Israel on Tuesday night said it detained 13 UN staffers for suspected involvement in "terrorist acts", local Channel Two television reported.

A member of the general staff of the Israel Army was quoted as saying that "we have in hand a list of 13 arrested people against whom charges have been brought."

"They are UN people against whom charges are provided on their implication in terrorist activities," the officer told a press conference.

However, he gave no details on the jobs or nationalities of those detained.

On Monday, a spokesman of the UN Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA)noted that the world body is launching an investigation into Israel's claim that the UNRWA is supporting Palestinian fighters.

Earlier, an Israeli television broadcast a video allegedly showing Palestinian fighters loading what Israel claimed was a rocket launcher into a vehicle marked "UN".

UNRWA chief Peter Hansen dismissed the Israeli allegations, asking Israel to apologize for its vicious propaganda that could endanger the lives of his teams.

The UNRWA argued that the video did not show a definite picture of the object being loaded into the back of the van, and it was also unclear whether it was a genuine UN vehicle or just marked to look like one.

Media reports said that the UNRWA and Israel have not been in good terms, as the organization has repeatedly called for Israel to cease its aggressions against Palestinian areas, including refugee camps.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 6, 2004)