While the United Nations typically assists in humanitarian efforts around the world, it was recently revealed that staff members for the organization's Palestinian relief arm may have played a role in something else: Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The revelation came following an investigation into 19 U.N. employees who were alleged to have had ties to the attack. Only nine of the 19 were found to be culpable, though questions remain as to what their actual involvement may have been, and where the United Nations goes from here.
What did the UN's investigation find?
The investigation concluded that the nine people in question "may have been involved" in the Oct. 7 attack, according to a statement from the U.N., and the "employment of these individuals will be terminated in the interests of" the U.N. All nine staff members worked for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), a branch of the U.N. that works to support Palestinian refugees; UNRWA currently has 14,000 employees in Gaza, according to CNN .
The U.N.'s investigation came at the behest of Israel; the country alleged earlier this year that UNRWA members were involved in the attack , which left about 1,200 people dead and saw another 251 people taken hostage by Hamas . Specifics about what the nine people may have done were not released, but "for us, any participation in the attacks is a tremendous betrayal of the sort of work that we are supposed to be doing on behalf of the Palestinian people," U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement obtained by the BBC .
UNRWA officials have acknowledged the investigation's findings but have disputed the conclusions made. The UNRWA will "continue lifesaving and critical services for Palestine refugees in Gaza and across the region, especially in the face of the ongoing war, the instability and risk of regional escalation," Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, said in a statement that also denounced the Oct. 7 attack. Lazzarini has "previously charged Israel with an 'insidious' campaign to destroy UNRWA and has repeatedly said that Israel refused to supply evidence of its charges," said The Washington Post .
Given the lack of many details about the investigation, questions still remain about any overall U.N. link to Oct. 7. The Wall Street Journal was among the first to report on the potential UNRWA links last January but "didn't know — and still doesn't know — whether the allegation, based on Israeli intelligence reports , was true," said Semafor . However, Israel has maintained that none of its evidence against UNRWA was fake. The nine employees "might have participated in the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust," Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said on X . This "isn't evidence 'fabricated' by us. This is straight from the @UN itself."
What is the bigger picture?
This recent revelation is the latest in a slew of Israeli accusations against UNRWA; the country first accused 12 members of the organization in January of participating in the attacks. Israel then "stepped up its accusations in March, saying over 450 UNRWA staff were military operatives in Gaza terrorist groups," said Reuters . But questions remain as to the validity of some of these charges, which UNRWA has continually pushed back against.
Whether or not the accusations are true, several Western nations have taken action against UNRWA as a result. At least nine countries paused funding to the organization in January after the allegations came to light. These countries "include the United States , Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland and the Netherlands," said NBC News . UNRWA officials were angered by the move, which Lazzarini said would "serve to exacerbate the region's humanitarian crisis, fueled by the cutting off of fuel and supplies."
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