Israel’s intelligence agency in its six-page dossier has claimed that nearly 190 UNRWA employees, which also included teachers, have worked as Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants.
The allegations made by Israel against the UN Palestinian aid agency’s staff members for being involved in the October 7 attack have led to multiple countries halting funds for the UN agency. As reported by Reuters, the dossier contains names and pictures of 11 staff members who are facing the allegations.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday said that the international organisation has not received a copy of the dossier formally.
Israel has been accused by the Palestinians of falsifying information with the aim of tarnishing UNRWA, which they claimed has fired some staffers and has been investigating the allegations.
11 staff member names and pictures published in dossier
The dossier claimed that one among the 11 staff members whose names and pictures have been published is a school counsellor who is facing allegations of helping the son of one of the members in abducting a woman when Hamas militants infiltrated Israel on October 7 and killed 1,200 and kidnapped 253.
Meanwhile, another UNRWA social worker has been accused of being in some ways involved in the transfer of slain Israeli soldiers’ corpses to Gaza and of carrying out coordination with the movements of pick-up trucks which were used for weapon supplies and by the raiders.
In the dossier, a third Palestinian has been accused of participating in a rampage in the Israeli border village Beeri, where one-tenth of residents were killed.
Another staff member is facing accusations of participating in an attack on Reim, which is a site where more than 360 revellers – who were part of a rave party – died and also the place where an army base was overrun.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini needs to resign.
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“UNRWA employees participated in the massacre of October 7. Lazzarini should draw conclusions and resign,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israel has been accused by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh of launching a “premeditated political attack” on the agency.
UNRWA ‘extremely desperate’ as funding is halted
Amid more countries halting funding to the UN agency operating in Gaza, UNRWA claimed while speaking to BBC that it is “extremely desperate” and that “the humanitarian needs in Gaza are growing by the hour”.
A UNRWA spokesperson said that if they failed to resume funding, the agency would not be able to continue its operations after the end of February.
(With inputs from agencies)
