Following an investigation by the UN watchdog, nine people were dismissed, a spokesperson said.
The UN said nine employees of UNRWA, its agency for Palestinian refugees, “may have been involved” in the October 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas, adding that they have been dismissed.
“We have enough information to take the action we are taking, which is to dismiss these nine individuals,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Monday.
Haq said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) would have to assess any new measures to “fully corroborate” the reports.
Haq was speaking after the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) completed its investigation into allegations made earlier this year by Israel that a total of 19 UNRWA employees were involved in the attack.
“OIOS has made findings regarding each of the 19 UNRWA staff members suspected of involvement in the attacks,” Mr. Haq said.
“In one case, the OIOS obtained no evidence to support the allegations of the official’s involvement, while in nine other cases, the evidence obtained by the OIOS was insufficient to support the official’s involvement,” he said.
Haq said the nine individuals the investigation believed may have been involved were men.
He did not elaborate on what they may have done, but said: “For us, any participation in the attacks is a huge betrayal of the kind of work we are supposed to do on behalf of the Palestinian people.”
Haq added that “OIOS was unable to independently authenticate most of the information provided to it that was in the hands of Israeli authorities.”
“This is information that remains in the custody of Israel.”
In response to the UN announcement, the Israeli military said UNRWA had reached a “new level of weakness.”
“Your ‘rescue’ agency has officially sunk to a new level of baseness, and it’s time for the world to see your true colors,” Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the military’s international spokesman, said on X.
UNRWA employs 32,000 people in its area of operations, including 13,000 in Gaza.
Following the Israeli allegations, many governments, including the United States, the largest donor, abruptly suspended funding to the agency, threatening its efforts to deliver aid to Gaza. Several countries have since resumed payments.
“All countries except one have resumed funding for UNRWA. The only one that hasn’t is the United States,” Tel Aviv Tribune’s Gabriel Elizondo said from UN headquarters.
“This (UN) report will probably close the chapter, because I don’t see any of these countries that have resumed funding UNRWA revoking it again.”
The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas left more than 1,100 people dead, mostly civilians, and more than 200 others captured, according to Israeli officials. Since then, the Israeli military campaign has killed at least 39,550 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
UNRWA, which has provided essential aid to Palestinians since 1949, has long been a target of Israel.
