The Israeli military has raised concerns after releasing photos and footage showing Palestinian gunmen inside a UNRWA logistics facility in eastern Rafah alongside UN vehicles. The footage, shared by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), depicts armed individuals milling around UN vehicles at the compound. The IDF reported detecting one of the gunmen firing at civilians during the incident.
The warehouse compound in question serves as a central point for distributing humanitarian aid in the Rafah area. Lt. Col. (ret.) Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesperson, highlighted the presence of gunmen, likely affiliated with Hamas, at the UNRWA facility and called for urgent answers from the United Nations regarding the situation. He emphasized the potential dangers posed by such incidents and criticized what he termed as hypocrisy in the handling of such matters.
In response to the incident, representatives from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) conveyed the findings to senior officials in the international community. COGAT, a unit within the Israeli Defense Ministry overseeing humanitarian aid deliveries, urged the UN to conduct an immediate investigation into the matter.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with Israeli forces recently taking control of the Palestinian side of Gaza’s border with Egypt, including the Rafah border crossing. This move aims to prevent Hamas from hijacking humanitarian aid trucks arriving from Egypt.
In a related development, an Israeli airstrike targeted and killed 15 terrorists inside a Hamas war room located in a UNRWA school compound in the central Gaza area of Nuseirat. Among those killed were members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force, known for their involvement in previous attacks on Israeli communities.
The October 7 attacks referenced in the report had resulted in significant casualties and hostage situations, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced in the conflict between Israel and Hamas near the Gaza border.