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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 1 OcTOber 2024
Top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon was UNRWA employee

placed on administrative leave

By JAMEY KEATEN are still an agency with due
Associated Press process I mean, respecting
GENEVA (AP) — The UN due process and the princi-
agency for Palestinian ref- ple of rule of law. So the in-
ugees said a top Hamas vestigation was ongoing.”
commander killed in Leb- Lazzarini said he had re-
anon Monday was one ceived a letter from Israeli
of its employees but had authorities listing the names
been suspended since al- of some 100 people alleg-
legations of his ties to the edly linked to Hamas, and
militant group emerged in he took it “very seriously.”
March. But he said Israeli authori-
Fatah Sharif’s connection ties never responded to
to Hamas appeared set UNRWA requests for more
to ratchet up pressure on information so that it might
UNRWA, already facing a launch investigations into
$80 million funding shortfall those cases.
this year. Critics have re- “A list is not proof of any-
peatedly blasted the agen- thing,” he said.
cy, saying it wasn’t doing A Hamas statement
enough to root out Hamas praised Sharif for his “edu-
militants from its ranks. cational and jihadist work”
The U.N.’s internal watch- Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for and called him “a suc-
dog has been investigat- Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), speaks during a press conference at the European cessful teacher and an
ing UNRWA since Israel in headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. outstanding principal” for
January accused 12 of its Associated Press generations of Palestinian
staffers of being involved killed with his wife, son and sion in Geneva posted on said he learned in March of refugees.
in the Oct. 7 attack on Is- daughter in an airstrike on X saying that Hamas an- allegations that Sharif had The UNRWA teachers’
rael, in which armed mili- Al-Buss refugee camp, one nounced Sharif’s death, been a “member of the union and other Palestin-
tants killed 1,200 people of 12 dedicated to Palestin- “And guess what was the political party of Hamas” ian groups had periodically
and abducted some 250 ian refugees in the country, second job of Mr Sharif? He and decided to suspend staged protests in front of
others. The allegations led in the southern port city of was a principal, head of @ him and launch an investi- the U.N. agency’s office in
more than a dozen donor Tyre. The Israeli military con- UNRWA teachers associa- gation “from day one.” Beirut since Sharif’s suspen-
countries to suspend their firmed it had targeted him. tion in Lebanon.” Lazzarini said he hadn’t sion, alleging it targeted
funding, causing an initial Sharif was not open about The mission added: “This heard Sharif might be a him for his political stances.
cash crunch of about $450 his affiliation with the group case proves that there is a Hamas “commander” until Earlier this month, the union
million dollars. Since then, and its armed wing. deep problem in @UNRWA, Monday. staged a sit-in during a visit
all donor countries except Israel has previously alleged the way they do due dili- “So he was suspended, to Lebanon by Lazzarini,
for the United States have the UNRWA has been in- gence about who they are had no function, was not saying it awaited “positive
decided to resume funding filtrated by the Palestinian hiring.” paid and was under in- and fair outcomes” in the
the agency. militant group. UNRWA Commissioner- vestigation,” Lazzarini told case of his suspension.q
Hamas said Sharif was Israel’s diplomatic mis- General Philippe Lazzarini reporters in Geneva. “We

Italian police arrest 19 people in massive probe targeting mafia

links to Milan soccer ‘ultra’ fans

ROME (AP) — Italian police syndicates in the world, ri- ‘Ndrangheta boss who was see these risks.” fended parties” in the in-
arrested 19 people, ac- valing the better-known Si- killed a few weeks ago. Milan prosecutor Marcello vestigation, having put
cused of criminal ties with cilian mob. Among those arrested Viola clarified that Milan’s in place rules to prevent
the powerful ‘Ndrangheta Prosecutors allege that the were Luca Lucci and Re- two soccer clubs are “of- wrongdoing.q
mafia group, in a move that suspects have attempted nato Bosetti, leaders of the
decimated the fan clubs to take control of all the AC Milan and Inter Milan
backing Serie A teams Inter lucrative business activities “ultras” fan groups respec-
Milan and AC Milan. around Milan’s Giuseppe tively. Lucci had been pre-
Prosecutors said at a press Meazza stadium also viously convicted for drug-
conference on Monday known as San Siro includ- related charges.
that possible charges in- ing parking, food, tickets Christian Rosiello, de-
clude criminal associa- and souvenir sales. Inves- scribed by local media as
tion, with the use of “mafia tigators said that some of the bodyguard of popular
methods,” extortion, as- the suspects might also Italian rapper Fedez, was
sault and other serious of- have been involved in drug also among the detained.
fenses. trafficking. “This investigation shows
According to the wide in- Police searched the houses the risks of infiltration creep-
vestigation, the criminal of over 50 people, includ- ing into professional and
ring was linked to ‘Ndrang- ing Giancarlo Lombardi, non-professional soccer by
heta the Italian mafia orga- a once top AC Milan fan organized crime,” said Ita- From left, National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Milillo, Milan’s
nization that has emerged known as “The Baron,” ly’s anti-mafia prosecutor Prosecutor Marcello Viola and Milan’s Police commissioner
Bruno Maria Megale attend a news conference at the Milan’s
in recent years as one of as well as that of Antonio Giovanni Melillo. “We need court, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.
the most powerful crime Bellocco, a former local to stop pretending not to Associated Press