The U.N. introduced on Monday that it fired 9 employees members from its company for Palestinian refugees, generally known as UNRWA, after an inner investigation discovered they might have been concerned within the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, assault towards Israel.
John Minchillo/AP
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John Minchillo/AP
JERUSALEM — The United Nations mentioned Monday it has fired additional staff members from its company for Palestinian refugees after an inner investigation discovered they might have been concerned within the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assault towards Israel.
The U.N. secretary-general’s workplace introduced the transfer in a short assertion to journalists. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general, didn’t elaborate on the UNRWA staffers’ possible function within the assault or on the proof that prompted its determination.
UNRWA beforehand fired 12 staffers and put seven staffers on administrative go away with out pay over the claims. The group of 9 staffers the U.N. introduced it had fired Monday contains some from every group, mentioned Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA.
The U.N. didn’t make clear what number of have now been fired from the company in whole.
The U.N.’s inner watchdog has been investigating the company since Israel in January accused 12 UNRWA staffers of being concerned within the Oct. 7 assault on Israel, wherein militants killed 1,200 folks and kidnapped some 250 others.
Israel’s allegations initially led prime donor international locations to droop their funding for UNRWA. That triggered a money crunch of about $450 million {dollars}. Since then, all donor international locations apart from the U.S. have determined to renew funding.
Oren Marmorstein, the spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs, wrote on X following the announcement of the firings that Israel was once more calling for donor international locations to droop funding “because the funds could go to terrorist components.”
“UNRWA is a part of the issue and never a part of the answer, and anybody who seeks the perfect pursuits of Israel, the Gaza Strip and the area ought to act to switch UNWRA’s actions with different companies,” he wrote.
The U.N. watchdog charged with investigating UNRWA, known as the Workplace of Inner Oversight Companies, mentioned it drew on proof offered by Israel in discussions with Israeli authorities. It mentioned it couldn’t independently corroborate that proof because it didn’t have direct entry to it. The investigators additionally reviewed inner UNRWA info, together with employees data, e mail and different communications information.
It mentioned it discovered enough proof pointing to 9 staff’ potential involvement within the Oct. 7 assault.
An Israeli official with information of the discussions, who requested anonymity as a result of he was not approved to temporary the media, mentioned that Israeli authorities spent hours on every accused UNRWA staffer when briefing U.N. investigators on their findings.
“I’ve determined that within the case of those remaining 9 employees members, they can not work for UNRWA,” the company’s head Philippe Lazzarini mentioned in a press release.
“The company’s precedence is to proceed lifesaving and important providers for Palestine refugees in Gaza and throughout the area, particularly within the face of the continued warfare, the instability and danger of regional escalation,” mentioned Lazzarini, who additionally mentioned he condemned the Oct. 7 assault.
In 9 different instances, the proof was inadequate, and in a single different case there was no proof pointing to involvement.
UNRWA has been the principle company distributing assist to Palestinians in Gaza in the course of the 10-month previous warfare there, which Gaza Well being officers say has killed over 39,600 folks and unleashed a mass humanitarian disaster.
Israel has escalated requires the company’s shutdown because the warfare started. It has lengthy accused UNRWA of collaborating with Hamas and turning a blind eye to the militant group’s actions. All through the warfare, it has launched photos of tunnels constructed subsequent to UNRWA amenities and charged that many extra UNRWA staffers than those that have been fired are members of militant teams.
Through the warfare, far-right protesters demonstrating towards the company have set parts of the its facility in Jerusalem ablaze.
UNRWA denies collaborating with Hamas. The company says that greater than 200 UNRWA staffers have been killed, and 190 of the company’s installations have been broken in the course of the warfare — together with U.N.-run faculties which have been became shelters for displaced Palestinians.