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NBCJan 23
UN Appoints Independent Panel to Review Israel's UNRWA Allegations
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The Facts
UN chief António Guterres on Monday appointed an independent panel — running alongside the UN's own investigation — to examine Israeli allegations that 12 members of staff from the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) took part in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that killed upwards of 1.2K people.
Following the yet unproven claims, 16 countries suspended funding, resulting in a total loss of $440M for the organization. The agency, which employs 13K staff in Gaza, is the primary source of aid for the war-torn enclave's 2.3M population. It has said that famine is "looming" in Gaza and appealed to the countries to reverse their decisions.
The Spin
Pro-Israel narrative
The ties between UNRWA and Hamas have always been well-known and well-documented way before the Oct. 7 attacks. However, with UNRWA facilitating these disgusting antisemitic attacks on Israel — as the evidence undoubtedly shows — there can be no choice but to completely close down the organization.
Pro-Palestine narrative
While these are serious allegations against UNRWA, they have yet to be backed up by evidence so they shouldn't be taken at face value. Even if the claims are true, it would amount to just 0.04% of the agency's workers. Should 2.3M Palestinians, who face one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history, face collective punishment for the alleged actions of such a small minority?
