The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday it had opened an investigation into several employees suspected of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas and that it had severed ties with those staff members.
“The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7,” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general.
“To protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay.”
Lazzarini did not disclose the number of employees allegedly involved in the attacks, nor the nature of their alleged involvement. He said, however, that “any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror” would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.
A spokesperson for UNRWA would not provide further detail on the situation.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has been briefed about the allegations, his spokesperson said.
“The Secretary-General is horrified by this news,” said spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Dujarric added that the U.N. chief had asked Lazzarini to conduct a probe to ensure that any UNRWA employee shown to have participated or abetted the Oct. 7 attacks be terminated immediately and referred for potential criminal prosecution.
“An urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA will be conducted,” Dujarric added.
UNRWA, established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, provides services including schooling, primary healthcare and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
The agency has for years faced accusations that its employees have promoted radicalism and aided terrorist groups in Gaza and the West Bank.
Teachers and other staff members for UNRWA celebrated the Oct. 7 massacre, which killed roughly 1,200 Israelis, and one UNRWA teacher reportedly held an Israeli hostage captive in an attic.
The State Department in 2022 found that UNRWA facilities have been used to store terrorist weaponry. Textbooks and education materials used in the UNRWA’s schools have also routinely been found to promote anti-Semitism and calls for Israel’s destruction.
UNRWA, whose biggest donors in 2022 included the United States, Germany and the European Union, has repeatedly said its capacity to render humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza is on the verge of collapse.
The diplomatic missions of the United States, Germany and the European Union in Geneva had no immediate comment.
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