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IDF detains terror suspect embedded within UN team in northern Gaza

 
A UN vehicle leads a convoy of ambulances heading towards north Gaza during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, near Gaza City November 24, 2023. (photo credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/REUTERS)
A UN vehicle leads a convoy of ambulances heading towards north Gaza during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, near Gaza City November 24, 2023.
(photo credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/REUTERS)

UNRWA's Philippe Lazzarini later commented on the incident on social media, claiming that the IDF had stopped the personnel for over eight hours.

The IDF late Monday night announced it had detained a UN team from a caravan of humanitarian vehicles, including arresting some terror suspects who had embedded themselves within the caravan at a northern Gaza checkpoint.

According to the IDF, it had received intelligence that terrorists might have concealed themselves within the caravan.

Despite some earlier reports that the trucks were carrying polio vaccines, the military said the vehicles were not connected to the vaccination project for Gaza and were just facilitating changing over UN personnel at various locations in Gaza. However, UNRWA officials later offered a conflicting account.

It was unclear why there was a discrepancy regarding the purpose of the UN caravan, though the politics surrounding the polio vaccination is highly sensitive from a number of different angles.

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The IDF said that it was continuing to question the detained suspects.

 A Palestinian girl is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
A Palestinian girl is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

UNRWA official disputes IDF claims

Commissioner-General of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini later commented on the incident on social media, claiming that the IDF had stopped the personnel for over eight hours. 

"The convoy had both national & international staff traveling to roll out the #polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza city and northern Gaza," the UNRWA official claimed. "The convoy was stopped at gun point just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to detain UN staff. Heavy damage was caused by bulldozers to the UN armoured vehicles. 


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"All staff & convoy are now released & back safely in the UN base. 

"We are not able to confirm whether the polio campaign will take place tomorrow, (Tuesday) in northern Gaza."

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