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- What Criticism Does Israel Have Against UNRWA?
According to a report published on Monday by The New York Times, Israel has submitted a dossier to the US government containing accusations against 12 UNRWA employees. Ten of them were labeled as “Hamas members,” and one was allegedly affiliated with the Islamic Jihad.
The six-page dossier alleges that roughly 190 UNRWA employees, including teachers, have doubled as Hamas or Islamic Jihad agents. The report had identified the accused and contained extensive information about them.
One of them was reported to have abducted a woman with the assistance of his son, while a social worker faced accusations of distributing ammunition. A third person was alleged to have participated in the October 7 attack.
The information was reportedly gathered, in part, through the monitoring of employees' mobile phones by Israeli intelligence services, which revealed evidence of their involvement.
The Palestinians have accused Israel of falsifying information to tarnish UNRWA's image, which says it has fired some staffers and is investigating the allegations.
One of the 12 fired employees is a school counselor who was accused of providing unspecified assistance to his son in the abduction of a woman, during Hamas's infiltration into Israel.
Another of these fired employees, an UNRWA social worker, is accused of unspecified involvement in the transfer of a slain Israeli soldier's corpse to Gaza, logistical support in coordinating the movements of pick-up trucks used by the raiders and weapons supplies.
A third Palestinian is accused of taking part in a rampage in the Israeli border village Be'eri. A fourth is accused of participating in an attack on Reim.
Following the disclosure of this information, the agency announced the dismissal of nine out of the 12 employees. Furthermore, two of the remaining employees are reported to have lost their lives.
Under persistent criticism from Israel, the agency, almost entirely funded by the voluntary contributions of states, is currently tasked with investigating the roles of some of its employees in the Hamas-led attack against Israel.
Israel accused several UNRWA employees on Friday of participating in the Hamas attack on October 7.
In response to the Israeli accusations, UNRWA swiftly reacted by dismissing the implicated individuals (reported as 12 by the USA) and promising a thorough investigation along with legal proceedings.
Despite this prompt reaction, Israel declared on Saturday that it no longer wishes for the UN agency to have any role in Gaza after the war.
The US promptly responded by announcing the suspension of its funding for UNRWA. Subsequently, 11 Western countries followed suit, such as Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Austria, Romania and the Netherlands.
In 2018, during Donald Trump's presidency, the US, the first contributor to UNRWA, terminated its annual financial assistance of $300 million (270 million euros).
Washington resumed its installments in 2021 following the election of President Joe Biden.
The head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, described on Saturday the suspension of funds as "shocking," given the existing measures and the fact that “two million people rely on it for their basic survival.”
On Sunday, the Secretary-General of the United Nations urged countries that had suspended their funding to UNRWA amid the turmoil to “at least guarantee” the continuation of its operations, vital for 2 million people.
He underscored that “two million civilians in Gaza depend on UNRWA's crucial aid for their daily survival, but the current funding will fall short of meeting all the needs in February.”
The six-page dossier alleges that roughly 190 UNRWA employees, including teachers, have doubled as Hamas or Islamic Jihad agents. The report had identified the accused and contained extensive information about them.
One of them was reported to have abducted a woman with the assistance of his son, while a social worker faced accusations of distributing ammunition. A third person was alleged to have participated in the October 7 attack.
The information was reportedly gathered, in part, through the monitoring of employees' mobile phones by Israeli intelligence services, which revealed evidence of their involvement.
The Palestinians have accused Israel of falsifying information to tarnish UNRWA's image, which says it has fired some staffers and is investigating the allegations.
One of the 12 fired employees is a school counselor who was accused of providing unspecified assistance to his son in the abduction of a woman, during Hamas's infiltration into Israel.
Another of these fired employees, an UNRWA social worker, is accused of unspecified involvement in the transfer of a slain Israeli soldier's corpse to Gaza, logistical support in coordinating the movements of pick-up trucks used by the raiders and weapons supplies.
A third Palestinian is accused of taking part in a rampage in the Israeli border village Be'eri. A fourth is accused of participating in an attack on Reim.
Following the disclosure of this information, the agency announced the dismissal of nine out of the 12 employees. Furthermore, two of the remaining employees are reported to have lost their lives.
Under persistent criticism from Israel, the agency, almost entirely funded by the voluntary contributions of states, is currently tasked with investigating the roles of some of its employees in the Hamas-led attack against Israel.
Israeli Accusations
Israel accused several UNRWA employees on Friday of participating in the Hamas attack on October 7.
In response to the Israeli accusations, UNRWA swiftly reacted by dismissing the implicated individuals (reported as 12 by the USA) and promising a thorough investigation along with legal proceedings.
Despite this prompt reaction, Israel declared on Saturday that it no longer wishes for the UN agency to have any role in Gaza after the war.
Suspension of Funding
The US promptly responded by announcing the suspension of its funding for UNRWA. Subsequently, 11 Western countries followed suit, such as Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Austria, Romania and the Netherlands.
In 2018, during Donald Trump's presidency, the US, the first contributor to UNRWA, terminated its annual financial assistance of $300 million (270 million euros).
Washington resumed its installments in 2021 following the election of President Joe Biden.
Disastrous Consequences
The head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, described on Saturday the suspension of funds as "shocking," given the existing measures and the fact that “two million people rely on it for their basic survival.”
On Sunday, the Secretary-General of the United Nations urged countries that had suspended their funding to UNRWA amid the turmoil to “at least guarantee” the continuation of its operations, vital for 2 million people.
He underscored that “two million civilians in Gaza depend on UNRWA's crucial aid for their daily survival, but the current funding will fall short of meeting all the needs in February.”
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