One is a janitor. Another a warehouse worker. A third is a clerk and a quarter a handyman. But seven taught in UNRWA schools: mathematics and Arabic. One is accused of kidnapping a woman. Another is said to have distributed ammunition. A third reportedly took part in the massacre on a kibbutz where 97 people died. All employees of the United Nations humanitarian agency which runs schools, hosts and feeds hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The allegations are contained in a dossier provided to the US government detailing Israel’s claims against a dozen UN agency employees who it says played a role in Hamas attacks on Israel on and after 7 October.
Israel-Hamas war and the Middle East, today’s news January 29th
The UN said on Friday it had fired several employees after being made aware of the allegations. But little was known about the details until the dossier ended up in the hands of New York Times journalists. These allegations are what prompted eight countries, including the United States, to suspend payments of some aid to UNRWA. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said he was “horrified by these accusations”, but Guterres implored the nations that have suspended aid to reconsider the situation: UNRWA is one of the largest employers in Gaza, with 13,000 employees, mostly Palestinians.
Two Western officials confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that they had been informed in recent days about the contents of the dossier, but said they had not been able to verify the details. While the United States has yet to corroborate Israel’s own claims, American officials say they have found them credible enough to justify suspending aid. The dossier lists the names and details the jobs of the employees and the allegations against them. Israeli intelligence tracked their movements inside Israel on October 7 by tracking their phones; others had been monitored while making phone calls inside Gaza during which, the Israelis say, they discussed their involvement in the Hamas attack. Three others received messages ordering them to report to assembly points on October 7, and one was told to bring rocket launcher grenades he kept at home.
Ten would be members of Hamas and another affiliated with Islamic Jihad. The most detailed accusations contained in the dossier concern a school counselor from Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, accused of collaborating with his son to kidnap a woman from Israel. A social worker from Nuseirat, in central Gaza, is accused of helping bring the body of a dead Israeli soldier to Gaza, as well as distributing ammunition and coordinating vehicles on the day of the attack