The UN acknowledges the involvement of UNRWA staff in the massacre in Israel on October 7.

The United Nations has admitted that at least nine employees of its Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) may have been involved in the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. This was stated by UN spokesman Farhan Haq following the investigation.

An internal UN investigation affected 19 employees of the agency, which performs virtually all humanitarian and social functions in the Gaza Strip. In relation to nine employees, sufficient evidence of their involvement in the attack was found, which was necessary for their dismissal. In relation to nine other employees of the agency, there was not enough evidence for conclusions, no data on participation in the attack was found for one employee.

The Israeli side has repeatedly stated that UNRWA is closely associated with the radical group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, which is recognized as terrorist in the United States and Europe, and which attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1200 civilians, including children, women and the elderly, and taking more than 250 people hostage. According to Israeli representatives, the number of UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip linked to Hamas could be in the hundreds. UNRWA denied such figures, but promised to investigate.

In January, Israel submitted a report to the United Nations that found that agency employees may have been involved in crimes. It was based on data obtained by the Israeli army and security services based on an analysis of the October 7 attack. The head of the agency, Philip Lazzarini, said that an investigation would be carried out and the employees involved in the illegal activities would be fired and charged in court.

Some UN member states, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Australia and Canada, have suspended funding for UNRWA.

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