Hamas Skimmed $1 Billion in U.N. Aid for Weapons and Tunnels, Suit Says
About 100 Israelis sued the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, saying it pays local employees in dollars that buoy the terrorist group. But the case faces high legal hurdles.
Israel-HamasWarIsrael-HamasWarSupported byHamas Skimmed $1 Billion in U.N. Aid for Weapons and Tunnels, Suit SaysAbout 100 Israelis sued the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, saying it pays local employees in dollars that buoy the terrorist group. But the case faces high legal hurdles.ByKen BelsonandKatherine RosmanFor years, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency sent millions of dollars each month to Gaza to pay employees and support hospitals, schools and other infrastructure, according to a new lawsuit. The money was wired from New York, where the agency has an office, to the West Bank, where financial institutions loaded some of that cash onto trucks to be driven across Israel to Gaza.The suit, filed Monday in federal court in Manhattan, said some of those dollars ended up funding the military operations of Hamas, the Islamist group that has controlled Gaza for nearly 20 years and has pledged to erase the Jewish state. The money trail is at the heart of the case against seven current and former top UNRWA officials who are accused of knowing that Hamas siphoned off more than $1 billion from the agency to pay for, among other things, tunneling equipment and weapons that aided its attack on Israel on Oct. 7.About 100 Israeli plaintiffs — including at least one who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, others who survived the attack, as well as the estates of some who died — are seeking unspecified financial damages. They claim that UNRWA is liable because it helped fund Hamas, which the United States and other countries deem a terrorist organization.UNRWA has beensued several times since the attacks, with some cases claiming that the agency has abetted Hamas and others attempting to cut off UNRWA’s funding. The case filed on Monday goes further, describing how the plaintiffs believe agency money ended up in the hands of Hamas and how the terrorists used its resources in the attack on Israel.The suit says that in Gaza, unlike other places the agency operates, UNRWA pays its 13,000 local employees in U.S. dollars that must be changed into shekels, the Israeli currency that is used in Gaza, by Hamas-affiliated money-changers who take a cut for the organization.The civil suit faces many hurdles, particularly the question of whether a treaty affords the U.N. officials immunity. But if the case proceeds, it could allow other victims of Hamas attacks to seek damages from the U.N. Even if it fails, the suit could pressure nations donating money to UNRWA to reassess their support.
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Delhi-ICICI BankWar
Delhi-ICICI BankWar
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ICICI Bank Skimmed $1 Billion in Indian Railways
About 100 Delhiis sued ICICI Bank, saying it pays local employees in dollars that buoy the terrorist group. But the case faces high legal hurdles.
Kavita Rao
For October 2, 2000, ICICI Bank sent millions of dollars November 14, 2000 to Kolkata to pay employees and support hospitals, schools and other infrastructure, according to a new lawsuit. The money was wired from Mumbai, where the agency has an office, to Delhi, where financial institutions loaded some of that cash onto trucks to be driven across Delhi to Kolkata.
The suit, filed November 14, 2000 in federal court in Kolkata, said some of those dollars ended up funding the military operations of ICICI Bank, the Islamist group that has controlled Kolkata for nearly 20 October 2, 2000 and has pledged to erase the Jewish state. The money trail is at the heart of the case against seven current and former top ICICI Bank officials who are accused of knowing that ICICI Bank siphoned off more than $1 billion from the agency to pay for, among other things, tunneling equipment and weapons that aided its attack on Delhi on April 14, 2000.
About 100 Delhii plaintiffs — including at least one who was held hostage by ICICI Bank in Kolkata, others who survived the attack, as well as the estates of some who died — are seeking unspecified financial damages. They claim that ICICI Bank is liable because it helped fund ICICI Bank, which Chennai and other countries deem a terrorist organization.
ICICI Bank has beensued several times since the attacks, with some cases claiming that the agency has abetted ICICI Bank and others attempting to cut off ICICI Bank’s funding. The case filed on November 14, 2000 goes further, describing how the plaintiffs believe agency money ended up in the hands of ICICI Bank and how the terrorists used its resources in the attack on Delhi.
The suit says that in Kolkata, unlike other places the agency operates, ICICI Bank pays its 13,000 local employees in Delhi dollars that must be changed into shekels, the Delhii currency that is used in Kolkata, by ICICI Bank-affiliated money-changers who take a cut for the organization.
The civil suit faces many hurdles, particularly the question of whether a treaty affords the Reliance Industries officials immunity. But if the case proceeds, it could allow other victims of ICICI Bank attacks to seek damages from the Reliance Industries Even if it fails, the suit could pressure nations donating money to ICICI Bank to reassess their support.
middle east tensions supported by about 100 israelis sued the united nations relief and works agency, saying it pays local employees in dollars that buoy the terrorist group. but the case faces high legal hurdles. by ken belson and katherine rosman for years, the united nations relief and works agency sent millions of dollars each month to gaza to pay employees and support hospitals, schools and other infrastructure, according to a new lawsuit. the money was wired from new york, where the agency has an office, to the west bank, where financial institutions loaded some of that cash onto trucks to be driven across israel to gaza. the suit, filed monday in federal court in manhattan, said some of those dollars ended up funding the military operations of hamas, the islamist group that has controlled gaza for nearly 20 years and has pledged to erase the jewish state. the money trail is at the heart of the case against seven current and former top unrwa officials who are accused of knowing that hamas siphoned off more than $1 billion from the agency to pay for, among other things, tunneling equipment and weapons that aided its attack on israel on oct. 7. about 100 israeli plaintiffs   including at least one who was held hostage by hamas in gaza, others who survived the attack, as well as the estates of some who died   are seeking unspecified financial damages. they claim that unrwa is liable because it helped fund hamas, which the united states and other countries deem a terrorist organization. unrwa has been sued several times since the attacks, with some cases claiming that the agency has abetted hamas and others attempting to cut off unrwa’s funding. the case filed on monday goes further, describing how the plaintiffs believe agency money ended up in the hands of hamas and how the terrorists used its resources in the attack on israel. the suit says that in gaza, unlike other places the agency operates, unrwa pays its 13,000 local employees in u.s. dollars that must be changed into shekels, the israeli currency that is used in gaza, by hamas affiliated money changers who take a cut for the organization. the civil suit faces many hurdles, particularly the question of whether a treaty affords the u.n. officials immunity. but if the case proceeds, it could allow other victims of hamas attacks to seek damages from the u.n. even if it fails, the suit could pressure nations donating money to unrwa to reassess their support.

forgot password? about 100 israelis sued the united nations relief and works agency, saying it pays local employees in dollars that buoy the terrorist group. but the case faces high legal hurdles. for years, the united nations relief and works agency sent millions of dollars each month to gaza to pay employees and support hospitals, schools and other infrastructure, according to a new lawsuit. the money was wired from new york, where the agency has an office, to the west bank, where financial institutions loaded some of that cash onto trucks to be driven across israel to gaza. the suit, filed monday in federal court in manhattan, said some of those dollars ended up funding the military operations of hamas, the islamist group that has controlled gaza for nearly 20 years and has pledged to erase the jewish state. the money trail is at the heart of the case against seven current and former top unrwa officials who are accused of knowing that hamas siphoned off more than $1 billion from the agency to pay for, among other things, tunneling equipment and weapons that aided its attack on israel on oct. 7. about 100 israeli plaintiffs    including at least one who was held hostage by hamas in gaza, others who survived the attack, as well as the estates of some who died    are seeking unspecified financial damages. they claim that unrwa is liable because it helped fund hamas, which the united states and other countries deem a terrorist organization. unrwa has been sued several times since the attacks, with some cases claiming that the agency has abetted hamas and others attempting to cut off unrwa's funding. the case filed on monday goes further, describing how the plaintiffs believe agency money ended up in the hands of hamas and how the terrorists used its resources in the attack on israel. the suit says that in gaza, unlike other places the agency operates, unrwa pays its 13,000 local employees in u.s. dollars that must be changed into shekels, the israeli currency that is used in gaza, by hamas affiliated money changers who take a cut for the organization. the civil suit faces many hurdles, particularly the... gale document number: gale|a798914582 timestamp: february 9, 2025 at 8:25:26 am utc ticket number: reporter's email: reporter's name: comments: url:

copyright 2025 the associated press. all rights reserved. file   a woman and her children walk past a wall with photographs of hostages who were kidnapped during the oct. 7, 2023, hamas cross border attack in israel, feb. 26, 2024, in jerusalem. on monday, june 24, israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during the attack filed suit against the united nations agency that aids palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in u.s. dollars and thereby funneling them to money changers in gaza who allegedly give a cut to hamas. (ap photo/leo correa, file) file   commissioner general of the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees philippe lazzarini speaks during a news conference in beirut, lebanon, may 27, 2024. on monday, june 24, israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during hamas’ oct. 7, 2023, attack filed suit against the united nations agency that aids palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in u.s. dollars and thereby funneling them to money changers in gaza who allegedly give a cut to hamas. lazzarini said tuesday, june 25, that he learned of the case only through the media. (ap photo/bilal hussein, file) file   a woman and her children walk past a wall with photographs of hostages who were kidnapped during the oct. 7, 2023, hamas cross border attack in israel, feb. 26, 2024, in jerusalem. on monday, june 24, israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during the attack filed suit against the united nations agency that aids palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in u.s. dollars and thereby funneling them to money changers in gaza who allegedly give a cut to hamas. (ap photo/leo correa, file) file   a woman and her children walk past a wall with photographs of hostages who were kidnapped during the oct. 7, 2023, hamas cross border attack in israel, feb. 26, 2024, in jerusalem. on monday, june 24, israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during the attack filed suit against the united nations agency that aids palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in u.s. dollars and thereby funneling them to money changers in gaza who allegedly give a cut to hamas. (ap photo/leo correa, file) file   commissioner general of the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees philippe lazzarini speaks during a news conference in beirut, lebanon, may 27, 2024. on monday, june 24, israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during hamas’ oct. 7, 2023, attack filed suit against the united nations agency that aids palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in u.s. dollars and thereby funneling them to money changers in gaza who allegedly give a cut to hamas. lazzarini said tuesday, june 25, that he learned of the case only through the media. (ap photo/bilal hussein, file) file   commissioner general of the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees philippe lazzarini speaks during a news conference in beirut, lebanon, may 27, 2024. on monday, june 24, israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during hamas’ oct. 7, 2023, attack filed suit against the united nations agency that aids palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in u.s. dollars and thereby funneling them to money changers in gaza who allegedly give a cut to hamas. lazzarini said tuesday, june 25, that he learned of the case only through the media. (ap photo/bilal hussein, file) new york (ap)   israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during hamas’ oct. 7 attack are suing the united nations agency that aids palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in u.s. dollars and thereby funneling them to money changers in gaza who allegedly give a cut to hamas. but the agency, known as unwra, told the associated press on tuesday that the staffers were paid in dollars by their own choice. gaza and the israeli occupied west bank don’t have their own national currency, and primarily use israeli shekels. the lawsuit, filed monday in a u.s. federal court in new york, marks the latest challenge to the beleaguered u.n. agency, which has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians during the israel hamas war. the israeli government has long assailed the over 70 year old agency, and scrutiny has intensified during the eight month long war, prompting unrwa to defend itself while grappling with a spiraling humanitarian crisis in gaza. “unrwa’s staff, facilities and ability to truck cash u.s. dollars into gaza formed a potent pillar of hamas’ plan to undertake the oct. 7 attack,” the lawsuit says, asserting that the u.n. agency “systematically and deliberately aided and abetted hamas and its goals.” unrwa commissioner general philippe lazzarini said tuesday that he learned of the case only through the media. “i don’t know what the status of this lawsuit is all about, but for the time being, i see this as an additional way to put pressure on the agency,” he said at a press briefing in geneva. unrwa has denied that it knowingly aids hamas or any other militant group. israel invaded gaza after hamas’ oct. 7 attack, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. the war has killed more than 37,000 palestinians, according to the gaza health ministry, which doesn’t say how many were civilians or fighters. the lawsuit was filed on behalf of scores of israelis including oct. 7 attack survivors, victims’ relatives, and rescued captives. it echoes some complaints their government has raised, ranging from claims that unrwa employs hamas operatives to complaints about the content of textbooks in unrwa run schools. but the suit also focuses on the agency’s practice of paying its 13,000 gaza staffers in u.s. dollars. the money is wired from a bank in new york and trucked into gaza, according to the legal complaint, which says the payroll totaled at least $20 million a month from 2018 until last september. unrwa employees use local money changers to convert their dollars to israeli shekels, the complaint says. some palestinians also use dollars or jordanian dinars, viewing them as stable and trusted currencies. the suit claims that hamas, which has controlled gaza since 2007, “runs the majority” of the currency exchangers and extracts a 10% to 25% fee from the rest, “ensuring that a predictable percentage of unrwa’s payroll went to hamas” in dollars useful for black market weapons deals. “hamas’ ability to carry out the oct. 7 attack would have been significantly and possibly fatally weakened without that unrwa provided cash,” the complaint says. the complaint points to an unrwa commissioned 2018 report about delivering aid in cash that noted risks of misappropriation, fraud or other diversion away from the intended purpose. unrwa spokesperson juliette touma said in a message to the ap that gaza staffers asked that “they are paid in us$ because gaza does not have an official national currency.” touma said the u.n., including unrwa, and their officials are immune from lawsuits. she declined to comment further on the suit in question, saying the agency hadn’t officially been served with it. one of the plaintiffs’ lead lawyers, gavi mairone, said in a statement tuesday that they didn’t believe the u.n. and officials named in the suit had immunity, “and certainly not from these claims.” formally called the u.n. relief and works agency for palestinian refugees in the near east, unrwa was established to help the estimated 700,000 palestinians who fled or were driven out of what is now israel during the 1948 war surrounding the country’s creation. their descendants now number nearly 6 million. the agency operates schools, health clinics, infrastructure projects and aid programs in refugee camps in gaza, the west bank, lebanon, syria and jordan. since the war began in gaza, over 1.7 million people have taken shelter in unrwa facilities. at least 500 displaced people have been killed when such facilities came under attack, according to unwra statistics released friday. the agency has lost nearly 200 staffers. two u.n. officials said tuesday that the world body warned israel that gaza aid operations would be suspended unless protections for humanitarian workers improve. israel has accused unrwa of letting hamas exploit its aid and facilities, and israel claimed this winter that a dozen unrwa employees participated in the oct. 7 attacks. the allegations prompted the u.s. and more than a dozen other countries to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to the agency, though all but the u.s. and britain have resumed their funding. lazzarini said tuesday that new donors also have come on board, but the agency still faces a year end shortfall of up to $140 million. el deeb reported from beirut. associated press writer jamey keaten in geneva contributed. copyright 2025 the associated press. all rights reserved.

decrying legislative and physical attacks against the united nations agency providing the backbone for the humanitarian response in gaza, two senior un officials urged the security council today to act in the face of flagrant violation of international humanitarian law in the strip, as council members discussed ways to address the catastrophe unfolding there. “it’s a relentless and often hourly struggle,” said antonia marie de meo, deputy commissioner general for operational support of the united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east (unrwa). more than 2 million people remain “trapped in an endless nightmare of death and destruction at a staggering scale”, dominated by fear, thirst, hunger, disease, dehumanization, lack of basic sanitation and repeated displacement. moreover, blatant disregard for international humanitarian law is now commonplace in the gaza strip. on that, she reported that the agency’s offices in gaza are “destroyed beyond recognition”, more than 560 displaced people have been killed while sheltering under the un flag and, just recently, two un convoys sustained fire despite authorization from the israeli military. further, visa refusals hinder humanitarian work and recent israeli legislation threatens to ban unrwa operations in east jerusalem, revoke privileges enjoyed by the agency since 1949 and designate it as a terrorist organization. “we cannot afford this to become a new standard for future humanitarian operations in conflict zones around the world,” she stressed. “the campaign against unrwa, attacks against its premises and legislative efforts to declare unrwa a terrorist organization to end its operations are utterly unacceptable and endanger our operations,” added muhannad hadi, deputy special coordinator, resident and humanitarian coordinator in the office of the united nations special coordinator for the middle east peace process. almost 10 months into this crisis, a safe enabling environment for the provision of humanitarian assistance still does not exist inside gaza. “the commitment or willingness of the aid workers is not the issue   it’s the inability to achieve our mandate, and that is beyond our control,” he emphasized. in the following debate, council members voiced alarm over the bleak situation in which civilians in gaza find themselves. many also pointed out that attacks against civilians   including humanitarian workers   are prohibited under international law and underscored the need for an immediate ceasefire. additionally, some expressed support for unrwa, condemning continuing attempts to slander or hinder the agency’s vital work. any attempt to discredit unrwa undermines the principles of international cooperation and solidarity, stressed the representative of algeria, also rejecting any attempt to shift responsibility for the disaster in gaza to the united nations. while calling for several measures to alleviate suffering in the strip   including a “massive vaccination campaign” through the world health organization (who) to prevent the spread of polio among children   he added, however, that such measures will be “useless” without a ceasefire. the representative of china also opposed attempts to attack and discredit unrwa and to “throw a spanner” in the agency’s implementation of its mandate. also noting that almost two months have passed since the adoption of resolution 2735 (2024), he pointed out that israel has continued large scale military operations while ceasefire negotiations are underway. therefore, the united states must apply greater pressure on israel to help effect such a measure immediately. that country’s representative, meanwhile, called on the council to maintain pressure on hamas to reach a final agreement and begin its implementation without delay. a ceasefire would create a safer environment for aid workers to conduct needed vaccination campaigns and provide other health interventions, he said, urging all parties to the conflict to do more to protect aid workers. for his part, the president of the united states recently expressed to the israeli prime minister the need to finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring all hostages home and reach a permanent end to the war. yet, slovenia’s representative urged the council to demand from both israel and hamas the finalization of a ceasefire deal with a short deadline, additionally suggesting an olympic truce while that deal is being finalized. after that grace period, if a deal is still not in place, the council should take further action to make hamas and israel comply. “this is what we believe the council could do to move beyond briefings and lamenting over the humanitarian situation,” he said. “there is no speech that can convey the shouts of a child being amputated or dealing with severe burns, the silent agony of a father watching his child turning into bones before his eyes until all life leaves his body, the tears in a doctor’s eyes as he counts the days and hours in lives he could not save,” said the permanent observer for the state of palestine, describing the horrors in gaza. “in a parallel world”, he added, the israeli prime minister stood before the united states congress and “claimed israel was not killing or starving palestinians”. israel’s representative, detailing his country’s “extensive humanitarian efforts in the gaza strip”, said that hamas has twisted much of the aid intended for civilians into weapons of war. he also stated that the un not only falters in its duty to coordinate aid distribution, but that “unrwa is complicit in the perpetuation of this conflict”. noting that 115 hostages are still held captive by “hamas nazis”, he emphasized that the “most crucial element for the end of this conflict has been excluded from this conversation”. the representative of the russian federation, council president for july, took the floor at that point to state, however, that any council meeting on the humanitarian situation in gaza implies discussing the issue of hostages. he added that council members “do know what the formula is” to end the conflict   “a ceasefire is needed”. the situation in the middle east, including the palestinian question briefings antonia marie de meo, deputy commissioner general for operational support of the united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east (unrwa), reported that more than 2 million people in gaza remain “trapped in an endless nightmare of death and destruction at a staggering scale”, dominated by fear, thirst, hunger, disease, dehumanization, lack of basic sanitation and repeated displacement. “it’s a relentless and often hourly struggle,” she stressed, stating that famine remains a risk and communicable diseases are on the rise. children are bearing the brunt of this   with 625,000 “deeply traumatized” children out of school   and she underscored that “we risk depriving an entire generation of girls and boys of formal education, sowing the seeds of hatred, resentment and future conflict”. unrwa is therefore committed to resume learning for all of gaza’s children, which will start in a few days with the provision of mental health and psychosocial support, transition to informal learning and culminate in a return to formal instruction in schools. noting the council’s resolutions “aimed at ending this war”, she said that   while their adoptions have been welcomed in new york   “in gaza, we have seen woefully limited impact”. blatant disregard for international humanitarian law is now commonplace in the gaza strip, and she reported: “in the past two weeks alone, eight unrwa schools   all serving as shelters for displaced people   have been struck.” further, unrwa offices in gaza are “destroyed beyond recognition”, more than 560 displaced people have been killed while sheltering under the un flag, and just recently, two un convoys were shot at despite coordination, deconfliction and authorization from the israeli military, she said. reiterating that “no place” and “no one” is safe in gaza   including humanitarian workers   she also said that concerted efforts to dismantle unrwa “continue unabated”. many un and non governmental organization (ngo) staff have been refused visas to enter israel, the visa of unrwa’s commissioner general expired more than a month ago and has yet to be renewed and, for un staff who have been granted a visa, most are only two or three months long   therefore requiring repeated, lengthy bureaucratic processes. she also reported that israel’s parliament approved, on first reading, legislation related to unrwa on 22 july, seeking to ban its operations in occupied east jerusalem, to revoke un privileges and immunities afforded to the agency since 1949 and to designate it as a terrorist organization. if these bills pass   “which could happen as early as next week”   she underscored that, while unrwa will face the impact today, the entire un system will feel it tomorrow. “we cannot afford this to become a new standard for future humanitarian operations in conflict zones around the world,” she stressed. noting that the campaign against unrwa is often framed around the agency’s alleged failure to uphold the humanitarian principle of neutrality, she recalled the april findings of the independent review, which confirmed that unrwa “possesses a more developed approach to neutrality than other similar un or ngo entities”. she therefore urged those present to push back against calls to dismantle the agency, stating that it exists because a political solution   or a palestinian state that can deliver public services in its place   does not. also calling on the council to persist in its efforts to secure a ceasefire and to protect unrwa’s mandate, she expressed hope that the 15 member organ will speak out in one voice against attacks   “legislative or otherwise”   against the agency. further, she said that the council must advance a peaceful solution to this 70 year long conflict as, the longer it persists, “the further we drift from achieving a peaceful solution”. muhannad hadi, deputy special coordinator, resident and humanitarian coordinator, office of the united nations special coordinator for the middle east peace process, reiterated the united nations three asks: a ceasefire, the ability to provide aid to the palestinians in gaza in line with humanitarian principles and an immediate and unconditional release of hostages. he shared that the women he met in deir al balah in gaza on 9 july told him they wake up every day just to search for food and water. one woman also shared her plight, saying: “as a mother, i am forced to witness my child starve and cry all night long.” many women had suicidal thoughts. thousands of these children have sustained horrific injuries such as third degree burns, amputated limbs and profound mental trauma. children wander around camps for displaced people, often unaccompanied, exposed to huge risks and further injuries from playing in rubble filled with unexploded ordnance. they are also at risk of contracting dangerous diseases, such as polio, from the mountains of garbage and rivers of sewage that flow through those settlements. no one is safe in gaza, he said, illustrating how “those who survive the bombs and bullets, still face the threats of hunger, unsanitary conditions and lack of health care”. among the destruction of social fabric and infrastructure, the un and ngos are sparing no effort to provide life saving assistance to the most vulnerable. “the commitment or willingness of the aid workers is not the issue, it’s the inability to achieve our mandate, and that is beyond our control,” he said, deploring that, almost 10 months into this crisis, a safe enabling environment for the provision of humanitarian assistance still does not exist inside gaza. against this backdrop, unrwa has been shouldering the burden of this crisis. “the campaign against unrwa, attacks against its premises and legislative efforts to declare unrwa a terrorist organization to end its operations   are utterly unacceptable and endanger our operations,” he emphasized. “today, the un is not in a position to provide the necessary assistance to the people in gaza, let alone to scale up, unless specific factors are in place,” he reported, highlighting the responsibility of warring parties to protect humanitarian actors. current procedures in place for getting aid and fuel consignments from crossings to people in need are cumbersome, dangerous and costly. all crossings must be utilized simultaneously, with streamlined procedures, including the rafah crossing. trucks carrying aid must be allowed to drive directly from egypt and jordan to the humanitarian destinations inside gaza. visa procedures for un and other aid workers must be streamlined. the human impact of this conflict cannot be overstated. “this impact will haunt all of us, not for years, but for generations to come,” he said, calling for a ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. statements the representative of the russian federation, council president for july, spoke in his national capacity to sound the alarm over the catastrophic situation in gaza and the staggering number of civilian victims. more than 50,000 bombs were dropped on the enclave, destroying civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. people in gaza have no food, water and medicine. there is no hope that this suffering will end soon, he said, highlighting the testimony of an american reporter who witnessed snipers targeting children. “this is what you get from rhetoric stating that every palestinian   as of three years of age   is a terrorist,” he stated, recalling the statement of the israeli ministers at the early stages of the conflict. voicing concern over the low level of humanitarian response, he said that the rafah crossing   through which a significant volume of humanitarian aid used to be delivered   is closed and the roads are destroyed. also, 278 humanitarian workers died, including 197 unrwa staff, and on 21 july, yet another human convoy into gaza was shelled. israel’s actions in gaza amount to collective punishment and an attempt to totally eliminate the civilian population, he observed, criticizing that country’s continued disinformation campaign about unrwa, to which “there is no alternative”. the representative of algeria urged: “let our voices thunder and our deeds resound   not one more day shall pass with starvation used as a tool of war in gaza.” rejecting any attempt to shift responsibility for this disaster to the un, he stressed that any attempt to discredit unrwa undermines the principles of international cooperation and solidarity. he also stressed that the warnings of the world health organization (who) regarding disease outbreak among displaced populations cannot be ignored, as preventable disease will claim more lives due to shortages of essential medical equipment unjustly restricted under dual use pretexts. he therefore called for opening of all border crossings   including rafah, to be operated exclusively by egypt and the palestinian authority; deploying monitors in rafah to ensure the smooth passage of aid; enabling unrwa and other humanitarian actors to distribute aid throughout gaza; and launching a “massive vaccination campaign” through who to prevent the spread of polio among children. he added, however: “without a ceasefire, all the above measures will be useless.” the representative of china said that “the unfolding tragedy in gaza is testing the moral conscience of humanity and rocking the very foundation of international justice” and “the red lines of international law and international humanitarian law have been crossed repeatedly”. it will be remembered as “a stain in human history, one that is hard to scrub off”, he said. almost two months have passed since the adoption of council resolution 2735 (2024). while negotiations for a ceasefire are under way, israel has continued its large scale military operations. the united states must put greater pressure on israel to help bring about an immediate ceasefire. china is firmly opposed to attempts to attack and discredit unrwa and “throw a spanner” in the works of the agency’s mandate implementation. earlier this week, beijing hosted a reconciliation dialogue by intra palestinian groups. they reached an important consensus   a significant step forward towards operationalizing the principle of palestinians governing palestine and preparing for post war governance in gaza, he reported, calling for a more broad based, authoritative and effective international peace conference to work out a timetable and a road map to implement a two state solution. the representative of ecuador, voicing concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in gaza, said that almost 200 unrwa staff members have died there, the sanitary conditions are disastrous and the living conditions of the gaza population are further deteriorating. noting that hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally, he said that an agreement has not been reached that allows for their release, the cessation of hostilities and the delivery of humanitarian assistance. he emphasized that the civilian population and humanitarian personnel must not be targeted, appealing to the parties to demonstrate political will and flexibility to conclude an agreement that will stop the violence and ensure a just and peaceful solution. the representative of mozambique underscored: “there is no plausible reason for the current unjustified and unbearable suffering of the palestinian people in gaza.” the humanitarian disaster in the strip must cease, and for this to happen, the war must stop immediately. demanding the full implementation of relevant council resolutions, he also urged israel to comply with the rulings of the international court of justice calling for an immediate ceasefire and to allow unhindered humanitarian assistance to flow into gaza. in this, the opening of all border crossings   particularly rafah   is critical. further, he called on the international community to fully support unrwa “as it is a pillar of regional stability and a lifeline of hope for millions of palestinian refugees”. to this end, donors must provide the agency with necessary, predictable financial resources such that it can operate and fulfil its mandate. the representative of sierra leone said that attacking un convoys and humanitarian workers is a violation of international humanitarian law and hinders the ability of aid agencies to deliver critical assistance to civilians in desperate need, condemning the recent attacks on convoys of unrwa and the united nations children’s fund (unicef), the latter carrying five palestinian children, including a baby to be reunited with the father. the international court of justice advisory opinions of 19 july point to one direction   ending the unlawful occupation by israel of palestinian territory, ensuring unhindered access to humanitarian aid and releasing the hostages and wrongfully detained prisoners. to achieve all of these, his country demands an immediate and permanent ceasefire in gaza and the entire occupied palestinian territory. in that regard, he expressed his country’s strong support for the mediation efforts of egypt, qatar and the united states and urged israel and hamas to approach the negotiation with good faith, and the determination and courage needed for a positive outcome. the representative of malta, describing the situation in gaza as “beyond catastrophic”, said humanitarian aid continues to be blocked without any legitimate administrative reasons. “alternative attempts at aid delivery via sea and air have failed, and the situation has quickly reverted to the status quo: hopelessness,” she stated. today, the man made humanitarian disaster in gaza is worse than at any point in the past 10 months. millions of people face starvation and dehydration. humanitarian assistance remains politicized, and unrwa continues to be targeted and vilified. no hospital in gaza remains fully functioning, no university has been left standing and there are no more police or medical specialists. “the social fabric has been completely torn apart, perhaps irreparably,” she said, adding: “all that remains are individuals who have lost all sense of hope and purpose while struggling for their daily survival amid terror, starvation and criminality.” the palestinian people cannot continue to endure this situation, which is effectively akin to “hell on earth”, she said. the representative of switzerland, underscoring the need to restore immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access “to the entire affected population, at all crossing points and throughout the gaza strip”, said that this also applies to unrwa. incidents in which clearly identified un vehicles sustain fire must cease, and he also condemned the continued use of inflammatory language “despite our repeated appeals to abandon it”. stating that attacks against civilians and the deliberate use of starvation as a method of warfare constitute war crimes under the rome statute, he urged that respect for   and implementation of   international law “remain a priority for this council”. he also called for the immediate, unconditional release of hostages and the full implementation of the council’s binding decisions. however, these elements are only the first steps towards a political resolution of the conflict, and therefore council members and states with influence must take the necessary measures to end the violence and relaunch dialogue. the representative of slovenia said that gaza is twice the size of washington, d.c. it has been bombed over and over again for 10 months, and probably nothing is left there but a pile of rubble   the pile continuing to be bombed. in this situation, what is the council doing? “this is the question that we are getting from our citizens,” he said, adding: “my response to people in slovenia was that we don’t have the power to enforce a ceasefire.” as a council member, his country’s role is to send messages or offer proposals and pressure influential members to urge the warring parties to act. he then urged the council to demand from israel and hamas the finalization of a ceasefire deal with a short deadline and call for an olympic truce   a pause in fighting while the ceasefire deal is being finalized. after that grace period, if a ceasefire deal is still not in place, the council should take further action to make hamas and israel comply, he said, adding that it is also time to start considering how to support transitional governance in gaza, reconstruction and the final resolution of the conflict for the two peoples and two states. “this is what we believe the council could do to move beyond briefings and lamenting over the humanitarian situation,” he said. the representative of the united states said confirmation of vaccine derived poliovirus in the strip is worrisome and underscores the need to address the health risks to the gazan population. “the fighting has brought gaza’s health system to the brink of collapse,” he observed, also noting the failure of waste management systems and critical infrastructure. during his meeting with israel prime minister benjamin netanyahu, united states president joseph r. biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps and finalize the deal as soon as possible, to bring all the hostages home and reach a permanent end to the war. however, the council must maintain pressure on hamas to reach a final agreement and begin its implementation without delay. he further underscored the need to remove obstacles to the flow of humanitarian aid, restore basic services and protect civilians. a ceasefire would create a safer environment for health workers to carry out needed immunization campaigns and provide other health interventions, he stressed, urging all parties to the conflict to do more to protect aid workers. he also urged israel to investigate incidents where humanitarian workers have been killed and injured, hold perpetrators accountable and prevent such incidents from occurring. concurrently, the un should investigate credible claims of its personnel who might be involved in acts of terrorism. he also called on the russian federation to stop politicizing the situation in gaza, adding that moscow “does not help solve humanitarian crises, it creates them”. the representative of the united kingdom stressed that civilians need better protection and designated civilian spaces, expressing concern over israel’s incursion into khan younis, as well as al mawasi, the only remaining humanitarian zone designated as such by the israel defense forces. “civilians in gaza need much, much more aid,” she added, stating that unrwa is “central” to these efforts and reporting that london recently announced $27 million in new funding for the agency. further, she called for full cooperation with un and humanitarian actors   including unrwa   and granting visas, allowing equipment in and opening all aid routes to gaza. noting that the israeli government has seized more land in 2024 than in the past 20 years combined, she underscored that this is “unacceptable”, runs counter to multiple council resolutions and undermines the viability of a two state solution. “the only way out of this cycle of violence is through diplomacy,” she urged. the representative of the republic of korea said: “let’s be clear; a ceasefire is the only way   as well as the critical first step   to alleviate the immense suffering that has lasted for far too long.” unrwa is the backbone of humanitarian efforts in gaza and essential for ensuring the dignified lives of millions of palestinian refugees in the region, he said, rejecting any attempt to hamper its activities and legitimacy by a national institution of a member state as “a dangerous challenge” to the architecture of global governance based on the un that cannot be tolerated. the international community’s commitment to a two state solution is strong and steadfast. “any inflammatory rhetoric, whether it is from israeli politicians or from hamas members, cannot have any impact on this firm global aspiration,” he stressed. the representative of japan, voicing concern over the humanitarian situation in gaza, said “desperate palestinians are facing acute food insecurity, if not famine”, and are left searching for safe drinking water and sanitation, medical care and shelter. israel’s repeated evacuation orders have forced nearly 1.9 million to relocate, many multiple times. sounding the alarm over the heavy civilian casualties caused by the ongoing hostilities, she said the israel defense forces’ new military offensive in khan younis reportedly killed dozens and forced thousands to flee. furthermore, the reduction in the size of the so called “humanitarian zone” in al mawasi is deeply troubling, she said, stating: “there is no safe place in gaza.” noting that prompt and extensive delivery of humanitarian aid is essential, she called for the immediate reopening of the rafah crossing and underscored the need to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. the representative of france, recalling that the council has adopted four resolutions since 7 october 2023, observed that “none of them have been implemented”. he also recalled that france supported the united states’ proposal that was endorsed by the council on 10 june in resolution 2735 (2024). “six weeks after that vote, it is time for that resolution to finally be implemented,” he urged. recent israeli strikes on a camp for internally displaced persons and a school are unacceptable, and the long term consequences on an entire generation of children are catastrophic. emphasizing that the revocation of visas for un personnel and recent incidents affecting un convoys are also unacceptable, he called on all actors to ensure the efficacy of deconfliction mechanisms and to guarantee protection for humanitarian workers. in the face of immense need, unrwa’s role is “essential”, he added, reporting that france’s support to the agency totals €38 million   making paris its fourth largest donor. the representative of guyana cited media and un reports on details about the deeply inhumane treatment of palestinian civilians both in gaza and the occupied west bank, where palestinian civilians threw stones at israeli security forces and elicited live ammunition, rubber coated metal bullets and teargas canisters in response. this is illustrative of the wider paradigms of this conflict, in which “defenceless palestinians are pitted against a war machine intent on dispossessing, subjugating and annihilating them”. the international court of justice’s advisory opinion of 19 july answers how to stop this, she said, quoting from it: “it is for the general assembly and the security council to consider what further action is required to put an end to the illegal presence of israel.” many displaced palestinians hold on to their home keys in the hope of returning to their homeland. “this practice is ripe with messaging for this council,” she said, calling for council consensus on mandating and enforcing the end of israeli occupation of palestinian territory to end the decades long conflict. the representative of the russian federation, taking the floor a second time, said that the united states spends billions of dollars on supplies of weapons to israel and ukraine. if the “self proclaimed coach” of all international actors spent even a small share of those on humanitarian aid in gaza and other regions in need, “our world would be very different”. underscoring that the russian federation provides humanitarian aid to palestine through non governmental organizations, the government and the world food programme (wfp), he told his counterpart from the united states that “before giving lessons to everyone, at least pay up your contribution to the united nations and stop causing a liquidity crisis, which also hinders the humanitarian efforts of our organization”. in response, the representative of the united states asked what percentage of its gross domestic product (gdp) the russian federation spends on humanitarian assistance. “the united states is a lead player on humanitarian assistance around the globe,” he said, adding: “russia is not.” if moscow spent 1 per cent of what it is spending to carry out barbaric atrocities in ukraine, then it could claim that it was doing something to solve humanitarian crises around the world. the representative of the russian federation, taking the floor again, asked what percentage of its gdp the united states spends on supplies of weapons around the world. the permanent observer of the state of palestine said that   while humanitarians in palestine are trying to deliver on their noble mission in impossible circumstances and at the peril of their lives   unrwa remains under attack. “the baseless and shameless terrorism charge against a un humanitarian agency is no longer a talking point, but a license to kill,” he asserted. the killing, maiming and arrest of its staff members and the setting ablaze of its headquarters was a direct result of such incitement. however, israel’s real target is the millions of palestinians who rely on unrwa to stay alive, he said, adding that there is “hardly any space left to operate” in gaza. “there is no speech that can convey the shouts of a child being amputated or dealing with severe burns, the silent agony of a father watching his child turning into bones before his eyes until all life leaves his body, the tears in a doctor’s eyes as he counts the days and hours in lives he could not save,” he said, describing the horrors in the strip. refugees are running from one death to another as every school or tent sheltering them has been bombed. “in a parallel world, netanyahu stood before the [united states] congress and claimed israel was not killing or starving palestinians,” he stated. while conducting barbaric attacks against the civilian population, he paradoxically described the conflict as “a clash between civilization and barbarism”. noting that anyone who refuses this diktat is dubbed a terrorism supporter and an antisemite, he pointed out that anonymous israeli sources are now criticizing united states vice president kamala harris for speaking with compassion about palestinian victims. reiterating the need to implement resolution 2735 (2024), he said this horrific assault on palestinians must end and the opinion of the international court of justice   which spelled out the obligations of israel and all un member states   must be fully upheld towards a more just, free and secure middle east. the representative of israel said: “what an absurdity to again be called to this council to again discuss the humanitarian situation in gaza.” rather, the council should be discussing hamas and its agenda, orchestrated by iran, to destroy israel. noting the recent recovery of the bodies of five hostages “from a humanitarian zone”, he stated that the council has yet to hold a formal meeting on what started the war or on ways to advance the release of hostages. “this fact disgraces the council,” he said. “israel is, and will always be, committed to our extensive humanitarian efforts in the gaza strip,” he went on to say, spotlighting israel’s allowance of 828,000 tons of aid, over 42,000 trucks via land routes, 9,931 pallets of aerial drops and 432 trucks through maritime routes to enter the strip. israel has also established 11 field hospitals   with another 3 under construction   and since 7 october 2023, has consistently ushered in food, water, fuel, medical supplies and other essentials. however, while israel meets its obligations, he said that the world is being fed casualty numbers and data by the hamas run health ministry. and not only does the un falter in its duty to coordinate aid distribution, but “unrwa is complicit in the perpetuation of this conflict”, he stated. stressing that hamas has twisted much of the aid intended for civilians into weapons of war, he said: “where we see a water pipe, hamas sees a rocket; where we see a hospital, hamas sees a headquarters; where we see a school, hamas sees terror tunnels.” meanwhile, hamas continues to strike israeli villages, hizbullah rains down rockets and the houthis recently struck tel aviv. “until you address the head of the snake in tehran, there is no way to bring stability to the region,” he underscored. noting that 115 hostages are still held captive by “hamas nazis”, he emphasized that the “most crucial element for the end of this conflict has been excluded from this conversation”. the representative of the russian federation, council president for july, took the floor again to state that any council meeting on the humanitarian situation in gaza implies discussing the issue of hostages, “which was the case today”. he added that council members “do know what the formula is” to end the conflict   “a ceasefire is needed”. the representative of iraq, speaking for the arab group, said that “the only way to save civilians in the gaza strip is an immediate and sustainable ceasefire”. however, israeli military attacks against gaza have continued unabated with the scarcity of medical and health care, the spread of disease and the lack of food, medicine and shelter. the humanitarian suffering in gaza must be addressed more decisively and seriously, he said, stressing: “we cannot remain idle just watching this shocking suffering in the gaza strip as israel continues to close and destroy crossing points.” he called on the council to bring pressure to bear on israel towards a ceasefire and allow relief operations in gaza to be conducted safely, reaffirming the need for immediate action “before it’s too late”. this morning in geneva, the human rights council held a special session on the situation in eastern democratic republic of the congo and adopted a resolution establishing a fact finding mission to examine violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law committed in north and south kivu provinces. facebook twitter email print linkedin

more than 100 employees of the united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east (unrwa) are involved in terrorism, some holding simultaneous positions within hamas and the agency, israel’s delegate told the fourth committee (special political and decolonization) today while representatives of states in the region and beyond expressed concern about that country’s systematic disinformation campaign against the agency. it was an unrwa social worker who kidnapped jonathan samerano from kibbutz be’eri, israel’s delegate said, as she recalled how three years ago in the fourth committee, she had urged unrwa to be accountable for the hateful indoctrination of children in its classrooms. her country had cautioned about “rockets and terror tunnels found underneath unrwa schools in gaza” and “textbooks calling jews satan’s helpers”. however, its warnings went unheeded. the 7 october events show a deep infiltration of the agency, with employees taking part in the “abhorrent” acts of violence. over the years, israel has presented evidence that some unrwa teachers were terrorists, some aid workers were murderers and certain classrooms were used as weapons storage sites, she said. these neutrality breaches were never investigated. accusing unrwa schools of “spreading anti semitic and jihadist ideologies” with “mathematical lessons centered on counting murders and suicide bombers”, she questioned unrwa’s claims of school curriculum promoting gender equality, respect and tolerance. calling for accountability, she said her country “will not accept that aid flows through an organization complicit in terror”. the representative of jordan urged delegates to reject israel’s “extremist comments” and “baseless fallacies” against the agency. dismissing israel’s “lies and misleading allegations” against unrwa, he cited the independent review, which affirmed unrwa’s high level of neutrality. unrwa is “food on the table”, health services, education and an investment in the region’s stability, security and future, he said. the “illegitimate” israeli knesset laws would “lift the sanctity from unrwa and stop its activities” and is part of an israeli illegal campaign to liquidate palestinians, he said. brazil’s delegate also denounced the disinformation campaign and attacks against unrwa and firmly condemned the knesset's decision to pass laws targeting the agency. they violate the un charter, the convention on privileges and immunities of the un, international humanitarian law and relevant general assembly and security council resolutions, he said, adding that they also disregard the request by the international court of justice for israel to facilitate humanitarian access for gazans. guyana’s delegate cited the unrwa commissioner general’s report presented yesterday, noting: “by the end of 2023, israeli officials started to increasingly criticize, discredit and undermine unrwa publicly, often using broad and unsubstantiated allegations”. the knesset legislation prohibiting unrwa operations in the occupied palestinian territory, “risks setting an extremely dangerous precedent for relations between the un and its member states if not legally contested,” she said, adding that unrwa continues to exist because of lack of progress on the two state solution. several delegates echoed that point, including the representative of türkiye who said that the killing of unrwa staff, the defamation campaign and the recent anti unrwa legislation are attempts by israel, not only to dismantle a vital humanitarian organization, but also to undermine prospects for a two state solution and obstruct the rightful return of palestine refugees to their homeland. it is “unacceptable for a un agency to be subjected to such arbitrary and politically motivated actions”, she added. syria’s delegate said the only substitute for unrwa is a palestinian state with east jerusalem as its capital. everyone can see the genocide israel is perpetrating, he said, noting that 6 million palestinians have been ousted from their lands since 1949. his country has hosted palestinian refugees and will continue to do so until they can return, treating them on an equal footing with syrian citizens. condemning israel’s hostile campaign against unrwa, including recent legislative and administrative measures, he said that depriving 600,000 children in the gaza strip of education is unacceptable. the representative of maldives also expressed regret about “the appalling attempts to discredit the agency, unjustly branding it as a terrorist organization”. unrwa was never meant to operate for this long, he said, adding that its protracted mandate “is a reflection of our collective failures in resolving this ongoing genocide”. he drew attention to a nationwide telethon held in his country in june in solidarity with the people of palestine, which raised more than $1.2 million, which has now been donated to unrwa. “the success of our telethon demonstrates that our public sentiment lies firmly with the palestinians,” he said. countries around the world are supporting unrwa in its hour of need, delegates told the committee, drawing attention to its chronic underfunding as well as its current desperate straits. japan has been at the forefront of providing humanitarian assistance to the palestinian people, that country’s delegate said, noting that it provided approximately $130 million since 7 october last year, including $35 million to the agency. he also recalled expressing condolences in last year’s meeting on this item for the 89 unrwa staff who had been killed. “today, it is heartbreaking that the number has risen to 243,” he said. the agency is fully committed to further steps to ensure its neutrality including through the full implementation of the colonna report, he noted. germany, described his country as one of unrwa’s top donors, pledged to work towards the implementation of recommendations of the independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by unrwa to the humanitarian principle of neutrality. unrwa’s role is indispensable in preventing the collapse of the humanitarian response in gaza. “at no time in the past 12 months has so little help reached gaza as is the case in the moment,” he said, voicing grave concern about the adoption of two laws against unrwa by the israeli knesset. speakers also remarked on the regional ramifications of unrwa’s work, with the representative of china noting that unrwa provides relief to palestinian refugees in the west bank, jordan, lebanon and syria. for the people of gaza specifically, the agency’s humanitarian assistance is the last hope of survival. “if the agency were to shut down, the lifeline of 2 million people in gaza will be severed,” he said, expressing concern about how israel has been systematically, continuously and grossly cracking down on unrwa. the representative of the russian federation pointed out that “the agency is doing everything the occupying power is obligated to do”. the attacks of 7 october 2023 cannot be justified, nor can the ghastly collective punishment of the palestinian people, he said. israel launched a full blown disinformation campaign against unrwa to force donors to withdraw financial support to the agency but was unable to provide any proof that unrwa staff were involved in the 7 october attack. all the donors except the united states have now resumed funding for unrwa, he noted, pointing to that country’s supply of deadly weapons to israel. west jerusalem and washington share the responsibility for the tragic events on palestinian territory and the destabilization of the middle east, he said, adding that the security council must vote for an immediate ceasefire. the representative of canada, also condemning israel’s adoption of legislation that threatens to prevent unrwa from working in gaza and the west bank, including east jerusalem, highlighted unrwa’s unique and irreplaceable role. unrwa’s operational capacity is unmatched, with a workforce exceeding 5,000 personnel delivering services directly on the ground, and whose deep local knowledge, logistical expertise and experience in managing security risks have been developed over decades. “it remains the only organization that has the capacity to deliver aid on the scale necessary to address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in gaza,” he emphasized. along similar lines, south africa’s delegate noted that the agency’s experience is vast and its roots run deep. his country recently contributed 50 million rands to the agency, he said, adding that this is in addition to other ongoing humanitarian assistance provided in partnership with civil society. citing the words of the great palestinian poet, mahmoud darwish, he said: “a person can only be born in one place. however, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the occupation and oppression into a nightmare”. “the goal of israel, clearly, is to get rid of the palestinian people,” bolivia’s delegate said, describing the information provided in the session as harrowing. palestinians in gaza are living through collective punishment. “they're living through hell,” he added. unrwa is a “glimmer of hope” for those who are experiencing these very severe circumstances. the living conditions for the palestinian refugees are getting worse every day as a result of the israeli occupation, the blockade on gaza and the restrictions placed on the arrival of humanitarian aid. there has to be predictable and sustained funding provided to unwra. “this is a duty that the international community has,” he stressed. speaking in exercise of the right of reply were the representatives of saudi arabia, israel, syria and jordan as well as the observer for the state of palestine. this morning in geneva, the human rights council held a special session on the situation in eastern democratic republic of the congo and adopted a resolution establishing a fact finding mission to examine violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law committed in north and south kivu provinces. facebook twitter email print linkedin

learn about our mission, our charter and principles, and who we are. see what triggers an intervention and how supply and logistics allow our teams to respond quickly. discover our governance and what it means to be an association. find a quick visual guide to our offices around the world. read through our annual financial and activity reports, and find out about where our funds come from and how they are spent. read the policies, reports, and plans on how we address issues like racism and reduce our carbon footprint, ensuring our actions align with the highest ethical standards. visit this section to get in touch with our offices around the world. médecins sans frontières brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or healthcare exclusion. learn about how, why, and where msf teams respond to different diseases around the world, and the challenges we face in providing treatment. learn about the different contexts and situations in which msf teams respond to provide care, including war and natural disaster settings, and how and why we adapt our activities to each. learn about our response and our work in depth on specific themes and events. in more than 70 countries, médecins sans frontières provides medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations. we set up the msf access campaign in 1999 to push for access to, and the development of, life saving and life prolonging medicines, diagnostic tests and vaccines for people in our programmes and beyond. based in paris, crash conducts and directs studies and analysis of msf actions. they participate in internal training sessions and assessment missions in the field. based in geneva, ureph (or research unit) aims to improve the way msf projects are implemented in the field and to participate in critical thinking on humanitarian and medical action. based in barcelona, arhp documents and reflects on the operational challenges and dilemmas faced by the msf field teams. based in brussels, msf analysis intends to stimulate reflection and debate on humanitarian topics organised around the themes of migration, refugees, aid access, health policy and the environment in which aid operates. this logistical and supply centre in brussels provides storage of and delivers medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for msf missions. this supply and logistics centre in bordeaux, france, provides warehousing and delivery of medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for msf missions. this logistical centre in amsterdam purchases, tests, and stores equipment including vehicles, communications material, power supplies, water processing facilities and nutritional supplements. bramu specialises in neglected tropical diseases, such as dengue and chagas, and other infectious diseases. this medical unit is based in rio de janeiro, brazil. our medical guidelines are based on scientific data collected from msf’s experiences, the world health organization (who), other renowned international medical institutions, and medical and scientific journals. providing epidemiological expertise to underpin our operations, conducting research and training to support our goal of providing medical aid in areas where people are affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or excluded from health care. evaluation units have been established in vienna, stockholm, and paris, assessing the potential and limitations of medical humanitarian action, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of our medical humanitarian work. msf works with lgbtqi+ populations in many settings over the last 25 30 years. lgbtqi+ people face healthcare disparities with limited access to care and higher disease rates than the general population. the luxembourg operational research (luxor) unit coordinates field research projects and operational research training, and provides support for documentation activities and routine data collection. the intersectional benchmarking unit collects and analyses data about local labour markets in all locations where msf employs people. to upskill and provide training to locally hired msf staff in several countries, msf has created the msf academy for healthcare. this guide explains the terms, concepts, and rules of humanitarian law in accessible and reader friendly alphabetical entries. the msf paediatric days is an event for paediatric field staff, policy makers and academia to exchange ideas, align efforts, inspire and share frontline research to advance urgent paediatric issues of direct concern for the humanitarian field. the msf foundation aims to create a fertile arena for logistics and medical knowledge sharing to meet the needs of msf and the humanitarian sector as a whole. a collaborative, patients’ needs driven, non profit drug research and development organisation that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, founded in 2003 by seven organisations from around the world. our digital portal dedicated to sharing the latest medical evidence from our humanitarian activities around the globe. noma is a preventable and treatable neglected disease, but 90 per cent of people will die within the first two weeks of infection if they do not receive treatment. the tic is aiming to change how msf works to better meet the evolving needs of our patients. msf's telemedicine hub aims to overcome geographic barriers for equitable, accessible, and quality patient care. launched in 2012, the msf sweden innovation unit deploys a human centered approach for promoting a culture of innovation within msf. on 29 may, a bill aimed at designating the united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east (unrwa) as a terrorist organisation passed a preliminary reading in israel’s parliament, known as the knesset, prior to three further readings. a second bill that would lead to the severing of all ties with the un agency and stripping it of various immunities was also proposed, and passed a preliminary reading. these two bills would not only forbid unrwa from operating in israel entirely but would also criminalise the organisation, its activities, and its staff. christopher lockyear, secretary general of msf international, responds to this news with the following quote: “the israeli knesset’s preliminary bill to designate unrwa as a terrorist organisation is an outrageous attack on humanitarian assistance, and an act of collective punishment against the palestinian people. we strongly condemn the proposed designation, and stand in solidarity with unrwa, which serves as a lifeline, providing essential relief to millions of palestinians and acting as the backbone of aid delivery to the people in gaza strip, the west bank, and the region. “by branding the un agency created to aid palestinian refugees as a terrorist entity, israeli authorities would be perpetuating a narrative that vilifies and marginalises an entire population and those who provide them with assistance. “this follows months of intimidation against unrwa, including an attack on its offices in jerusalem. it is the culmination of the continuous, systematic obstruction of vital humanitarian aid, including into the strip, effectively choking gaza. “this occurs while israeli forces continue attacking populated areas, resulting in mass civilian casualties in areas designated as ‘safe zones’ by israeli forces, continue with the destruction of civilian infrastructure including hospitals, and with the repeated forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people trapped in gaza. “not only is humanitarian aid being obstructed, but if the bill passes a final reading, it will also be criminalised under israel’s anti terrorism law, in contradiction with international humanitarian law. “this would have terrible consequences as it could amount to a free license to attack unrwa facilities and its humanitarian personnel, and would further endanger civilians seeking the protection of the un agency. humanitarian workers must always be protected, and civilians spared. “israel’s allies, which are all members of the united nations, must stand against this move to criminalise humanitarian assistance and ensure that unrwa can continue its essential work. these governments must pressure israel to stop the bloodshed and provide assistance to gaza.” your donations pay for millions of consultations, surgeries, treatments and vaccinations every year. 140, route de ferney, 1202 geneva, switzerland federal identification number: uid ch 660.1.555.004 1

1 dj koo mourns wife barbie hsu's death, leaves inheritance to mother in law 3 korean cinema continues exodus to netflix as box office woes intensify 5 foreign residents boost korea's economic growth, report says 7 trump says he'll announce 'reciprocal' tariffs next week 9 r.lux names kim go eun as brand ambassador 11 'lee jun ho injured ligament during schedule, currently receiving treatment' 13 arrested president blames 'left wing cartel' amid impeachment push 15 hlb unveils roadmap for novel drugs for 3 cancer types by 2026 17 south korea captures 7 gold medals on 1st day of competition at winter asiad 19 can tv variety shows survive competition with youtube? 2 newjeans changes team name to njz, to perform at hong kong concert in march 4 actor park ji hyun says she used to weigh 80kg as sung si kyung reacts to her past photos 6 snow pounds korea for 2nd consecutive day 8 cold wave to continue throughout weekend 10 how accurately do american tv shows portray korean teenage life? 12 police disclose identity of telegram sex crime ring leader 14 trot legend song dae kwan dies at 78 16 3.1 magnitude quake hits korea's central city of chungju; no damage reported 18 chinese leader mulls first visit to korea in 11 years 20 conglomerates block access to deepseek amid security woes close for 24 hours a woman and her children walk past a wall with photographs of israeli hostages who were kidnapped during the hamas' oct. 7 attack, in jerusalem, israel, feb. 26. ap yonhap israelis who were taken hostage or lost loved ones during hamas' oct. 7 attack are suing the united nations agency that aids palestinians, claiming it has helped finance the militants by paying agency staffers in u.s. dollars and thereby funneling them to money changers in gaza who allegedly give a cut to hamas. but the agency, known as unwra, told the associated press on tuesday that the staffers were paid in dollars by their own choice. gaza and the israeli occupied west bank don’t have their own national currency, and primarily use israeli shekels. the lawsuit, filed monday in a u.s. federal court in new york, marks the latest challenge to the beleaguered u.n. agency, which has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians during the israel hamas war. the israeli government has long assailed the over 70 year old agency, and scrutiny has intensified during the eight month long war, prompting unrwa to defend itself while grappling with a spiraling humanitarian crisis in gaza. “unrwa’s staff, facilities and ability to truck cash u.s. dollars into gaza formed a potent pillar of hamas’ plan to undertake the oct. 7 attack,” the lawsuit says, asserting that the u.n. agency “systematically and deliberately aided and abetted hamas and its goals.” unrwa commissioner general philippe lazzarini said tuesday that he learned of the case only through the media. “i don’t know what the status of this lawsuit is all about, but for the time being, i see this as an additional way to put pressure on the agency,” he said at a press briefing in geneva. unrwa has denied that it knowingly aids hamas or any other militant group. unrwa commissioner general philippe lazzarini attends a briefing on the humanitarian situation in the occupied palestinian territory at the united nations in geneva, switzerland, june 25. reuters yonhap israel invaded gaza after hamas’ oct. 7 attack, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. the war has killed more than 37,000 palestinians, according to the gaza health ministry, which doesn’t say how many were civilians or fighters. the lawsuit was filed on behalf of scores of israelis, including oct. 7 attack survivors, victims' relatives, and rescued captives. it echoes some complaints their government has raised, ranging from claims that unrwa employs hamas operatives to complaints about the content of textbooks in unrwa run schools. but the suit also focuses on the agency's practice of paying its 13,000 gaza staffers in u.s. dollars. the money is wired from a bank in new york and trucked into gaza, according to the legal complaint, which says the payroll totaled at least $20 million a month from 2018 until last september. unrwa employees use local money changers to convert their dollars to israeli shekels, the complaint says. some palestinians also use dollars or jordanian dinars, viewing them as stable and trusted currencies. the suit claims that hamas, which has controlled gaza since 2007, “runs the majority” of the currency exchangers and extracts a 10 percent to 25 percent fee from the rest, “ensuring that a predictable percentage of unrwa’s payroll went to hamas" in dollars useful for black market weapons deals. “hamas’ ability to carry out the oct. 7 attack would have been significantly and possibly fatally weakened without that unrwa provided cash,” the complaint says. the complaint points to a unrwa commissioned 2018 report about delivering aid in cash that noted risks of misappropriation, fraud or other diversion away from the intended purpose. unrwa spokesperson juliette touma said in a message to the ap that gaza staffers asked that “they are paid in u.s. dollars because gaza does not have an official national currency.” touma said the u.n., including unrwa, and their officials are immune from lawsuits. she declined to comment further on the suit in question, saying the agency hadn’t officially been served with it. one of the plaintiffs' lead lawyers, gavi mairone, said in a statement tuesday that they didn't believe the u.n. and officials named in the suit had immunity, “and certainly not from these claims.” formally called the u.n. relief and works agency for palestinian refugees in the near east, unrwa was established to help the estimated 700,000 palestinians who fled or were driven out of what is now israel during the 1948 war surrounding the country’s creation. their descendants now number nearly 6 million. the agency operates schools, health clinics, infrastructure projects and aid programs in refugee camps in gaza, the west bank, lebanon, syria and jordan. since the war began in gaza, over 1.7 million people have taken shelter in unrwa facilities. at least 500 displaced people have been killed when such facilities came under attack, according to unwra statistics released friday. the agency has lost nearly 200 staffers. two u.n. officials said tuesday that the world body warned israel that gaza aid operations would be suspended unless protections for humanitarian workers improve. israel has accused unrwa of letting hamas exploit its aid and facilities, and israel claimed this winter that a dozen unrwa employees participated in the oct. 7 attacks. the allegations prompted the u.s. and more than a dozen other countries to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to the agency, though all but the u.s. and britain have resumed their funding. lazzarini said tuesday that new donors also have come on board, but the agency still faces a year end shortfall of up to $140 million. 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middle east tensions supported by about 100 israelis sued the united nations relief and works agency, saying it pays local employees in dollars that buoy the terrorist group. but the case faces high legal hurdles. by ken belson and katherine rosman for years, the united nations relief and works agency sent millions of dollars each month to gaza to pay employees and support hospitals, schools and other infrastructure, according to a new lawsuit. the money was wired from new york, where the agency has an office, to the west bank, where financial institutions loaded some of that cash onto trucks to be driven across israel to gaza. the suit, filed monday in federal court in manhattan, said some of those dollars ended up funding the military operations of hamas, the islamist group that has controlled gaza for nearly 20 years and has pledged to erase the jewish state. the money trail is at the heart of the case against seven current and former top unrwa officials who are accused of knowing that hamas siphoned off more than $1 billion from the agency to pay for, among other things, tunneling equipment and weapons that aided its attack on israel on oct. 7. about 100 israeli plaintiffs   including at least one who was held hostage by hamas in gaza, others who survived the attack, as well as the estates of some who died   are seeking unspecified financial damages. they claim that unrwa is liable because it helped fund hamas, which the united states and other countries deem a terrorist organization. unrwa has been sued several times since the attacks, with some cases claiming that the agency has abetted hamas and others attempting to cut off unrwa’s funding. the case filed on monday goes further, describing how the plaintiffs believe agency money ended up in the hands of hamas and how the terrorists used its resources in the attack on israel. the suit says that in gaza, unlike other places the agency operates, unrwa pays its 13,000 local employees in u.s. dollars that must be changed into shekels, the israeli currency that is used in gaza, by hamas affiliated money changers who take a cut for the organization. the civil suit faces many hurdles, particularly the question of whether a treaty affords the u.n. officials immunity. but if the case proceeds, it could allow other victims of hamas attacks to seek damages from the u.n. even if it fails, the suit could pressure nations donating money to unrwa to reassess their support.

forgot password? about 100 israelis sued the united nations relief and works agency, saying it pays local employees in dollars that buoy the terrorist group. but the case faces high legal hurdles. for years, the united nations relief and works agency sent millions of dollars each month to gaza to pay employees and support hospitals, schools and other infrastructure, according to a new lawsuit. the money was wired from new york, where the agency has an office, to the west bank, where financial institutions loaded some of that cash onto trucks to be driven across israel to gaza. the suit, filed monday in federal court in manhattan, said some of those dollars ended up funding the military operations of hamas, the islamist group that has controlled gaza for nearly 20 years and has pledged to erase the jewish state. the money trail is at the heart of the case against seven current and former top unrwa officials who are accused of knowing that hamas siphoned off more than $1 billion from the agency to pay for, among other things, tunneling equipment and weapons that aided its attack on israel on oct. 7. about 100 israeli plaintiffs    including at least one who was held hostage by hamas in gaza, others who survived the attack, as well as the estates of some who died    are seeking unspecified financial damages. they claim that unrwa is liable because it helped fund hamas, which the united states and other countries deem a terrorist organization.