Israel calls for UN Palestinian refugee agency’s chief to resign

JERUSALEM

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Monday demanded Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), to resign amid accusations for some agency’s staff members of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.

"Lazzarini should draw conclusions and resign. Supporters of terrorism are not welcome here," Katz wrote on his X account.

The Israeli minister said he canceled planned meetings on Wednesday between his ministry officials and Lazzarini.

Katz repeated accusations that at least a dozen of UNRWA staff members participated in the attacks on Oct. 7 on Israeli sites around the Gaza Strip.

At least 12 countries – Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Finland, Australia, the UK, Netherlands, the US, France, Austria and Japan – have suspended funds for UNRWA, which was established in 1949 to cater to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.

UNRWA said it terminated contracts with several employees following the Israeli allegations.

The Israeli accusations came as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday found South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide plausible. The court issued an interim order urging Israel to stop obstructing aid deliveries into Gaza and to improve the humanitarian situation.

Flouting the ICJ’s provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on the Gaza Strip where at least 26,637 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 65,387 others injured since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel says nearly 1,200 people have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar