Why in news
Hours after the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled on January 26 that Israel must do everything in its capacity to prevent “genocidal acts” from happening in Gaza, news broke of the complicity of a few UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff members in the cross-border attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on October 7.
The Benjamin Netanyahu-led government collated its charges into a dossier and presented it to the U.S. government on the same day as the ICJ ruling.
The file stated that of the 12,000-strong UNRWA staff working in the Gaza Strip, 12 had direct involvement in the attacks that saw more than 1,100 Israelis killed and close to 250 taken hostage.
What is UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)?
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a United Nations agency established in 1949 to provide assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and subsequent conflicts.
As of 2023, over 5.7 million Palestinians are registered as refugees with UNRWA across its five fields of operation: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, and Gaza Strip.
Mandate: UNRWA's primary mandate is to provide humanitarian assistance and human development services to Palestinian refugees, including education, healthcare, relief and social services, microfinance, and emergency assistance.
Services: UNRWA operates over 700 schools, 58 health clinics, and 25 community centers across its fields of operation.
It also provides food assistance, emergency shelter, and other essential services to Palestinian refugees affected by conflict and displacement.
Key things to know about UNRWA:
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