Israel says it killed Hamas commander
25/10/2024 6:04
Israel's military said on
Thursday it killed a Hamas commander who took part in the Oct.
7, 2023, assault on southern Israel and also worked for the U.N.
aid agency in the Gaza Strip.
The agency, UNRWA, has been accused by Israel of having many
employees who double as members of Hamas and other armed groups.
The U.N., after an investigation, said in August that nine UNRWA
staff were possibly involved in the Oct. 7 attacks and fired
them.
The Israeli military said Mohammad Abu Itiwi was killed on
Wednesday. It said he was a Hamas commander and had been
involved in the murder and abduction of Israeli civilians. It
also said he had been employed by UNRWA since July 2022 and that
his name appeared on a list of the agency's employees.
UNRWA confirmed Itiwi was a staff member and was killed on
Wednesday. It said Itiwi's name was included in a letter UNRWA
received from Israel in July that included a list of 100 staff
members who were also allegedly members of armed groups,
including Hamas.
"The UNRWA commissioner general responded to that letter
immediately stating that any allegation is taken seriously. He
urged (the government of Israel) to cooperate with the agency by
providing more information so he could take action. To date,
UNRWA has not received any response to that letter," said
Juliette Touma, UNRWA's director of communications.
UNRWA provides education, health and aid to millions of
Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
It has long had tense relations with Israel but relations have
deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and
Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to be disbanded.
"Israel has requested urgent clarifications from senior UN
officials and an urgent investigation into the involvement of
UNRWA employees in the Oct. 7 massacre," said Israeli military
spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
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