Press briefing Q&A: questions on UNRWA staff accountability, UNIFIL, and staff deaths

Reporters pressed U.N. officials on several topics during the question-and-answer session following the briefing.

On Myanmar, a reporter asked whether the U.N. knew precisely where Aung San Suu Kyi was and whether personal envoy Julie Bishop would seek access. Farhan said there was no announced travel by Bishop and the U.N. was working to gather particulars about Suu Kyi’s new conditions, adding the U.N. would take advantage of any greater access.

A reporter identified as Joe asked whether the U.N. had used its legal capacity to bring civil suits against nine dismissed UNRWA employees alleged to have been involved with the Oct. 7 attacks. Farhan said the U.N. dismissed staff where credible evidence linked them to wrongdoing and that the organization cooperates with national authorities, including by waiving immunity when appropriate; he said criminal trials are for national jurisdictions and reiterated that the U.N. does not itself conduct criminal prosecutions.

On peacekeeping, Stefano asked whether Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix’s travel and discussions with Italy related to reports about postponing UNIFIL’s withdrawal. Farhan said Lacroix would discuss peacekeeping matters with Italian officials and participate in the police standing capacity conference in Brindisi; he added that the U.N. is complying with Security Council resolutions but is exploring what successor arrangements might be needed to meet needs on the ground after UNIFIL’s mandated end.

Reporters also asked for casualty figures for UNRWA and other U.N. staff since Oct. 7; Farhan said more than 370 UNRWA staff have been killed in Gaza since October 2023 and that two other international U.N. staff not belonging to UNRWA also died during the conflict. Questions about a German journalist arrested in Syria who allegedly claimed U.N. affiliation drew a response that the U.N. had no firsthand knowledge of such an affiliation.