An Israeli document has spelled out allegations against a dozen UN employees the country says participated in Hamas’ October 7 assault – claiming seven stormed into Israeli territory, including two who participated in kidnappings.
The allegations against staff with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees prompted Western countries to freeze funds vital for the body, which is a lifeline for desperate Palestinians in Gaza.
The UN sacked nine of the 12 accused workers and condemned “the abhorrent alleged acts” of staff members.
The accusations come after years of tensions between Israel and the agency known as UNRWA over its work in Gaza, where it employs roughly 13,000 people.
UN Secretary-General appeals to countries that suspended their funding to @UNRWA to reconsider their decisions, to ensure continuity of the agency’s critical humanitarian operationshttps://t.co/LJXEr3jUrU
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Despite the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the besieged territory – where Israel’s war against Hamas has displaced the vast majority of the population and officials say a quarter of Palestinians are starving – major donors, including the US and UK, have cut funding.
On Monday, Japan and Austria joined them in pausing assistance.
With the majority of its budget in doubt, UNRWA says it will be forced to halt operations within weeks if funding is not restored.
The threat to the UN agency came as Israel said ceasefire talks held on Sunday were constructive, but that “significant gaps” remain in any potential agreement.
The talks are meant to bring some respite to war-torn Gaza and secure the release of more than 100 hostages still held in the territory.
Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan told reporters in Beirut that discussions are continuing but that the group is still insisting on a more permanent ceasefire before releasing any more hostages.
The prime minister of Qatar, which has served as a key mediator with Hamas, was more upbeat, saying US and Middle East mediators had reached a framework proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release to present to the militant group.
Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the mediators had made “good progress”.
Fighting has continued, further complicating assistance for war-weary people in Gaza.
Israel issued an evacuation order to residents in the western part of Gaza City, urging them to head south. The order indicated that battles are still being waged in northern Gaza, an area Israel pummelled in the first weeks of the war and where it had previously said it held military control.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw some 250 people taken captive, according to Israeli authorities.
The attack set off an intense air, sea and ground offensive that has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, most of them women and minors, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.
The war has also threatened to set off a wider regional conflict, with the US announcing three of its troops killed in a strike blamed on Iran-backed militias in Jordan.
The Israeli document, which has been shared with US officials and was obtained by The Associated Press, lists 12 people, their alleged roles in the attack, and their job descriptions and photos.
The document said intelligence gathered showed that at least 190 UNRWA workers were Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives, without providing evidence.
It said of the 12 workers, nine were teachers and one was a social worker. Seven of the employees were accused of crossing into Israel on October 7.
Of those, two were alleged to have kidnapped or assisted in the abduction of Israelis and another two were said to have participated in raids on communal farming villages, according to the document.
One was accused of arming himself with an anti-tank missile the night before the attack, while the document claimed another took photos of a female hostage.
Some were accused of “participating in a terror activity” or coordinating the movement of trucks or weapons used in the attack. Ten were listed as having ties to Hamas and one to the Islamic Jihad militant group.
The names and photos of the accused workers could not immediately be verified.
As the largest humanitarian organisation in the #GazaStrip - we will do whatever possible to continue our indispensable work to support the people of 📍#Gaza
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Two of the 12 have been killed, according to the document. The UN previously said one was still being identified.
The allegations have stoked long-standing tensions between Israel and UNRWA. Israel says Hamas uses the agency’s facilities to store weapons or launch attacks from. UNRWA says it does not knowingly tolerate such behaviour and has internal safeguards to prevent abuses and discipline any wrongdoing.
The agency’s commissioner, Philippe Lazzarini, recently announced that he was ordering an external review of the agency’s operations and its safeguards.
Israel has long been critical of the agency and accuses it of helping to perpetuate the Palestinian refugee crisis. UNRWA says it cares for the vast needs of millions of Palestinians across the Middle East that have been sharply exacerbated by the latest war.
The UN says the entire agency should not be penalised by the alleged actions of the dozen workers, who it says will be held accountable if the claims are true. It has called for donors to resume funding.
