Calls The UN Agency Must Continue To Operate Amid Investigations, EU Diplomat: No One Can Replace UNRWA

Josep Borrell. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) must continue its work, while accusations directed at the organization with 13.000 staff regarding the attack by the Hamas group must be verified, said EU top diplomat Josep Borrell.

"No one else can do what UNRWA has done, accusations need to be verified, let's wait until the investigation is carried out," he explained ahead of the EU ministerial meeting in Brussels, Belgium, as reported by The Times of Israel on February 12.

"While the public must continue to eat, they must continue to seek treatment to the doctor," he continued.

The EU's Head of Foreign Policy said getting rid of the agency would not make refugees leave.

"No, it will exacerbate the situation," Borrell said, quoted from Middle East Monitor.

"You know, hundreds of thousands of people get food every day thanks to UNRWA's work. And not only in Gaza, but also in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the West Bank," he explained.

"This body is irreplaceable," he said.

Israel accused 12 of its 13,000 employees in Gaza of being involved with Hamas attacks on October 7. The US. That led the agency's main donors, such as Britain, France, the United States, Germany, and other donor countries to immediately suspend funding.

"The assumption of innocence applies to everyone, at any time, even for UNRWA," he said.

He pointed out it was no longer a secret that the Israeli government wanted to get rid of UNRWA over the years with confidence that if the UN agencies formed specifically to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees were closed, the refugees would simply disappear.