The United Nations said Monday that nine employees of its agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) “may have been involved” in the October 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas, which sparked war in Gaza, and have been fired.
“We have sufficient information in order to take the actions that we’re taking, which is to say, the termination of these nine individuals,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.
Haq said the organization will need to evaluate any further steps to “fully corroborate.”
Haq was speaking after the UN’s oversight body completed its investigation into the allegations earlier this year by Israel that a total of 19 UNRWA employees may have been involved in the attack.
That prompted many governments, including top donor the United States, to abruptly suspend funding to the agency, threatening its efforts to deliver aid in Gaza. Several countries have since resumed payments.
UNRWA, which has provided essential aid for Palestinian refugees since 1949, has long been criticized by Israel.
Earlier this year, UNRWA’s chief Philippe Lazzarini called for Israel to “stop its campaign” against the organization, citing “outrageous” attacks on its employees, facilities and operations.
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“Escalating use of torture”
UN experts warned also of “escalating use of torture” by Israel against Palestinian prisoners since the war in Gaza began and called for efforts to prevent crimes against humanity.
A report published by the UN human rights office in July said that since the October 7 Hamas attacks, thousands of Palestinians , including medics, patients, residents and captured fighters, have been taken from Gaza to Israel, “usually shackled and blindfolded”.
Thousands more have been detained in the West Bank and Israel, it added.
In Monday’s press release, ten UN experts, who are mandated by the Human Rights Council but do not speak on its behalf, said that “escalating use of torture against Palestinians in custody is a preventable crime against humanity”.
They denounced the “absolute impunity” as well as “the silence by Member States following the emergence of testimonies and reports of alleged maltreatment and torture”.
The experts called for pressure to be put on Israel to implement a system of access, surveillance and protection of Palestinian detainees.
“What is required now is nothing short of an independent, international presence of human rights observers. They must become the world’s eyes,” the statement said.
For their part, the experts claimed to have received “substantiated reports of widespread abuse, torture, sexual assault and rape, amid atrocious inhumane conditions, with at least 53 Palestinians apparently dying as a result in 10 months”.
Reports from men and women described detainees “locked in cages, tied to beds, blindfolded and wearing nappies, undressed, deprived of adequate health care, food, water and sleep” and subjected to “electrocution, including of the genitals, blackmail and cigarette burns”.
With AFP
