The Israeli military says it has discovered tunnels underneath the main headquarters of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza City, alleging that Hamas militants used the space as an electrical supply room.

The unveiling of the tunnels marked the latest chapter in Israel’s campaign against the embattled agency, which it accuses of collaborating with Hamas.

Recent Israeli allegations that a dozen staff members participated in the Hamas attack on Israel Oct. 7 plunged the agency into a financial crisis, prompting major donor states to suspend their funding as well as twin investigations. The agency says that Israel has also frozen its bank account, embargoed aid shipments and canceled its tax benefits.

The army invited journalists to view the tunnel on Thursday.

  • febra@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    UNRWA evacuated the HQ on the 12th of October 2023 and hasn’t visited it since then, following the Israeli evacuation orders and as bombardment intensified, as per Lazzarini, Commissioner General of UNRWA said in a press release.

    The last inspection for the UNRWA Gaza premises was completed in September 2023. Nothing was found at the time. Inspections are done quarterly.

    So, either the UNRWA staff in the Gaza HQ gave access to its electricity infrastructure to Hamas between the date of the inspection and the date on which the premises have been evacuated, or Hamas tapped into their electricity infrastructure after the staff has left the premises of the Gaza UNRWA HQ.

    That is just about how much time this IDF piece deserves. The thirty thousand dead civillians won’t come back now, no matter what happens, with or without Hamas tapping into UNRWA electricity lines.

    • DoomBot5@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      So no chance that the inspectors simply ignored it? That can’t be a possibility, can it?

      • febra@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Sure, if you have proof of that then please do say it. Otherwise this is just more IDF Hasbara speculation that I won’t engage with. If there’s no proof for a thing, then I’ll take the more probable explanation instead of some crazy conspiracy.