United Nations internal investigation has concluded that nine of 19 Palestinian staffers accused by Israel “may have been involved” in the October 7 terror attacks in southern Israel, while insufficient or no evidence was found regarding 10 others.
“The employment of these individuals will be terminated in the interests of the agency,” U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters of the nine, in announcing the conclusion of the monthslong investigation.
All of the 19 were employed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees.
Haq said of the remaining 10 cases investigated by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), that there was “insufficient” evidence obtained to support allegations that nine staffers were involved, while there was “no evidence” to support allegations against a 10th individual.
“With respect to these 10 cases, appropriate measures will be taken in due course, in conformity with UNRWA regulations and rules,” Haq said, without elaborating.
On January 26, UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini immediately fired nine of 12 individuals Israel initially accused of involvement in the October terror attacks and an internal investigation was launched. At the time, officials said one staffer was confirmed dead, and they were clarifying the identity of two others.
UNRWA said it received information from Israeli authorities about five additional cases in March and two more in April, which were added to the OIOS investigation.
When news broke of the accusations in late January, more than a dozen donor states, including its largest funder, the United States, suspended their financial support for UNRWA, which has been on the front lines in Gaza, assisting more than 2 million Palestinians in the besieged territory.
Israel’s U.N. ambassador dismissed the report’s conclusions in a post on social media platform X, saying it is “too little and too late.” Gilad Erdan repeated his call for UNRWA to be shuttered and for the U.N. secretary-general to resign.
“Israel needs to act quickly now to outlaw UNRWA, declare it a terrorist organization and expel its leaders from Israeli territory and not allow them to enter,” Erdan wrote.
Israel’s parliament is considering a bill to designate UNRWA as a terrorist organization and ban it in the country.
In a statement Monday, UNRWA chief Lazzarini reiterated his condemnation of the October 7 attacks “in the strongest possible terms,” and repeated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
“UNRWA is committed to continue upholding the fundamental principles and values of the United Nations, including the humanitarian principle of neutrality, and to ensuring that all its staff abide by the Agency’s policy on outside and political activities,” Lazzarini said.
In response to reporters’ questions, U.N. spokesperson Haq noted that evidence presented by Israel to U.N. investigators in support of their allegations remained in Israel’s hands.
“OIOS was not able to independently authenticate most of the information provided to it that was in the hands of the Israeli authorities,” he said.
Haq said that investigators traveled to Israel, but for security reasons did not go to Gaza to interview the accused, adding that in some cases they were able to request and receive video statements from individuals in which they responded to a series of questions addressing the allegations.
He stressed that the United Nations probe was not a criminal one, but a fact-finding mission to determine whether internal administrative rules and procedures had been broken, and what disciplinary sanctions might be warranted.
The internal, confidential report was sent to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on July 31.
Following the results of an external, independent review of UNRWA’s neutrality by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna in April, most donors, except Washington, resumed their funding to the agency.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has about 13,000 Palestinian staffers just in the Gaza Strip. More than 200 have been killed since the war started in October following Hamas’ terror attack inside Israel that killed 1,200 people. Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the territory’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
