UN fires 9 UNRWA staff for possible involvement in Oct. 7 attack on Israel

The United Nations said Monday it has fired additional staff members from its agency for Palestinian refugees after an internal investigation found they may have been involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack against Israel.

The U.N. secretary-general’s office announced the move in a brief statement to journalists. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general, did not elaborate on the UNRWA staffers’ likely role in the attack or on the evidence that prompted its decision.

UNRWA previously fired 12 staffers and put seven staffers on administrative leave without pay over the claims. The group of nine staffers the U.N. announced it had fired Monday includes some from each group, said Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA.

The U.N. did not clarify how many have now been fired from the agency in total.

The U.N.’s internal watchdog has been investigating the agency since Israel in January accused 12 UNRWA staffers of being involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which militants killed 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others.

Israel’s allegations initially led top donor countries to suspend their funding for UNRWA. That caused a cash crunch of about $450 million dollars. Since then, all donor countries except for the US have decided to resume funding.

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The U.N. watchdog charged with investigating UNRWA, called the Office of Internal Oversight Services, said it drew on evidence provided by Israel in discussions with Israeli authorities. It said it could not independently corroborate that evidence since it did not have direct access to it. The investigators also reviewed internal UNRWA information, including staff records, email and other communications data.

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It said it found sufficient evidence pointing to nine employees’ potential involvement in the Oct. 7 attack.

“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 in a statement.

“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,” said Lazzarini, who also said he condemned the Oct. 7 attack.

In nine other cases, the evidence was insufficient, and in one other case there was no evidence pointing to involvement.

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 over 39,600 people and unleashed a mass humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel has long accused UNRWA of collaborating with Hamas and turning a blind eye to the militant group’s activities. Throughout the war, it has released images of tunnels built next to UNRWA facilities. During the war, the feud has escalated, with far-right protests setting portions of the agency’s facility in Jerusalem ablaze and calling for the agency’s shutdown.

UNRWA denies collaborating with Hamas. The agency says that more than 200 UNRWA staffers have been killed, and 190 of the agency’s installations have been damaged during the war — including U.N.-run schools that have been turned into shelters for displaced Palestinians.

—AP reporter Jade Lozada contributed reporting from the United Nations