UN relief agency for refugees decries killing of its staff by Israeli forces

NEW YORK

The UNRWA condemned the raid conducted on the Qalandiya Refugee Camp by Israeli forces, calling for maximum restraint and actions in accordance with obligations under international law.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) condemned the killing of its staff member by Israeli forces in the Monday morning raid on the Qalandiya Refugee Camp which shelters Palestinian refugees in the West Bank.

Issuing a statement, the UNRWA noted that the killing took place during an incursion into the Qalandiya Refugee Camp during which three people were shot dead and about twenty injured, some of them seriously.

“Credible reports say that our personnel was killed by Israeli soldiers on his way to work and was not engaged in any violent activity. Another staff member of the Relief and Works Agency was shot in the leg during the same operation and is in a stable condition,” said the statement.

Stressing that an UNRWA investigation is ongoing regarding the incident, the UNRWA called on all sides to exercise maximum restraint “at this delicate time” and to act in accordance with obligations under international law.

Medical officials on the ground said that three Palestinians Jihad Aslan (19), Rubin Faris (32) and Jamal Cahcunwere were shot dead and 20 others wounded by Israeli security forces in the Qalandiya Refugee Camp early on Monday.

US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf announced on Monday that the Middle East peace process was ongoing despite the Israeli attack on the Qalandiya Refugee Camp, saying that the attack “did not derail the peace negotiations. No scheduled meetings have been canceled due to the violent raid.” She dismissed media reports that a meeting scheduled for Monday had been called off.

Besides, the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) said it is very concerned about the continued destruction of Palestinian homes and the forced displacement of men, women and children in the West Bank.

According to OCHA, more than 420 Palestinian structures have been destroyed by Israeli authorities since the beginning of the year, forcibly displacing almost 800 people, around half of whom are children.