The main United Nations agency responsible for aid to the Palestinians, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), is in the eye of the storm, while an unprecedented humanitarian disaster is unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Twelve of the agency's employees have been accused by Israel of involvement in Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023. Since these allegations were made public by UNRWA itself, several Western countries, including the United States, have suspended their funding.

This means UNRWA's operations in Gaza will be in jeopardy as early as February, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. On Sunday, January 28, Guterres stressed that the "abhorrent alleged acts" of the offending employees "must have consequences." But he pleaded that the agency, like the civilians of Gaza, should not be subject to collective punishment.

On January 18, Commissioner General of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini had just made his fourth visit to Gaza since the start of the war. During a meeting in Israel at the request of Israeli officials, he was informed of the "alleged involvement" of employees, in his words, in the Hamas attack, according to a source familiar with the matter.

On January 22, he met with Guterres in New York, then with the main donors. He wanted to defuse what he knew would be a wrecking ball for the reputation and work of his teams. The fact that 12 employees are reported to have been implicated risked casting a shadow over the 13,000 or so others working in the Gaza Strip, and over the whole agency, which has been the target of repeated accusations of affiliation or collusion with Hamas by pro-Israeli groups since October 7, 2023. Lazzarini has consistently denied these accusations and condemned the massacres committed by the Islamist group.

With this in mind, and to pre-empt any leaks, UNRWA made the matter public on Friday. Its press release stated that the suspected employees have been dismissed and that an investigation has been launched: "Any UNRWA employee who has been involved in acts of terrorism will be held accountable, including through legal proceedings." The nature of the accusations was not provided in detail. Were the suspects guilty of massacres? Did they provide logistical support? According to Guterres, of the 12 people implicated, nine have been dismissed, one is "confirmed dead" and the identities of two others are in the process of being clarified. The investigation has been entrusted to a UN body.

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