JERUSALEM, Israel\u00a0\u2013 Gilad Erdan, Israel’s\u00a0Ambassador to the United Nations, called Saturday night \u00a0for the resignation of the head of UNRWA, the U.N. agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, who\u00a0claimed “we didn’t know” about Hamas terror tunnels running underneath the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Posting on\u00a0X,\u00a0<\/em>Erdan wrote,\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not that you didn\u2019t know, it\u2019s that you didn\u2019t WANT to know. We exposed terror tunnels under UNRWA schools and supplied evidence that Hamas\u2019 exploits UNRWA. We implored you to carry out a comprehensive search of all UNRWA facilities in Gaza. But not only did you refuse, you chose to stick your head in the sand.”<\/p>\n Erdan continued, calling for UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini to step down.\u00a0\u201cTake responsibility and resign today! Every day we find more proof that in Gaza the UN=Hamas and vice versa. Anything the UN says or claims about Gaza cannot be trusted,” he declared.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau showed visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken photos of the tunnel in the Rimon neighborhood of Gaza City last week, according to a report in\u00a0Israel Hayom.<\/em><\/p>\n The Israel Defense Forces (IDF)\u00a0also uncovered\u00a0evidence that UNRWA was providing electricity to Hamas terrorists through a shared electric infrastructure. One of the tunnels ran from an UNRWA school to an underground shelter for the Hamas military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.<\/p>\n Lazzarini had earlier denied any knowledge of the tunnels, writing on X<\/i>,\u00a0\u201cUNRWA staff left its headquarters in Gaza City on 12 October following the Israeli evacuation orders and as bombardment intensified in the area. We have not used that compound since we left it nor are we aware of any activity that may have taken place there.\u201d<\/p>\n Lazzarini added that the agency conducted frequent checks of its properties.\u00a0“In times of ‘no active conflict,'” he wrote, “UNRWA inspects inside its premises every quarter. The last inspection for the UNRWA Gaza premises was completed in September 2023.”<\/p>\n After the IDF made the tunnel discoveries and gleaned further information from Israel’s internal intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, the military carried out a raid on UNRWA headquarters, where they discovered weapons, ammunition and explosives.<\/p>\n Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz seconded Erdan’s demand for Lazzarini’s resignation, with an\u00a0X\u00a0<\/em>post stating, in part, “Commissioner-General Lazzarini’s claim of unawareness is not only absurd but also an affront to common sense. His prompt resignation is imperative.”<\/p>\n ***Please sign up for\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>CBN Newsletters<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and download the\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>CBN News app<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to ensure you keep receiving the latest news about Israel’s fight for survival.***<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"slider](\"https:\/\/marvel-b1-cdn.bc0a.com\/f00000000039764\/www1.cbn.com\/sites\/default\/files\/qspodcastbackground_template.png\"\/)
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