Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri has dismissed the Israeli military statement that the group operated a tunnel network hundreds of meters long and running partly under UNRWA‘s Gaza headquarters as “lies.”

He told Reuters that Israel aimed to undermine the work of UNRWA and was “covering up to that decision by making these allegations.”

Israel attacked al-Shifa Hospital in the earlier phase of the war claiming that Hamas ran a command center under Gaza’s largest medical facility. Israel has not provided proof for its claims.

Israel has also accused 12 UNRWA staff of involvement in the October 7 Hamas attack inside Israel. This has led to the organization facing an unprecedented funding crisis after more than a dozen international donors withdrew their aid. But the UNRWA chief has said that Israel has yet to provide evidence for its claims.

Since UNRWA was established roughly 75 years ago, it has provided tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees with basic support, including food, healthcare and education.