Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan held his first working meeting this week with the incoming UN Humanitarian and Construction Coordinator for the Gaza Strip, Sigrid Kaag.
Erdan expressed severe criticism of the conduct of the UN agencies in Gaza and their frequent public statements specifically against Israel, while the IDF allows the delivery of extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza, and Hamas is the one preventing its transfer to the Gazan population.
He emphasized to Kaag that since taking office about three years ago, he has repeatedly warned about Hamas's use of the UN facilities in Gaza, and nothing has been done about it.
Ambassador Erdan criticized the UN's disregard for the digging of the Hamas tunnels right in front of the UN agencies in Gaza, led by UNRWA, as well as the use of their facilities to store weapons and the employment of teachers who are also operatives of the terrorist organization.
Erdan made it clear that Israel would assist the new coordinator in her role and she would receive all necessary assistance, but that he expects her to act fairly and reflect the real situation on the ground, unlike what has been happening so far with the UN officials operating in Gaza.
"The world must know the truth about the crimes that Hamas committed and we will not agree to continue in a situation where UN officials operate in the Gaza Strip and present a false picture of the situation to the world, while calling for a cease-fire that will leave the Hamas murderers in power in Gaza and ignoring the difficult and dangerous reality that will remain in the Gaza Strip if there is, in fact, a cease-fire," he said.
Kaag is married and has four children. Her husband, Anis al-Qaq, is a dentist and a Palestinian Arab who served as a deputy minister under Yasser Arafat in the 1990s and as the Palestinian Authority representative to Switzerland.