Itongadol.-The United Nation’s legal department “demanded” Israel release an employee of the international organization on Thursday, who has been accused of aiding the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, according to Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon.
Waheed Abd Allah Bossh, 38, an engineer in the UN’s Development Program, was arrested by the Shin Bet security service in July. He is suspected of funneling resources to the terrorist group.
According to the international organization, all UN employees are entitled to diplomatic immunity. The group’s legal department also demanded that UN officials have access to Bossh while he is being held in a Beersheba jail.
The letter, which referred to Beersheba by its Arabic name Bi’ir as-Sab, was sent to the Israeli UN delegation this week.
Danon refused the UN’s request. “We do not grant immunity to terrorists trying to harm our citizens,” he said, according to a statement released Thursday by his office.
Through his work as an engineer, Bossh allegedly directed the UNDP to work on projects that would benefit Hamas, including a naval base for the terrorist group’s military wing.
“In 2015, he helped build a marina for the use of the military arm of Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, using UNDP resources,” the Shin Bet said.
The UN, however, claimed that the marina project had been directed by the Palestinian Authority, and not Hamas.
Bossh’s case came on the heels of another high-profile arrest of an international aid worker, Muhammad Halabi, head of operations for the World Vision charity.
According to the Shin Bet, Halabi helped funnel millions of dollars to Hamas over the years, as well as providing the group with resources and building material.
In light of the allegations against the humanitarian aid groups, Danon called for the United Nations and other organizations to bring in additional oversight for the funding that reaches the Gaza Strip to ensure that it reaches the residents who need it — and not terrorist groups.
“The UN and other organizations must implement a comprehensive reform of the humanitarian aid mechanism in Gaza,” Danon said in his statement Thursday.
“Any dollar spent, and any local hire by an international organization, must be monitored ensure they fulfill the purpose of aiding the residents of Gaza and not fund terror activities.”