Palestinian factions have declared the Gaza director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees Matthias Schmale persona non grata "due to his hostile positions and bias in favor of the occupation," according to a report in The Jerusalem Post.
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The factions called on UNRWA to name a new director for Gaza as they announced Schmale and his deputy David de Bold had been banished from the coastal enclave, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Protests erupted in the territory over comments by UNRWA Gaza chief Matthias Schmale in an interview with Israel's N12 News on May 22, in which he said he did not dispute Israel's assertion that its airstrikes were "precise."
Hamas had ridiculed him as "a spokesman for the Israeli military."
Schmale, based in Gaza, has apologized for his remarks on Israeli airstrikes, in which he said: "I have the impression there is a huge sophistication in the way the Israeli military struck over the 11 days."
"Yes they didn't hit, with some exceptions, civilian targets, but the viciousness, the ferocity of those strikes were heavily felt. More than 60 children were killed, 19 of whom went to UNRWA schools. So I think the precision was there but there was unacceptable and unbearable loss of life on the civilian side."
Sami Mshasha, UNRWA's spokesman in Jerusalem, said on Wednesday Schmale and his deputy had been "called in for consultation and discussion at the Jerusalem headquarters over the latest developments in Gaza."
Another official told Reuters that Deputy Commissioner-General Leni Stenseth would temporarily lead the Gaza team.
In a statement on May 25, Schmale issued an apology, saying: "There is no justification whatsoever for killing civilians. Military precision and sophistication are never a justification for war."
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