Drone Footage Shows Gunmen at UN’s Rafah Compound

(UnitedVoice.com) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said an invasion of Rafah is imminent. The PM and other Israeli officials believe the only way to rid Gaza of Hamas is to fight them in their last stronghold. Recently, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released troubling footage.

On May 14, the IDF posted footage on X, formerly Twitter, of what appeared to be gunmen at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facility in Rafah. According to the military, the terrorists were shooting at the compound and were accompanied by UN vehicles. The facility is “a central point for the distribution of aid on [the UN’s] behalf in Gaza.”

Caught on 📸: Terrorists roaming and shooting at an @UNRWA compound, accompanied by @UN vehicles.

The compound is located in eastern Rafah and is a central point for the distribution of aid on UNRWA’s behalf of Gaza.@cogatonline conveyed the findings to senior officials in… pic.twitter.com/E6rQfN482A

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 14, 2024

The footage was taken by a drone on May 11. According to the IDF, representatives of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) called for the UN to investigate the matter and sent their “findings to senior officials in the international community.” The Times of Israel reported that COGAT “warned the UN against the presence of terrorists […] and the seriousness of the danger that exists” regarding the protection of the facility.

The Israeli government has accused the UNRWA of working with Hamas in the past and enabling the terrorists by letting them use the facilities. They have also accused UN workers of being Hamas members.

The UNRWA agreed that the footage probably did show one of its warehouses. However, the agency claimed it had abandoned the facility when the IDF issued evacuation orders for the area earlier this month. Juliette Touma, the UNRWA communications director, told the BBC that it was unable to verify whether the video released by Israel was authentic.

Touma said that when the facility was evacuated, the workers left behind cars and some food aid. She also claimed the international agency has never allowed anyone with weapons to enter the UN facility.