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By Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) -The chief of the U.N. Palestinian refugee company (UNRWA) on Monday denied realizing that its worker Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was a Hamas commander in Lebanon and referred to as on states to push again towards Israeli assaults on the company.
El-Amin, the pinnacle of Hamas’ Lebanon department, was killed together with members of the family in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the group mentioned on Monday. He had been positioned underneath investigation and suspended from his job at UNRWA in March following allegations regarding his politics, company head Philippe Lazzarini instructed reporters in Geneva.
“The particular allegation on the time was that (he was) part of the native management… I by no means heard the phrase commander earlier than,” he mentioned. “What’s apparent for you at the moment, was not apparent yesterday.”
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric mentioned el-Amin had been on administrative depart with out pay since March – “as quickly as UNRWA obtained details about his potential involvement with Hamas at a senior stage” – and had by no means been reinstated.
“As quickly as info was obtained – on this case, from the Israeli authorities – motion was taken,” Dujarric instructed reporters. “Each time UNRWA has obtained info past only a title, motion has been taken.”
“Anybody who works for the U.N. and engages in terror, terror-like exercise is unacceptable and outrageous and an insult to all U.N. workers members world wide,” he mentioned.
Lazzarini, who briefed press after assembly with U.N. member states earlier on Monday, mentioned he had requested them to “push again on all of the reputational assaults on the company and the continued drafting of payments which may very well be adopted in Jerusalem.”
He was referring to a transfer by the Israeli parliament to declare the organisation a “terrorist physique” which has already obtained preliminary approval. Such a transfer could be “completely unconscionable”, he added.
He additionally referred to assaults towards the company within the almost year-long Gaza conflict which have killed 223 workers and broken or destroyed round two-thirds of its amenities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has for years referred to as for UNRWA to be dismantled, accusing it of anti-Israeli incitement. Earlier Israeli allegations of workers ties to Hamas assaults on Oct. 7 led some nations to freeze funding earlier this yr, though many of those have now been reversed, except main donor the USA.
The U.N. mentioned in August that 9 UNRWA workers could have been concerned within the assaults and fired them.
Lazzarini mentioned UNRWA faces an $80 million funding shortfall for this yr and 2025 is trying “somewhat bit grim” as some European nations search to chop help budgets.
UNRWA (United Nations Reduction and Works Company for Palestine Refugees within the Close to East) was established in 1949 and supplies aid to Palestinian refugees throughout the Center East, together with in Lebanon the place it says as much as 250,000 reside.
Lazzarini mentioned it was utilizing current shelters for Palestinian refugees to accommodate a number of the 1 million individuals displaced inside Lebanon following two weeks of intensive Israeli strikes towards Hezbollah.
(Reporting by Emma Farge; extra reporting by Michelle Nichols; Modifying by Toby Chopra and Rosalba O’Brien)
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