The UN has dismissed nine employees from its agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, following an internal investigation that suggested their potential involvement in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. This announcement was made by the UN Secretary-General’s office on Monday, although details about the employees’ roles in the attack were not provided.
Nine UNRWA staff members were possibly involved in attack on Israel, UN says @sightmagazine #UNRWA #IsraelHamasconflict #Hamas #7thOctober #UN #UNOfficeofInternalOversightServices #Israel https://t.co/XABZq3Bs6Y pic.twitter.com/w3PfuBKlDT
— Sight Magazine (@sightmagazine) August 6, 2024
According to UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, the evidence against these nine individuals was sufficient to warrant their dismissal. The investigation, conducted by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), examined allegations against 19 UNRWA staff members, with Israel initially accusing them of participating in the attack that resulted in 1,200 deaths and about 250 abductions. The investigation found no evidence to support allegations against one individual, while evidence against nine others was deemed insufficient. The UNRWA employs 32,000 people, with 13,000 based in Gaza. The dismissal of the nine staff members has highlighted the significant betrayal of the agency’s mission to support the Palestinian people, according to Haq. The allegations led to a temporary suspension of funding from several major donor countries, causing a financial shortfall of around $450 million. However, all donor countries except the US have since resumed funding.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini emphasized that employees involved in the attack cannot continue working for the agency, reiterating the importance of neutrality and the agency’s commitment to providing essential services to Palestinian refugees. Despite the confidential nature of the OIOS investigation, the UN deemed the information sufficient to justify the terminations, though most of the information provided by Israeli authorities could not be independently verified by the OIOS.
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