Hidden deep below the headquarters of the United Nations’ aid agency for Palestinians here is a Hamas complex with rows of computer servers that Israel’s armed forces say served as an important communications center and intelligence hub for the Islamist militant group.
....Israeli military officials assert that people working at Unrwa would have been aware of the tunnel complex, either from activities during its construction or by what they said would have been a jump in electricity usage when the complex started operating.
The Hamas computer room. (Dov Lieber/Wall Street Journal)
....Next to the room with computer servers, which was air-conditioned, was an electricity-supply room fitted with massive batteries, apparently to serve as a backup if power was disrupted.
The electricity room and server room were beneath the Unrwa compound’s own electrical supply room, the officer said. He said wires snaked down into the underground base from the Unrwa compound, allowing Hamas to steal electricity from the U.N agency to power its underground facility.
UNRWA is the main UN aid agency for Gaza, and it's been under pressure forever. Both Israelis and American hawks have long claimed that it's heavily infiltrated, if not outright controlled, by Hamas, and Israel recently released evidence that 12 UNRWA workers were Hamas members.
That revelation didn't mean much. UNRWA employs about 30,000 people, and it's inevitable that some of them will be Hamas members. I'd be pretty shocked if the number were as low as 12.
But a big, air conditioned tunnel complex and server installation right under UNRWA headquarters? It's a little hard to believe they didn't know about it and actively allow it to keep operating.
UNRWA is in a tough position in Gaza. Yes, Hamas is a terrorist group, but they're also the government of Gaza. It's all but impossible to operate there without dealing with Hamas on a regular basis. That's just reality. Still, accepting reality and working with them where you have to is one thing. Looking the other way while they operate a secret tunnel complex powered by UNRWA electricity is quite another.
27 thoughts on “Israel says Hamas center was hidden directly below UNRWA headquarters”
middleoftheroaddem
Assuming this finding is true , (not a given with Isreal's track record) then I suspect UNRWA with become quick toxic in the west and lose most of its funding.
Separate point. You state "Yes, Hamas is a terrorist group, but they're also the government of Gaza."
- Is Hamas the lawful government of Gaza?
- Is Hamas a terrorist group?
I ask because the US has a long history/ no issues in bombing state sponsor of terrorism....
brianrw00
Sort of and yes, obviously.
MF
Why sort of? They are 100% the government of Gaza.
The obvious answer is that UNRWA should refuse any contact or cooperation with Hamas. If Hamas interferes with them, steals aid, etc then they pull out.
name99
!00% government yes.
Lawful? Well, uhh...
Let's put it this way – they're about as lawful a government as the People's Republic of Donbas. So, feel free to parse that any way you like.
More interest is that we seem to have zipped in just a few hours past "It's probably an Israeli lie" to the various stages of " I'm shocked! Shocked to find that terrorism is going on in here" denials by UNRWA.
I guess that farce will continue for another few days.
mcdruid
According to the standard definition of "terrorist" you can't be both a government and a terrorist at the same time.
Of course, that definition is regularly disregarded in most of today's media.
Special Newb
I don't really trust anything israel says but this could well be true.
painedumonde
Ok, but the data is what counts...
D_Ohrk_E1
Jaw drop.
24" wide aisles and ductless heat pumps you have to dodge around, with LED downlighting installed into ceiling tiles, but because the LED lights consume too much power someone decided to go with a continuous strip of LED rope light, in a space that is barely over 6' tall?
Wow.
rick_jones
If these rooms are below others, to where do the ductless heat pumps dump?
PaulDavisThe1st
Not sure, maybe I misunderstand your question, or maybe you misunderstand how the wall units associated with air-source heat pumps work ... the actual heat exchanger can be hundreds of feet away, in any direction (or multiple directions).
D_Ohrk_E1
Wouldn't it be funny if the heat exchangers were located inside the UN structure that was being cooled by big HVAC units that were resized up because, for some odd reason the existing HVACs were struggling to keep up with the heat?
Salamander
Or maybe some cooked up job by Israeli PR? They've grown very sloppy in recent years. Spoiled by the presumption of credibility.
ProgressOne
"UNRWA employs about 30,000 people"
Didn't know the extent to which international aid props up Gaza. I guess that happens in an economy walled off by Egypt and Israel, and with the place being ruled by the corrupt, authoritarian thugs controlling Hamas.
Just read that 80% of Gaza inhabitants were dependent on international aid even before the current crisis, according to the UN. Also, two-thirds of Gaza’s population were living in poverty, and its unemployment rate was 45%, one of the highest in the world.
What an intractable mess over there. I imagine most people in Gaza have long held dreams of escaping it all. We who live in the affluent, free, democratic countries are so lucky. (But, okay, Trump and his MAGA dupes are a real buzz kill.)
SeanT
"Israel says"
are we still doing this?
jdubs
winner.
rick_jones
I could believe that the local UN folks weren’t paying much attention to the electricity bills and just sending them off to headquarters.
Coby Beck
"Israel recently released evidence that 12 UNRWA workers were Hamas members"
Really have to push back on this. Isreal has not released any evidence. The "dossier", according to all of the news organizations to whom it was provided, contains the Isreali claims but no evidence. And that includes SkyNews in Australia, btw, which is no liberal snowflake media outfit.
Another successful propaganda coup!
As for this story, I would happily wager it is just another psy-op.
Isreal does this all the time. They make a grand accusation which is the only thing Western media reports on, and breathlessly at that, and after the dust settles, intellectually honest people note that there has been no convincing evidence presented. But it no longer matters, it is a very successful PR strategy heavily reinforced by instilling the fear of being called anti-semitic if you dare to even ask an obvious question or two.
Example: Isreal has not let any independent investigation take place in the Al Shifa hospital "command centre" and I predict never will, nor have they presented any convincing evidence of their own. And then they did precisely the same thing to dozens of other hospitals without even pretending it was justified.
The press is more credulous with Isreali government sources than they are even with their own government sources.
emh1969
Also worth nothing that, according to Owen Jones, UNRWA staff gets vetted by Israel. I haven't been able to confirm the claim, but given the control the Israel has over Gaza, it would hardly surprise me.
jonziegler
Exactly. No evidence. And a long history of wild accusations that have proven to be false.
Israel is simply not a credible source.
cap
Even if there was such a complex under UNRWA headquarters (at least highly questionable given the IDF and Israel govt history of virtually non-stop lying and fabrications), what exactly were the UNRWA management supposed to do about it? As Kevin Drum and several comments above point out, Hamas was governing Gaza.
So were the UNRWA people supposed to take Hamas to court, police-- oh wait, Hamas controlled the courts and police. Or perhaps UNRWA should have expelled Hamas, which surely they could have easily done?
UNRWA has had very limited options in working in a Gaza controlled by Hamas. The mere presence of a Hamas installation below UNRWA headquarters hardly points to active or willing collaboration.
UNRWA could, of course, have withdrawn from Gaza, which no doubt would suit those Israel partisans who view Palestinians as lesser beings whose lives are unimportant or at least less important than Israelis (or white westerners more generally).
cap
I forgot to add that "Looking the other way while they operate a secret tunnel complex powered by UNRWA electricity is quite another...." equally begs the question of what were UNRWA management or personnel supposed to do?
MF
1. Pull out to protect their people
2. Inform Israel to bomb it
UN organizations should not be working with or protecting terrorists.
kkseattle
Pull the plug?
cap
Even if the allegation is true (which I still doubt; UNRWA evacuated its Gaza HQs in October so why are we hearing about this only now?), UNRWA is essential to humanitarian support for Gaza civilians. Pulling the plug now, or before alternative support arrangements can be put in place, will consign many more civilians, probably thousands to death.
There will be plenty of time for more thorough investigation and opportunity to replace UNRWA if found to be warranted.
fd
The precedent that humanitarian organizations can be used to hide military infrastructure/supplies would be way more damaging in the medium term, severely imperiling the off-bounds status they currently have and require to operate effectively.
fd
Oh, please. If Hamas was credibly threatening violence towards aid workers then they absolutely should have left Gaza, and trying to blame that on "Israel partisans" is ridiculous. If no such threat existed they should have loudly denounced that.
At the end of the day, if UNRWA buildings also house Hamas operation centers they are legitimate military targets; protecting the credibility of aid organizations as neutral and off-limits for military targets has to take priority over providing aid in any one region. Also establishing a clear line that such use of aid facilities will not be tolerated provides a strong disincentive towards anybody attempting it in the first place.
golack
Servers in a sub-basement.
If they're from HAMAS, it could be an information coup.
Assuming this finding is true , (not a given with Isreal's track record) then I suspect UNRWA with become quick toxic in the west and lose most of its funding.
Separate point. You state "Yes, Hamas is a terrorist group, but they're also the government of Gaza."
- Is Hamas the lawful government of Gaza?
- Is Hamas a terrorist group?
I ask because the US has a long history/ no issues in bombing state sponsor of terrorism....
Sort of and yes, obviously.
Why sort of? They are 100% the government of Gaza.
The obvious answer is that UNRWA should refuse any contact or cooperation with Hamas. If Hamas interferes with them, steals aid, etc then they pull out.
!00% government yes.
Lawful? Well, uhh...
Let's put it this way – they're about as lawful a government as the People's Republic of Donbas. So, feel free to parse that any way you like.
More interest is that we seem to have zipped in just a few hours past "It's probably an Israeli lie" to the various stages of " I'm shocked! Shocked to find that terrorism is going on in here" denials by UNRWA.
I guess that farce will continue for another few days.
According to the standard definition of "terrorist" you can't be both a government and a terrorist at the same time.
Of course, that definition is regularly disregarded in most of today's media.
I don't really trust anything israel says but this could well be true.
Ok, but the data is what counts...
Jaw drop.
24" wide aisles and ductless heat pumps you have to dodge around, with LED downlighting installed into ceiling tiles, but because the LED lights consume too much power someone decided to go with a continuous strip of LED rope light, in a space that is barely over 6' tall?
Wow.
If these rooms are below others, to where do the ductless heat pumps dump?
Not sure, maybe I misunderstand your question, or maybe you misunderstand how the wall units associated with air-source heat pumps work ... the actual heat exchanger can be hundreds of feet away, in any direction (or multiple directions).
Wouldn't it be funny if the heat exchangers were located inside the UN structure that was being cooled by big HVAC units that were resized up because, for some odd reason the existing HVACs were struggling to keep up with the heat?
Or maybe some cooked up job by Israeli PR? They've grown very sloppy in recent years. Spoiled by the presumption of credibility.
"UNRWA employs about 30,000 people"
Didn't know the extent to which international aid props up Gaza. I guess that happens in an economy walled off by Egypt and Israel, and with the place being ruled by the corrupt, authoritarian thugs controlling Hamas.
Just read that 80% of Gaza inhabitants were dependent on international aid even before the current crisis, according to the UN. Also, two-thirds of Gaza’s population were living in poverty, and its unemployment rate was 45%, one of the highest in the world.
What an intractable mess over there. I imagine most people in Gaza have long held dreams of escaping it all. We who live in the affluent, free, democratic countries are so lucky. (But, okay, Trump and his MAGA dupes are a real buzz kill.)
"Israel says"
are we still doing this?
winner.
I could believe that the local UN folks weren’t paying much attention to the electricity bills and just sending them off to headquarters.
"Israel recently released evidence that 12 UNRWA workers were Hamas members"
Really have to push back on this. Isreal has not released any evidence. The "dossier", according to all of the news organizations to whom it was provided, contains the Isreali claims but no evidence. And that includes SkyNews in Australia, btw, which is no liberal snowflake media outfit.
Another successful propaganda coup!
As for this story, I would happily wager it is just another psy-op.
Isreal does this all the time. They make a grand accusation which is the only thing Western media reports on, and breathlessly at that, and after the dust settles, intellectually honest people note that there has been no convincing evidence presented. But it no longer matters, it is a very successful PR strategy heavily reinforced by instilling the fear of being called anti-semitic if you dare to even ask an obvious question or two.
Example: Isreal has not let any independent investigation take place in the Al Shifa hospital "command centre" and I predict never will, nor have they presented any convincing evidence of their own. And then they did precisely the same thing to dozens of other hospitals without even pretending it was justified.
The press is more credulous with Isreali government sources than they are even with their own government sources.
Also worth nothing that, according to Owen Jones, UNRWA staff gets vetted by Israel. I haven't been able to confirm the claim, but given the control the Israel has over Gaza, it would hardly surprise me.
Exactly. No evidence. And a long history of wild accusations that have proven to be false.
Israel is simply not a credible source.
Even if there was such a complex under UNRWA headquarters (at least highly questionable given the IDF and Israel govt history of virtually non-stop lying and fabrications), what exactly were the UNRWA management supposed to do about it? As Kevin Drum and several comments above point out, Hamas was governing Gaza.
So were the UNRWA people supposed to take Hamas to court, police-- oh wait, Hamas controlled the courts and police. Or perhaps UNRWA should have expelled Hamas, which surely they could have easily done?
UNRWA has had very limited options in working in a Gaza controlled by Hamas. The mere presence of a Hamas installation below UNRWA headquarters hardly points to active or willing collaboration.
UNRWA could, of course, have withdrawn from Gaza, which no doubt would suit those Israel partisans who view Palestinians as lesser beings whose lives are unimportant or at least less important than Israelis (or white westerners more generally).
I forgot to add that "Looking the other way while they operate a secret tunnel complex powered by UNRWA electricity is quite another...." equally begs the question of what were UNRWA management or personnel supposed to do?
1. Pull out to protect their people
2. Inform Israel to bomb it
UN organizations should not be working with or protecting terrorists.
Pull the plug?
Even if the allegation is true (which I still doubt; UNRWA evacuated its Gaza HQs in October so why are we hearing about this only now?), UNRWA is essential to humanitarian support for Gaza civilians. Pulling the plug now, or before alternative support arrangements can be put in place, will consign many more civilians, probably thousands to death.
There will be plenty of time for more thorough investigation and opportunity to replace UNRWA if found to be warranted.
The precedent that humanitarian organizations can be used to hide military infrastructure/supplies would be way more damaging in the medium term, severely imperiling the off-bounds status they currently have and require to operate effectively.
Oh, please. If Hamas was credibly threatening violence towards aid workers then they absolutely should have left Gaza, and trying to blame that on "Israel partisans" is ridiculous. If no such threat existed they should have loudly denounced that.
At the end of the day, if UNRWA buildings also house Hamas operation centers they are legitimate military targets; protecting the credibility of aid organizations as neutral and off-limits for military targets has to take priority over providing aid in any one region. Also establishing a clear line that such use of aid facilities will not be tolerated provides a strong disincentive towards anybody attempting it in the first place.
Servers in a sub-basement.
If they're from HAMAS, it could be an information coup.