Israel says it found tunnels at the UN
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield: We’re working on the ground to ensure that humanitarian assistance continues to flow into the civilians in Rafah
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Look, we have been absolutely clear that under the current circumstances in Rafah, a military operation now in that area cannot proceed. And that would dramatically exacerbate the humanitarian emergency that we’re all seeking to alleviate right now. Israel has an obligation to ensure that civilians, that their civilian population is safe and that they’re secure and that they have access to humanitarian aid and to basic services. I believe you heard that the secretary made those statements clearly during his meetings and his engagements with the press when he was there.
UNRWA didn’t know what was underneath its headquarters, and it was evacuated when people were asked to leave Gaza City, said Philippe Lazzarini.
UNRWA was established in 1949 by U.N. resolution and it is mandated to provide direct relief to Palestinians who were displaced by the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.
In an interview on Friday with NPR diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen, Thomas-Greenfield spoke about the U.S. position on Israel’s plans to ramp up military operations in Rafah, and the efforts to ensure humanitarian aid continues to reach civilians on the ground.
We are in the process of working with the UN. The U.N. office of investigations is investigating the people who were involved in the attack. And the secretary-general just announced a commission of three Nordic NGOs who will be working with former [French] Foreign Minister [Catherine] Colonna on addressing some of the reforms and the neutrality of UNRWA moving forward.
Thomas-Greenfield: I keep hearing that others followed our lead, but others saw the situation on the ground that we saw on the ground and made their own independent decisions about what they wanted to do. But we know that a number of countries and organizations have not cut off funding yet, and we obligated a significant amount of funding to UNRWA already for their 2024 program. We will make a decision on how to move forward once we see what the assessments show.
She added: “UNWRA is the only international organization with the capacity, with the infrastructure to provide that assistance. So whether it’s through funding from the U.S. or funding from others, we will work to ensure that assistance continues to flow into the people of Gaza.”
