Three Israeli defense officials said military intelligence officers collected a huge amount of information after October 7, and in the past two weeks they matched it with a second cache of intelligence that strengthened the assessment that UNRWA employees were involved in the attack.
UNRWA was created to provide assistance to millions of Palestinians across the Middle East whose families fled or were forced off their property during the wars surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. Since Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006 and then expelled a rival faction from Gaza a year later, the group has conceded, Considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and other countries, it has waived many of its civilian responsibilities to UNRWA.
A destroyed Israeli tank on the Gaza Strip border fence east of Khan Yunis on October 7.credit: AP
The agency employed about 13,000 workers, most of them Palestinians, before the war began.
Israel and the United Nations have accused each other of acting in bad faith since Israel launched its war on Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on October 7. The United Nations accused Israel of slowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged Strip, and Israel said that the international organization promoted Hamas propaganda.
However, these counter-accusations are less politically sensitive than the accusation that humanitarian workers may have been involved in an act of terrorism, an allegation that the UN leadership, the United States and the European Union have taken seriously.
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On October 7, Hamas-led attackers raided towns in southern Israel, where they killed, tortured, and raped victims. More than 240 people, including children and the elderly, were kidnapped in Gaza as hostages.
Last year, the UN General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution calling on Israel to stop its war in Gaza, and on Friday, the International Court of Justice, the UN's highest judicial body, said Israel must take measures to prevent acts of genocide committed by its forces. .
Israel has previously accused UNRWA teachers of telling students in its schools to hate Israel, and accused UNRWA employees of cooperating with Hamas. The Trump administration suspended funding for the agency in 2018, but President Joe Biden restored it.
In recent weeks, Israel has presented new evidence that it says shows UNRWA's hostility toward Israel. Among the latest allegations made by the Israeli army are copies of letters sent by the military wing of Hamas to the Ministry of Education in Gaza requesting that teachers be relieved of work so that they can participate in military training courses.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.credit: AP
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Thursday with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and called for a “thorough and rapid investigation,” the State Department said. The ministry also said it was asking Israel, which initially made the claim, for more information, adding that “UNRWA plays a critical role in providing life-saving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter and other vital humanitarian support.”
David Satterfield, the US special envoy for humanitarian affairs, led a group of US officials who met with Israeli Maj. Gen. Aharon Haleva, who showed them the full briefing materials, according to one of the officials who attended the session.
UN leaders have repeatedly urged Israel to do more to limit harm to civilians and assist those working in the conflict.
More than 100 UN staff have been killed since the start of the war, the largest number the world body has suffered in a single conflict.
UN officials have also warned in stark terms that ordinary residents of Gaza are at risk of starvation and suffering a sharp rise in infectious diseases as the weather cools.
Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat and vice-president of the European Commission, said he was “deeply concerned” about allegations that UN staff were involved in terrorist attacks. He said that the committee is in contact with UNRWA and is expected to take immediate action against the employees involved.
This article originally appeared on New York times.
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