SouthernWorldwide.com – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has dismissed 70 staff members in Gaza following persistent accusations from Israeli authorities linking the agency to the Hamas terrorist group.
In a statement released on Friday, UNRWA announced that its Commissioner-General ad interim, Christian Saunders, made the decision to terminate the employment of these 70 staff members with immediate effect.
UNRWA emphasized that this decision should not be interpreted as an admission of guilt. Instead, it was taken to address safety and security risks for the refugees served by the agency, as well as for UNRWA personnel and its facilities.
The agency stated that it had repeatedly requested information and evidence from Israeli authorities to substantiate the allegations against individual UNRWA staff members in Gaza. However, UNRWA claims it has not yet received any response.
The UNRWA statement clarified that the staff dismissals are not part of a disciplinary process and do not validate the claims made against the individuals.
These terminations follow an investigation by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This investigation had recommended the suspension or dismissal of over 100 UNRWA staff members.
The results of the USAID investigation, published on June 5, indicated that a significant number of UNRWA employees were deeply involved in Hamas’s civil society and military operations.
Specific findings from the investigation included the identification of a deputy school principal serving as a deputy commander in Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, another deputy school principal acting as a squad leader within the Khan Younis Brigade, and a teacher with expertise as a sniper for Hamas.
The investigation also revealed that numerous school teachers and principals were alleged to have directly participated in Hamas’s terrorist attacks on October 7.
Israeli authorities have long contended that UNRWA has direct ties to Hamas.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated in a January web post that since October 7, evidence has emerged of Hamas exploiting UNRWA infrastructure and UNRWA employees engaging in terrorist activities. The IDF also noted that civilians in Gaza have themselves referred to UNRWA as Hamas.
Furthermore, citing intelligence findings, the IDF claimed that out of the 12,521 UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip, at least 1,462 individuals, or 12%, are members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry criticized UNRWA’s defense and its assertion that Israel had not provided evidence of employee-Hamas collaboration.
The ministry described UNRWA’s statement on the dismissals as a “cynical cover-up,” pointing out that it blamed Israel and failed to mention Hamas.
The statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry concluded that the responsibility to eliminate terrorism lies with the UN, yet Hamas membership is apparently tolerated within UNRWA’s ranks. The ministry accused UNRWA of becoming an arm of Hamas by harboring terrorists and allowing its facilities to be used as Hamas headquarters.
UNRWA, on its part, denies actively collaborating with Hamas. However, the agency maintains that cooperation with the group is operationally necessary for aid distribution in Gaza.
In its Friday statement, UNRWA explained that, like other United Nations entities, it lacks police or intelligence capabilities. Therefore, it must rely on the cooperation and assistance of Member States, including Israel as the Occupying Power, to ensure the safety and neutrality of its operations amidst the high-risk environment in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
In April, UNRWA’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) reported on an investigation into 19 employees accused of involvement in the October 7 attacks. UNRWA had already terminated 12 of these employees in January. Of the remaining seven cases, one was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, while the other six were still under investigation as of April, according to the agency.
During President Donald Trump’s administration, there were discussions in December about imposing terrorism-related sanctions against UNRWA.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also characterized UNRWA as a “subsidiary of Hamas” and vowed to prevent it from playing any role in delivering aid to Gaza.
