UNRWA chief comments on Hamas tunnels under UNRWA headquarters

The Near East Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, has called for an independent investigation into the IDF's report of discovering a Hamas facility beneath the agency's headquarters.

However, Lazzarini mentioned that conducting such an investigation is currently impossible due to active hostilities in the Gaza Strip, as reported by Interfax.

Lazzarini assured that the agency was unaware of what was located under its headquarters. According to him, UNRWA learned about the Hamas facility from media reports, as Israeli authorities did not officially inform UNRWA about the proposed underground facility.

Furthermore, Lazzarini stated that all UNRWA staff vacated the headquarters on October 12, 2023, following an Israeli evacuation order. "We have not used this complex since we left it, and we are not aware of any activity that may have taken place there," emphasized the agency's head.

Previously, the IDF reported discovering Hamas military intelligence equipment during an operation in the north of the Gaza Strip. The equipment, including servers and other devices, was located 18 meters underground beneath the central headquarters of UNRWA.

The tunnel entrance was adjacent to a school owned by an international charity. The 700-meter-long tunnel was divided by several armored doors and connected to the electrical network of the UNRWA headquarters, where it was situated. The military stated that disclosing this facility also provided information about other Hamas terrorist infrastructure objects.