UN says gunmen were filmed in abandoned Rafah aid warehouse

The Israeli military says this drone footage shows armed men at a UNRWA facility in eastern Rafah on Saturday

The United Nations has responded to Israeli claims that one of its aid warehouses in Gaza was being used by Palestinian gunmen, saying its staff had evacuated and abandoned the compound.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released drone footage that it said showed armed "terrorists roaming and shooting" next to marked UN vehicles at the facility in eastern Rafah on Saturday.

It warned the UN "of the danger that exists in the presence of the terrorists in the logistics centre".

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said the footage did likely show one of its warehouses but said it had been abandoned earlier last week, after evacuation orders were issued by the IDF.

Unrwa's communications director, Juliette Touma, told BBC News the agency was unable to verify the authenticity or the content of the footage, and that it did not have any information on the timing or exact location.

She stressed that UN staff had evacuated the compound prior to Saturday, leaving behind some vehicles and food aid. She said under no circumstances should anyone have or use weapons in a UN facility.

Israel has previously accused Unrwa workers of being members of Hamas and participating in the 7 October attacks on southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. A UN-commissioned review found Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up the claim.

The drone footage released by the IDF on Tuesday is in three parts.

BBC News has verified that it does show an Unrwa food distribution warehouse in eastern Rafah. It has not been possible to verify that the footage was filmed on Saturday.

The first piece of drone footage shows three men dressed in black, with weapons slung over their shoulders, standing between two white cars with UN markings.

In the second, a man is seen passing a weapon - a rifle - through the window of a white, unmarked pickup truck parked next to a large building with UN markings on its roof.

The third piece shows a figure in black chasing people from the compound at gunpoint and gesturing them away.

From the 49 seconds of released footage, it is not possible to confirm whether weapons were fired, as claimed by the IDF.

The IDF has presented this video as evidence of UN complicity with Hamas, and it has been seized upon by some of Israel’s supporters and critics of the UN.

IDF spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner posted the footage on X, formerly Twitter, writing: "The UN needs to answer some serious questions. Imagine what would’ve happened if we were to target them? The hypocrisy is astounding."

He said that, in his view, "the warehouse was not being evacuated" and that Hamas was "strutting around like they own the place".

He added: "Unrwa pledges neutrality, no weapons allowed on their sites. There is nothing neutral about Hamas gunmen with their pickups and AK-47 on the UN premises."

Unrwa's assertion that its staff had already left the compound leaves open the possibility others had moved in to make use of the abandoned buildings and vehicles.

BBC News has approached the IDF for a response but is yet to hear back.

Israel is yet to fully explain the circumstances surrounding the death of a UN security worker on Monday.

Former Indian Army officer Waibhav Kale was killed, and his Jordanian colleague injured, when their car was fired on near Rafah.

Social media footage, verified by the BBC, showed a marked UN vehicle with multiple bullet holes outside the European Gaza Hospital.

The IDF said an initial inquiry indicated the vehicle was struck in an active combat zone and it had not been made aware of its route.

The Rafah aid distribution centre was previously hit by an air strike on 13 March, killing one member of Unrwa's staff and injuring 22. The IDF said it had killed a Hamas commander in a "precise strike".

BBC News has verified that the March air strike hit the same facility shown in this latest video, and that the new footage was filmed after that strike.

Several nations, including the UK, stopped funding Unrwa after Israel alleged some of its staff were members of Hamas who participated in the 7 October attacks.

A review commissioned by the UN said Israel had not provided evidence to back up the claim, but it found that Unrwa should improve its neutrality, staff vetting and transparency.

Additional reporting by Alba Morgade & Ben Garman.