has called for all violations against the UN, including attacks on its buildings in the Gaza Strip, to be investigated.
Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s communications director, said in a statement to The Washington Post that more than 170 UNRWA buildings, mostly schools that were turned into shelters, have been attacked since October 7. More than 450 people have been killed in those attacks.
“We call for investigations into all violations against the United Nations including attacks on our buildings,” Touma said.
‘Disregard of Int Law’
In the most recent attack, a school turned shelter was bombed in Nuseirat in central Gaza on Thursday, killing at least 35 people and injuring scores.
Massacre in Nuseirat – Israel Bombs Crowded UNRWA School, Kills Scores
The Israeli army admitted to carrying out the attack, claiming that its warplanes bombed a compound used by Hamas inside a school belonging to UNRWA.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said, “The school was sheltering 6,000 displaced people when it was hit.”
He stated “Claims that armed groups may have been inside the shelter are shocking. We are however unable to verify these claims.”
Lazzarini emphasized that “attacking, targeting or using UN buildings for military purposes are a blatant disregard of International Humanitarian law.”
UN staff, premises and operations “must be protected at all times”, he added.
Another horrific day in #Gaza.
Another @UNRWA school turned shelter attacked.
This time in Nuseirat, in the Middle Areas, hit overnight by the Israeli Forces without prior warning to the displaced or @UNRWA.At least 35 people were killed and many more injured.
The school… pic.twitter.com/VL5XWWhmYd
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) June 6, 2024
‘Coordinates Shared’
The commissioner-general noted that UNRWA “shares the coordinates of all its facilities (including this school) with the Israeli Army and other parties to the conflict.”
Targeting UN premises or using them for military purposes, he stressed, “cannot become the new norm. This must stop + all those responsible must be held accountable.”
Lazzarni also called for independent investigations into the attacks on UN operations in the enclave.
‘Attacks on Aid Agencies Must Stop, Hold Perpetrators Accountable’ – UNRWA Chief
“No one is being held accountable. It is time for independent investigations + accountability,” he said on X on Friday. “In parallel, the disinformation war continues to rage including against UNRWA. This puts the lives of my own colleagues in Gaza and elsewhere at risk.”
According to the agency, “135 men and women” who worked for UNRWA have been killed in Gaza, “the highest number of UN staff ever killed in a single conflict or natural disaster.”
‘Terrorist Organization’ – Israel
A senior Israeli official on Friday recommended that the government classify UNRWA as “a terrorist organization,” the Anadolu news agency reported, citing Israeli media.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN said Gilad Erdan, Israel’s envoy to the UN, said the recommendation was in response to the UN blacklisting Israel as an entity that violates children’s rights in conflict zones, the report said.
#Gaza
– United Nations staff killed at unprecedented levels.
– UN premises damaged, destroyed, targeted or used for military purposes almost on a daily basis.
– Humanitarian convoys attacked, looted or denied access.No one is being held accountable.
It is time for… pic.twitter.com/Mglr2AwIgu
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) June 7, 2024
KAN reportedly noted that Israel is reviewing additional measures to respond to the UN, including cutting ties with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
On Friday, Guterres informed the Israeli military forces’ Attaché in the United States, Major General Hidai Zilberman, of his decision to include Israel in the blacklist of countries and organizations harming children in conflict zones.
Erdan also suggested that the government deny visas to UN officials and the heads of UN agencies, and prevent them from working in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education has said that more than 15,000 children have been killed since the start of Israel’s aggression on the Gaza Strip, the majority of them schoolchildren. This is in addition to 64 students from schools in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
‘A Lost Battle’ – Guterres to Include Israel on Blacklist for Harming Children in Conflict Zones
Staggering Death Toll
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 36,731 Palestinians have been killed, and 83,530 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
‘Israel is Committing Genocide, US is Complicit’ – Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, Anadolu)
Well, the UN can retaliate against Israel declaring UNRWA a terrorist agency. It can review Israel’s history with the UN, including the broken agreement to let the refugees return, and then compare Israel’s actions to other databases, such as those of terrorist organizations. If done, I expect Israel would come off worst. If Israel was identified as a state sponsor of terrorism in Lebanon during its interventions, and in the West Bank and Gaza during the Occupation, it would face certain penalties.