Nine staff members working for the UN’s aid agency for Palestinian refugees have been fired after an investigation found they may have been involved in Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel.
The possible involvement of some UNRWA workers in the attack has been investigated since January, when Israel raised the allegations against the main aid agency in war-torn Gaza.
The UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services said it found sufficient evidence pointing to nine employees’ potential involvement in the 7 October attack, which saw Hamas militants enter southern Israel to kill 1,200 people and take 250 more hostage.
The investigators reviewed internal UNRWA information, including staff records, email and other communications data to reach their conclusion.
The UN watchdog said it also drew on evidence provided by Israeli authorities, but as it didn’t get direct access to it, the agency couldn’t corroborate the claims independently.
UNRWA has been the main agency distributing aid to Palestinians in Gaza during the 10-month old war there, which Gaza health officials say has killed more than 39,600 people and unleashed a mass humanitarian catastrophe.
UNRWA – which denies collaborating with Hamas – said more than 200 of its staff members have been killed.
The agency previously fired 12 workers and put seven others on administrative leave without pay over the claims about their possible involvement in the 7 October attack.
The group of nine fired UNRWA workers announced on Monday includes some from each group, Juliette Touma, the agency’s communications director, said.
The UN did not clarify how many have now been fired from the agency in total.
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In nine other cases, the evidence was insufficient, and in one other case there was no evidence pointing to involvement.
“I have decided that in the case of these remaining nine staff members, they cannot work for UNRWA,” the agency’s head Philippe Lazzarini said.
“The agency’s priority is to 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.”
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When Israel first brought the accusations against UNRWA, it initially led top donor countries to suspend their funding for the agency.
Since then, all donor countries except for the US have decided to resume funding to UNRWA.
The UK resumed its funding of the agency in July, just weeks after the Labour Party was elected.