Intelligence reports have revealed that around 10 percent of Palestinian staffers in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had ties to Hamas and Islamist militant groups. Of those, at least 12 employees were involved in the October 7 massacre in Israel and 6 were among the militants slaughtering civilians.
Two staffers helped kidnap Israelis while others were accused of "participating in a terror activity" and helping coordinate the attack.
The reports, compiled by the Wall Street Journal, were part of a briefing given by Israel to the Biden administration which led to the suspension of UNRWA US aid. This aid was suspended under President Donald Trump in 2018 but was renewed in 2021 under Biden.
An UNWRA spokesperson declined to comment on the situation Monday and said an internal UN investigation into the agency was being conducted.
"Unrwa’s problem is not just 'a few bad apples' involved in the October 7 massacre," said a senior Israeli government official. "The institution as a whole is a haven for Hamas’ radical ideology."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was horrified by the information in the reports. He also stated that the 12 directly involved in the massacre are no longer employed by UNRWA.
"Of the 12 people implicated, nine were immediately identified and terminated by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini; one is confirmed dead, and the identity of the two others is being clarified," said Guterres.
9 of the 12 workers were reportedly teachers and 1 was a social worker in UNRWA.
The report provided photos and profiles on each of the employees.
Another report released by UN Watch exposed a Telegram channel used by UNRWA employees which showed the 3000 members in the group celebrating the October massacre as it unfolded, sharing photos and videos and praying for the success of the militants. This proved to be a blatant violation of the UN's neutrality policy.
