Israel-Palestine Escalation
Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

Urgent Measures Needed to Rectify Situation Around UNRWA, Russian Deputy Ambassador to UN Says

© AP Photo / Nasser NasserPalestinians protest against the suspension of funds from several donor countries to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, in front of the Agency's offices in the West Bank city of Beitunia Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.
Palestinians protest against the suspension of funds from several donor countries to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, in front of the Agency's offices in the West Bank city of Beitunia Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 30.04.2024
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Earlier this year, Israel accused some employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East of being involved in the October 7 attack by the Palestinian organization Hamas, which led to the temporary cessation of sponsorship of the organization by a number of countries.
Urgent steps must be taken to correct the situation around the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Monday.

“A sad example of disinformation is the smear campaign launched by west Jerusalem against the Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East aimed at eliminating the activities of the Agency in the occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), which, despite external pressure, has been effectively assisting Palestine refugees in the OPT for more than 70 years in extremely difficult conditions,” Polyanskiy said. “We consider it necessary to take urgent measures to rectify this situation around UNRWA.”

Polyanskiy added that to date, more than 180 Agency employees have been killed in the Gaza Strip, making it “an absolute anti-record” for the UN.
Destroyed buildings from Israeli airstrikes are seen in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 22.04.2024
Israel-Palestine Escalation
UN Probe Says Israel Provided No Evidence of UNRWA Workers' Ties to Terror Groups
In January, Israel shared data with UNRWA's leadership on the alleged involvement of some of its staff members in the October 7 Hamas attack and vowed to hold accountable anyone involved in "acts of terror." A number of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Japan and others, responded by suspending funding to the agency. By March, however, many of these nations had decided to resume their funding.
In early February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed an independent review panel led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to check UNRWA's activities for alleged links with Hamas. Their final report, published last Monday, said that Israel had provided no evidence of the agency's workers allegedly being members of "terrorist organizations."
Colonna's UN panel is probing allegations against 19 UNRWA staff and has closed one case and suspended four others due to a lack of evidence, Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.
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