ＵＮＲＷＡはハマスを「ほう助」、越境攻撃の犠牲者家族が提訴

【国連本部ＡＦＰ＝時事】昨年１０月７日のイスラム組織ハマスによるイスラエルへの越境攻撃の際に死亡した犠牲者の家族がこのほど、国連パレスチナ難民救済事業機関（ＵＮＲＷＡ）が攻撃をほう助したとしてフィリップ・ラザリニ事務局長らを相手取り米ニューヨークの裁判所に提訴した。（写真は資料写真）
　訴状によると、家族側はＵＮＲＷＡについて、「１０月７日の攻撃までの１０年間、ハマスが攻撃に必要とするテロのインフラと要員を増強するのを支援してきた」と指摘。具体的には、「ハマスが武器や爆発物などテロに使う物資を密輸入するのに必要な資金に充当するため、米ドルを現金で意図的に提供した」と主張している。
　家族側はニューヨークで提訴したことについて、「ＵＮＲＷＡの資金は事実上全額がＪＰモルガン・チェースのニューヨークのＵＮＲＷＡ口座から送金された」と説明。
　さらに、「被告らがニューヨークを訪れて（ＵＮＲＷＡ）支援国に直接支援を要請した結果、当該口座にまず拠出金が振り込まれた」としている。
　この件についてＵＮＲＷＡのコメントは得られていない。
　ＡＦＰがイスラエル当局発表の情報を基に集計したところ、２４日現在、１０月７日の攻撃に伴う死者は１１９５人。その大半を民間人が占めている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/06/25-17:01）

Families of those killed in Hamas's October 7 attack inside Israel sued the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees on Monday, alleging UNRWA facilitated the unprecedented bloodshed, according to court documents.
UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, has been in crisis since January, when Israel accused about a dozen of its 13,000 Gaza employees of involvement in the attacks that sparked the war.
That prompted many governments, including top donor the United States, to suspend funding to the agency, threatening its efforts to deliver aid in Gaza, although several have since resumed payments.
The lawsuit alleges that UNRWA... spent over a decade prior to the October 7 Attack helping Hamas build up the terror infrastructure and personnel that were necessary to carry out the October 7 Attack.
It did so by knowingly providing Hamas with the US dollars in cash that it needed to pay smugglers for weapons, explosives, and other terror materiel.
An independent review of UNRWA, led by French former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some neutrality-related issues but said Israel had yet to provide evidence for its main allegations.
Agency chief Philippe Lazzarini, who is named as a defendant in the legal action, has previously said Israel must stop its campaign against UNRWA.
The war in Gaza has produced a blatant disregard for the mission of the United Nations, including outrageous attacks on (UNRWA) employees, facilities and operations, Lazzarini wrote in an opinion article published by the New York Times last month.
- 'Assisting Hamas' -
The litigation was brought in New York because UNRWA uses banking facilities in the city, the court filings allege.
Virtually all of the money UNRWA has spent in assisting Hamas to build up its terror infrastructure in Gaza came from UNRWA's New York city bank account at JPMorgan Chase and came into that account in the first place as a result of donations solicited in New York as a result of Defendants' travel to New York to solicit donors face to face there, it said.
UNRWA did not respond to a request for comment.
The toll from Hamas's attack grew Monday to 1,195, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Palestinian militants also took 251 people hostage in the attack, 116 of whom remain captive in the Gaza Strip, according to Israel.
Of those, the military says 42 are dead, including at least nine soldiers.
Israel's retaliatory invasion and bombardment of the Gaza Strip has resulted in the deaths of at least 37,626 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.