Employees of the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNWRA) — the humanitarian aid agency of the UN — participated in the Hamas terror attack of Oct. 7, according to an Israeli intelligence document seen by the media on Monday.
The document claimed seven of UNWRA’s staff entered Israel along with members of Hamas during the attack, including two who participated in the kidnappings of Israelis.
In total, 12 UNWRA workers were accused of participating in the events that led to Israel’s retaliatory incursion into Gaza and the three months of bitter and deadly conflict that followed.
Nine UNWRA Workers Fired
The UN said it had fired nine of the dozen accused — one of whom allegedly took part in a kibbutz massacre that killed nearly 100 people and another accused of kidnapping an Israeli woman.
The dossier, compiled by Israeli intelligence, was given to U.S. officials, who called the document “credible enough” to justify withholding funds from the agency.
Indeed, the U.S. and some other Western powers, including the U.K. and Japan, said they had suspended relief payments to UNWRA until the matter was investigated and resolved.
Most of the dozen UNWRA members named by Israel on the document were believed to have already been members of Hamas.
Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz posted on X that UNWRA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini should “draw conclusions and resign.”
“Supporters of terrorism are not welcome here,” he concluded.
Lazzarini said on the UNWRA website: "UNRWA reiterates its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the abhorrent attacks of 7 October and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages and their safe return to their families.”
Hostage Talks
On Sunday, talks initiated by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt on the hostage situation between Israel and Hamas were said to be “constructive” but meaningful in a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office.
The talks are scheduled to resume this week, and “significant gaps” remain the prime minister’s statement added.
Also on Sunday, President Joe Biden’s administration was reportedly looking at slowing down sales of weapons to Israel to slow down the country’s military operations in Gaza, according to a report on NBC news.
Photo: Qassam Brigades of Hamas, photo Shutterstock
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