Tel Aviv

Israel has claimed to have discovered a tunnel underneath the Gaza headquarters of the embattled UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The Israeli military alleged that all tunnels operated by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were powered from there.  

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To ascertain its claims, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has invited foreign journalists to inspect the 700-metre-long and 18-metre-deep tunnel. 

“Acting on ISA intelligence, the forces discovered a tunnel shaft near a UNRWA school, leading to an underground terrorist tunnel beneath UNRWA’s main headquarters," said IDF on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

"The forces found electrical infrastructure inside the tunnel connected to UNRWA’s main HQ, suggesting it was supplying the tunnel with electricity — generated by the fuel provided through humanitarian aid,” it added. 

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IDF claimed to have discovered large quantities of weapons, including rifles, grenades and explosives in the tunnel. 

After Israel levelled the allegations, the UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini released a statement saying the UN aid agency "did not know" what was underneath its headquarters. 

"UNRWA did not know what is under its headquarters in Gaza. Staff left its headquarters in Gaza City on 12 October following the Israeli evacuation orders and as bombardment intensified in the area. We have not used that compound since we left it nor are we aware of any activity that may have taken place there," posted Lazzarini on X. 

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Lazzarini said whenever such a "suspicious cavity" was found close to or under the UNRWA premises in the past, "protest letters were promptly filed to parties to the conflict, including both the de facto authorities in Gaza (Hamas) and the Israeli authorities". 

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UNRWA in a soup 

Over a dozen countries, including the United States, Britain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and Australia have paused funding to the aid agency after allegations surfaced that several of its employees had ties with Hamas. 

Also read | US holds back $300,000 funding to UN agency amid allegations of ties with Hamas

The allegations led to the UNRWA terminating several employees based on the information provided by Israeli authorities. However, many countries are now hesitant to continue the UN agency funding and calling for a thorough investigation. 

The European Union, one of UNRWA's top donors, last month demanded an "urgent" audit of the UN agency for Palestinians. 

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. 

(With inputs from agencies)