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The explosive allegations plunged the United Nations into disaster, main the US — the company’s largest donor — and different nations to suspend funding for the reduction company and threatening to break down its operations in Gaza and the broader Center East.
The footage of the particular person Israel recognized as Naami could be the primary to floor publicly of any of the accused people taking part within the assault. Israeli Protection Minister Yoav Gallant launched a screenshot from the video at a information convention Friday as a part of a file that publicly recognized the accused reduction staff. “UNRWA has misplaced legitimacy and may not perform as a U.N. physique,” Gallant stated.
The CCTV footage, situated independently by The Washington Put up, gives a fuller image than the transient account within the public file, which says Naami “was concerned in kidnapping a soldier from Beeri.” Israel has additionally accused Naami of being a part of a Hamas brigade in his hometown of Nuseirat.
After he was named in confidential Israeli paperwork final month, The Put up discovered photographs of Naami on-line after which used facial recognition software program to discover a probably match for him in footage from Oct. 7. The Put up discovered different indications pointing to Naami as the person within the footage. A Nissan Terrano II within the footage seems according to the identical make and mannequin of automotive that Naami is pictured with in social media posts, together with broken trim on a rear window.
Earlier than Friday’s information convention, a safety official advised The Put up that Israeli authorities had recognized the person within the footage as Naami. The footage is among the many proof Israel used as the premise for its allegation in opposition to Naami, stated the official, talking on the situation of anonymity to debate delicate data.
Within the footage from Oct. 7, the SUV drives towards an open gate to Kibbutz Beeri shortly after 9:30 a.m. and stops simply inside the doorway, the place three males who had been shot and dragged from a automotive are mendacity immobile on the bottom.
Two males step out of the SUV. The driving force, the person recognized as Naami, is sporting glasses that match images from his social media profiles. The opposite man is carrying a rifle. They open the rear door of the car and unfold out a blanket inside.
They strategy one of many individuals who had been shot, a person on the road subsequent to an overturned cooler. It isn’t clear if he’s alive, however he doesn’t react as the person recognized as Naami takes him by the jacket, the opposite man lifts his legs and so they carry him to the trunk and place him inside.
They then rummage by belongings which might be strewn on the street, taking a cellphone and a hat earlier than driving off lower than three minutes after they arrived. It isn’t clear why or the place the 2 males took the Israeli or why they left the opposite our bodies.
At The Put up’s request, two car forensic consultants analyzed Naami’s social media images capturing partial views of a white car. They recognized the automotive as a 1993-1995 Nissan Terrano II, and stated the car seen within the Oct. 7 footage matched that very same colour, make and mannequin and was from the identical era.
Marcus Mazza, a car engineering knowledgeable for Robson Forensic, a agency that gives technical experience in court docket instances, stated the separated trim additionally “could point out that these are the identical car.”
On Oct. 16, Naami, 5 of his kids and one among his two wives have been killed in a strike on their dwelling in Nuseirat, in keeping with a UNRWA colleague who spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of company employees have been advised to not communicate to the media. His title, the title of a lady who seems to be his spouse and the names of his kids seem on the Gaza Well being Ministry’s record of these killed in Israeli assaults.
The Israel Protection Forces advised The Put up it “is unaware of a strike on the specified space or time.” A spokesperson, talking on the situation of anonymity per the company’s protocol, didn’t reply when requested if Naami had been focused.
Efforts to succeed in surviving members of Naami’s household have been unsuccessful. Naami was a social employee on the U.N. company, in keeping with the colleague and the Israeli file.
“His persona was calm, he was very cheerful, he was pleasant, he was cherished by everybody, colleagues, purchasers and beneficiaries,” the colleague advised The Put up.
The colleague stated they didn’t know if Naami was concerned within the assault or a member of Hamas. Proven a photograph of Naami taken from the Oct. 7 footage, the colleague stated they didn’t know if it was him “as his options usually are not clear.”
Israeli officers have lengthy complained that the U.N. company was intently aligned with Hamas, accusations that UNRWA has rejected.
The U.N. company was established in 1949 to help Palestinians who have been expelled or pressured from their houses through the founding of Israel. Within the many years since, the company has taken on many features of a state for stateless Palestinians, similar to offering meals, well being care and faculties. Refugee camps within the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria have become everlasting city slums.
The allegations that assist staff have been members of the group have threatened the existence of the first conduit for assist to Gaza’s 2.2 million individuals whose lives have been upended after almost 4 months of battle. A minimum of 28,775 individuals have been killed and 68,552 injured in Gaza because the battle started, according to the Gaza Well being Ministry.
Since Oct. 7, UNRWA’s faculties and medical clinics the company operates have been closed and become shelters that now home greater than 1 million individuals. Palestinians in Gaza are virtually completely depending on UNRWA for the requirements of life as famine looms and ailments unfold alongside steady Israeli floor and air assaults.
On Friday, Gallant stated that along with the 12 staff, Israel has intelligence indicating that over 30 UNRWA staff participated within the bloodbath, together with the taking of hostages. He stated that 12 p.c of UNRWA’s 13,000 staff are affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller Islamist group within the Gaza Strip.
The company denies that it has turned a blind eye to Hamas and says that Israeli authorities have lengthy sought to dismantle UNRWA.
Final week, the Israeli military uncovered what it stated was a subterranean Hamas server complicated, dug 65 ft beneath UNRWA headquarters in Gaza. On Tuesday evening, the Israeli military launched a video of a tunnel beneath Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, that it stated was the hideout of Hamas chief Yehiya Sinwar. UNRWA packages have been among the many underground provides.
In response to the allegations final month, UNRWA launched a assessment and, earlier than investigating the allegations, fired 10 of the accused staff; two others have been useless. The USA and different international locations have indicated they may restore funding after the discharge of the assessment.
UNRWA spokeswoman Tamara Alrifai stated a person matching Naami’s title joined the company as social employee in 2006. However she stated she couldn’t touch upon the continuing investigation or confirm if he was current within the footage shared by The Put up.
UNRWA had “not [been] introduced with any proof from the Israeli authorities,” she stated, including. “UNRWA solely obtained from the Israeli authorities the record of names of alleged employees reportedly concerned within the horrible 7/10 assaults.”
Souad Mekhennet in Washington, Evan Hill in New York and Shira Rubin in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.
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