Mr Gallant said he had instructed the defence establishment to “begin transferring responsibilities related to the delivery of aid, to additional organisations”.
UNRWA, he said, “has lost legitimacy and can no longer function as a UN body”.
The IDF last week uncovered an 18-metre deep, 700-metre long Hamas tunnel under UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza, which, it is claimed, served as a Hamas intelligence data centre. Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s chief, later denied any knowledge about the Hamas tunnels under his HQ.
“Hamas uses UNRWA institutions including hospitals and schools in order to store weapons, launchers, command centres, build tunnel shafts and tunnels. Nuchba forces [Hamas special forces] hide in UNRWA facilities. Hamas and PIJ launch missiles from UNRWA schools,” Mr Gallant said.
Mr Gallant also took questions on the future of Gaza, insisting that Israel had no intention of resettling the enclave.
“The guiding principle for the day after Hamas – neither Israel nor Hamas will be in control of Gaza. Israel is not going to control Gaza,” he said.
‘Thorough planning’
Mr Gallant said that Israel was “thoroughly planning” military operations in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where some 1.3 million Palestinians are currently sheltering.
“There were 24 regional battalions in Gaza – we have dismantled 18 of them. Now, Rafah is the next Hamas centre of gravity,” he said.
Israel has been warned by its allies, including France, US and Germany, about its plan to begin a military operation in Rafah.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, on Friday said an Israeli offensive in Rafah “could only lead to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and would be a turning point in this conflict”.
Amid concerns that Palestinians will be forced to flee across the border to the Sinai desert, Mr Gallant said that Israel had no intention of evacuating Palestinian civilians to Egypt.
“We respect and value our peace agreement with Egypt, which is a cornerstone of stability in the region as well as an important partner,” he said.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
