Deeply concerned: India on allegations against UN agency for Palestinian refugees

India on Thursday said it is "deeply concerned" over the allegations that some staff of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, were involved in the October 7 deadly Hamas attacks on Israel. New Delhi also welcomed the investigations launched by the United Nations into the allegations.

"India is an important development partner of Palestine. We have been extending assistance to them both bilaterally and through United Nations," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

"But at the same time we have a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, and in this regard, we are deeply concerned at the allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 terror attacks," he said.


"We also welcomed the investigations launched by the United Nations in this regard," Jaiswal said.

Asked about the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to avoid killing Palestinians in Gaza, he said India has taken note of the provisional measures that ICJ has pronounced in its verdict.

Set up in 1949, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is the biggest UN agency providing healthcare, education and other humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Following the allegations, several countries have suspended funding to the UN body.

The UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states. It also receives some funding from the regular budget of the United Nations.

The attack on Israeli cities by Hamas triggered a massive counter-attack by Israel on Gaza.

Hamas killed around 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 220 others some of whom were released during a brief ceasefire.

Over 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli offensive, according to the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza.

India has been calling for de-escalation of the situation and to create conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations towards a two-state solution to the Palestine issue.