The United Nations has fired nine employees from its Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, after they were allegedly linked to the horrific Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. This drastic move comes after months of controversy and denial, with the UN previously claiming that Israeli authorities coerced false confessions from its staff. Meanwhile, Israel has expressed its desire to declare the UNRWA as a terrorist organization strip immunity of its members, and ban its operations within the country. The firing highlights a major shift in the UN’s stance and raises serious questions about the agency’s integrity and its role in the ongoing conflict.
It’s been a rollercoaster of denials and accusations, but now the UN is taking serious action. On Monday, the United Nations announced that nine employees from its Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, will be fired. This follows an investigation into claims that these workers might have been involved in the horrific Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.
Farhan Haq, a deputy spokesperson for the UN, confirmed that the decision to fire these employees came after Israel raised concerns. Initially, Israel had accused these UNRWA staff members of participating in the attacks near the Gaza border. The violence on that day was shocking and brutal, leading to widespread international scrutiny.
The controversy has already led many countries to pull their funding from UNRWA, officially known as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The agency’s own investigation examined 19 staff members, with some alleged to have been involved in the attacks.
Back in March, UNRWA had insisted that some of its staff members had been coerced into making false confessions by Israeli security services. This claim sparked a heated debate, especially in the United States, where UNRWA receives substantial funding from American taxpayers.
Israel had previously claimed that a staggering 450 UNRWA workers were linked to terrorist groups, although the total number of UNRWA employees in Gaza is around 13,000. The UN usually hires most staff locally, with only a few at higher, more scrutinized levels.
Haq’s recent statement didn’t specify how the nine employees were connected to the attacks or if they had prior knowledge of them. He stressed that any involvement in the attacks was a grave betrayal of UNRWA’s mission to help Palestinian people.
The Israel Defense Forces reacted strongly, saying the firing of these employees marked a “new low” for UNRWA. Earlier this year, Israel shared intelligence with The Wall Street Journal, suggesting that six UNRWA workers were directly involved in the deadly assault on October 7. This dossier claimed that two of the workers helped kidnap Israelis, while others were linked to the shooting deaths of Israeli civilians and the logistics of the attack.
One disturbing detail from the report was that a female math teacher from UNRWA had a photo of an Israeli hostage on her phone. The report also mentioned that some workers had taken part in the attacks or handled bodies of Israeli soldiers.
Despite these serious allegations, the UN’s latest press release did not reveal specific details about the employees’ actions or the evidence supporting their dismissal.
