The United Nations recently disclosed that nine personnel from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, have possibly been implicated in the devastating Hamas assault that resulted in the loss of 1,200 lives, including over 30 Americans, in southern Israel on October 7th.
This alarming revelation, uncovered during a press briefing by Farhan Haq, spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary General, has set off a ripple of consequences. Accordingly, the U.N. has made a conclusive decision to cut connections with these individuals and terminate their employment.
The Secretary-General, António Guterres, commissioned the U.N.’s investigative division, the Office of Internal Oversight Services, in January to investigate allegations concerning UNRWA employees’ involvement in the massacre. The mission was to uncover the truth about these allegations and ensure that any wrongdoing was duly penalized.
It’s of note that 19 personnel were initially under scrutiny. However, due to insufficient evidence, the accusations against all but nine could not be substantiated.
UNRWA’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, has also stated that these nine individuals are no longer eligible to continue in their roles at UNRWA, and their contracts will be terminated.
The prompt response to UNRWA’s purported involvement in such a horrific act has attracted substantial attention. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, from the Simon Wiesenthal Center based in Los Angeles, urged major donor nations to UNRWA to halt funding, branding it as a corrupted pro-Hamas organization that is part of the problem, not a solution towards peace.
Criticism was also voiced by IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani, who censured the agency for their possible participation in such horrific episodes.
David Bedein from the Center for Near East Policy Research argued that this investigation was merely “the tip of the iceberg.” He has formerly issued several reports on UNRWA’s educational content, alleging pro-terrorism and antisemitic teachings.
Interestingly, in late July, Israeli lawmakers approved the initial reading of a bill proposing to sever ties with UNRWA, calling it a terrorist entity. The bill, introduced by Yulia Malinovsky, labeled UNRWA as “a fifth column within the State of Israel.”
Despite the suspension of U.S. funding for UNRWA following these allegations, several countries, including Germany, Austria, Japan, and the European Union, have resumed their financial support. The State Department is currently reviewing the report’s findings.
