Mr. Guterres has additionally requested UNRWA head, Philippe Lazzarini, to refer any workers discovered to have taken half in or “abetted what transpired” within the brutal assaults by Hamas and different Palestinian militants that day, “for potential felony prosecution.”
“The Secretary-Common is horrified by this information,” Mr. Guterres’ Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, mentioned in a statement issued on Friday morning in New York, noting that the UN chief had been briefed on the allegations by the UNRWA Commissioner-Common.
Pressing unbiased assessment
An pressing and complete unbiased assessment of UNRWA might be carried out, the assertion added.
The UNRWA chief mentioned data had been supplied by Israeli authorities of the alleged involvement of some company employees members.
“To guard the company’s means to ship humanitarian help, I’ve taken the choice to right away terminate the contracts of those employees members and launch an investigation as a way to set up the reality directly,” Mr. Lazzarini said.
“Any UNRWA worker who was concerned in acts of terror might be held accountable, together with via felony prosecution,” he added.
He reiterated UNRWA’s condemnation of the phobia assaults within the “strongest attainable phrases” and referred to as once more for the rapid and unconditional launch of all Israeli hostages.
Betrayal of ‘elementary values’
“These surprising allegations come as greater than two million folks in Gaza rely on lifesaving help that the company has been offering because the struggle started,” Mr. Lazzarini mentioned.
“Anybody who betrays the elemental values of the United Nations additionally betrays these whom we serve in Gaza, throughout the area and elsewhere all over the world.”
