Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan harshly criticized UNRWA Saturday after the IDF discovered a Hamas tunnel and data center beneath its headquarters in the Gaza Strip.
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After Commissioner general of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini claimed that UNRWA did not know what was under its Gaza headquarters, Erdan wrote on X, "It's not that you didn't know, it's that you didn't WANT to know. We exposed terror tunnels under UNRWA schools and supplied evidence that Hamas exploits UNRWA. We implored you to carry out a comprehensive search of all UNRWA facilities in Gaza. But not only did you refuse, you chose to stick your head in the sand.
Video: The IDF's findings within UNRWA's Gaza facilities / Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
"Every day we find more proof that in Gaza the UN=Hamas and vice versa. Anything the UN says or claims about Gaza cannot be trusted," he said, calling on Lazzarini to "take responsibility and resign."
The network, hundreds of meters (yards) long, runs partly under UNRWA's Gaza headquarters, the military said, calling it new evidence of Hamas' exploitation of the main relief agency for Palestinians.
.@UNLazzarini it's not that you didn't know, it's that you didn't WANT to know. We exposed terror tunnels under UNRWA schools and supplied evidence that Hamas' exploits UNRWA. We implored you to carry out a comprehensive search of all UNRWA facilities in Gaza. But not only did… https://t.co/bJsD66OwoO
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) February 10, 2024
Army engineers took reporters for foreign news outlets through the passages at a time of crisis for UNRWA, which has launched an internal probe and seen a string of donor countries freeze funding over suspicions last month that some of its staff doubled as Hamas operatives and participated in the Oct. 7 brutal onslaught on Israeli towns bordering Gaza, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered.
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