The Diplomat
The spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy in Spain, Tal Itzhakov, said yesterday that almost 17% of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) in the Gaza Strip are members of “terrorist organisations”, including Hamas.
In a video conference with Spanish journalists, the spokeswoman released the latest data available to Israel on the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, compiled by Israeli intelligence services, and stated that UNRWA cannot play any role in Gaza, because “it has broken all its neutrality”, and a “replacement” must be found.
Given these data, Tal Itzhakov, who noted that some of these terrorists have been identified, said that “2,135 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad” work for UNRWA in Gaza, and that 485 are “members of the military wing of the terrorist organisations” and 1,650 of the Hamas movement.
She recalled that at least 15 employees of the agency were directly involved in the massacre perpetrated by Hamas on Israeli territory on 7 October, and that Israel is collaborating with two international commissions to shed light on this intervention.
She also indicated that 18 school headmasters of the UN agency are “military members” of these terrorist organisations in the Strip, and denounced, with photographs and graphics, that URWA compounds are used for terrorist activities, with rocket launching points, tunnels, shafts and warehouses.
The embassy spokeswoman insisted that all this data confirms the extent to which “terrorist infrastructure is embedded within UNRWA organisations”. For this reason, Israel reiterates its call to all states in the world that collaborate with the agency in Gaza to cut their aid, as 18 countries have done, including the United States, Germany, France and Japan.
With regard to the position of Spain, which not only has not withdrawn its contribution, but recently approved an aid of another 20 million euros for “crucial humanitarian work in Gaza” of UNRWA, Tal Itzhakov, said that Israel has transmitted to the Spanish authorities the information it has on the activity of the UN agency in Gaza, said that the two countries maintain “an open dialogue”.
The spokeswoman expressed Israel’s desire to “expand and ensure humanitarian aid in Gaza, but not through UNRWA”, but through other organisations such as the World Food Programme or the NGO World Central Kitchen, run by the Spanish chef José Andrés.
The Israeli spokeswoman accused Hamas of doing everything possible to prevent a ceasefire agreement and to “increase” Palestinian casualties by “using the civilian population” in order to “put pressure” on the international community.
“We have 134 hostages in Gaza who have to be released”, which is a “priority for the country”, she stressed, while denouncing the treatment they are subjected to and “violations in Gaza on a systematic level”, according to released hostages.
Tal Itzhakov said that Israel’s idea is not to conquer Gaza, but to eliminate the “Hamas threat and free our hostages”. She added that the goals of the war and dismantling Hamas cannot be achieved without that part, Rafah, in the south of the Strip, where there are four Hamas battalions and “much more terrorist infrastructure”, she recalled. At the same time, she noted, it is necessary to consider how to evacuate citizens and respond to the humanitarian side.
