UNRWA Sacks Staff for Alleged Role in Oct. 7 Hamas Attack

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Facts

  • The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) said on Friday that it had fired several staffers Israel had accused of being involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, which killed at least 1.2K people and has seen Israel launch an offensive in Gaza that — according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry — has left over 26K dead.1
  • According to the UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, the decision to terminate its employees' contracts was taken 'to protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance.'2
  • Lazzarini said that the agency had opened an investigation into its staff's alleged link to the Oct. 7 onslaught, adding that anyone found liable 'will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.'3
  • The Israel Security Agency, as well as the Israel Defense Forces, reportedly provided 'strong and corroborated intelligence' to suggest that UNRWA staffers had actively participated in the attack.4
  • Meanwhile, the US, Canada, the UK, Italy, Australia, and Finland have all temporarily paused funding to the UNRWA, while the EU has said it would wait until the investigation's results before making any decisions.5
  • Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Saturday that Tel Aviv would seek to stop the agency — which provides education, healthcare, and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon — from operating in the Gaza Strip after the war is over.6

Sources: 1CNN, 2The Times of Israel (a), 3New York Times, 4The Times of Israel (b), 5Al Jazeera and 6BBC News.

Narratives

  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by The New Arab. The allegations are politically motivated and aimed at diminishing the long-festering refugee issue as well as distracting the international community from Israel's atrocious crimes in Gaza. Israel's baseless claims hurt the UNRWA's already stretched operations to get humanitarian aid to millions of Palestinians displaced by years of Israeli aggression.
  • Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by WSJ. If it's true that the UNRWA employees, including teachers, had participated in, abetted, or openly celebrated the Oct. 7 massacre, they must be criminally prosecuted. Since its establishment, the agency has perpetuated the Israel-Palestine conflict by using teaching materials that promote antisemitism and deny the right for Israel to exist. A comprehensive review of the organization is long overdue.

Predictions