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STORY: UN / GAZA UNRWA STAFF ALLEGATIONS REAX
TRT: 1:39
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTION: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 26 JANUARY 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
26 JANUARY 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Secretary-General has been briefed by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, regarding extremely serious allegations which implicate several UNRWA staff members in the terror attacks of 7 October in Israel. The Secretary-General is horrified by this news and has asked Mr. Lazzarini to investigate this matter swiftly and to ensure that any UNRWA employee shown to have participated or abetted what transpired on 7 October, or in any other criminal activity, be terminated immediately and referred for potential criminal prosecution.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“An urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA will be conducted as it has been announced by Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA back on 17 January to protect the Agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, Commissioner-General Lazzarini has taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of all the staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay. Any employee of UNWRA who is involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution. And I can tell you that our colleagues AT OIOS, the Office of Internal Oversight Investigation Services have been seized of the matter and will be conducting the investigation at UNRWA’s request.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
The Secretary-General has been briefed by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, regarding "extremely serious allegations" which implicate several UNRWA staff members in the terror attacks of 7 October in Israel, a UN spokesperson told reporters in New York.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric today (26 Jan) said that the Secretary-General is “horrified by this news and has asked Mr. Lazzarini to investigate this matter swiftly and to ensure that any UNRWA employee shown to have participated or abetted what transpired on 7 October, or in any other criminal activity, be terminated immediately and referred for potential criminal prosecution.”
UNRWA will be commissioning an independent expert review, as announced by Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini on 17 January 2024, the Spokesperson said.
Dujarric also said that “to protect the Agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, Commissioner-General Lazzarini has taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of all the staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay.”
“Any employee of UNWRA who is involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” the Spokesperson reiterated.
The UN Office of Internal Oversight Investigation Services have been seized of the matter and will be conducting the investigation at UNRWA’s request, according to Dujarric.
