ISTANBUL: The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) refuted Thursday claims circulated in Israel and social media that an agency staff member was killed alongside Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip.
The reports have been denounced as part of a disinformation campaign to undermine the agency and its personnel, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
“Once again, unchecked information is used to discredit UNRWA and its staff,” the group’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on X.
Lazzarini confirmed that the staff member mentioned in the reports is alive and currently resides in Egypt.
“Earlier today, reports circulated on social and Israeli media that an UNRWA staff member was killed together with the Hamas head in Gaza.
“I confirm that the staff member in question is alive. He currently lives in Egypt where he traveled with his family in April through the Rafah border,” he said.
Lazzarini emphasised the need to halt the spread of false information by Israel.
Earlier Thursday, the Israeli army claimed to have killed Hamas political chief Yahya Sinwar in a military operation in Gaza.
The military admitted that there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area where Sinwar was killed.
Sinwar was selected as Hamas’ political chief in August, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in the Iranian capital of Tehran after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president on July 31. – BERNAMA-ANADOLU
