Aug. 5 (UPI) — The United Nations announced Monday that nine staff members working for its Palestine U.N. Relief and Works Agency will be fired after an investigation revealed they may have been involved in last year’s Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
The investigation by the U.N. Office of Oversight Services found several UNRWA personnel allegedly took part in the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people with another 250 taken hostage in Gaza.
UNRWA has been charged with helping Palestinian refugees since 1949 by providing them with food and medicine, education, healthcare and social services.
While investigators accused 19 UNRWA staff of being involved in the attacks, appropriate measures resolved 10 of the cases.
“In one case, no evidence was obtained by OIOS to support the allegations of the staff member’s involvement, while in nine other cases, the evidence obtained by OIOS was insufficient to support the staff members’ involvement,” U.N. Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters Monday in New York.
The other nine cases involved evidence obtained by OIOS that indicated they may have been involved in the attacks.
“I have decided that in the case of these remaining nine staff members, they cannot work for UNRWA. All contracts of these staff members will be terminated in the interest of the agency,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.
The UNRWA staff members’ involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks were brought to the agency’s attention by Israel in January. UNRWA immediately identified 12 who were involved in the attacks and terminated 10 of them, after two others were confirmed dead.
Israel’s report in January prompted the United States and at least 15 other nations to suspend their funding of the UNRWA.
In March, hundreds of pro-Israel protesters in Jerusalem gathered outside of UNRWA offices, with signs showing bloody handprints, to demand the agency’s removal from the city.
While the United Nations acknowledged Monday that “any involvement in these attacks would constitute a major betrayal of trust,” it also emphasized the importance of remembering the “huge number” of UNRWA staff who have been taking enormous risks for months. UNRWA has more than 30,000 employees, according to the agency’s website that states most are Palestinian refugees.
“We want to make sure that the reputation of our UNRWA staff, our dedicated staff, including about 200 people who have lost their lives since Oct. 7, is fully recognized,” Haq said, “and that UNRWA gets the support that it needs.”
“UNRWA is committed to continue upholding the fundamental principles and values of the United Nations, including the humanitarian principle of neutrality, and to ensure that all its staff abide by the agency’s policy on outside and political activities,” said Lazzarini.
“The agency’s priority is to continue lifesaving and critical services for Palestine Refugees in Gaza and across the region, especially in the face of the ongoing war, the instability and risk of regional escalation.”