According to Israeli intelligence documents, there is evidence linking staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to Hamas. This includes 12 individuals who have been accused of involvement in an attack on October 7th.
The country of Israel has released a document regarding intelligence. The document has been shared with CBS News and other Western news sources. It contains accusations against twelve United Nations employees.
Israel claims to have been involved in the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7.
The report alleges that seven employees from UNRWA, the United Nations organization responsible for providing aid to Palestinian refugees, entered Israeli territory during the attack. This included two individuals who were involved in the abductions.
The accusations against employees of UNRWA caused the U.S. and other Western nations to halt financial support crucial to the organization’s operations. This agency serves as a crucial resource for Palestinians in Gaza who are struggling in the midst of war. The United Nations terminated nine out of the 12 implicated workers and denounced the reported misconduct of its staff.
The allegations have arisen following a prolonged period of strained relations between Israel and UNRWA regarding its operations in Gaza, where it has a workforce of approximately 13,000 individuals.
Funding has been temporarily halted. On Monday, Japan and Austria also stopped providing assistance.
The credit for this image belongs to Abed Rahim Khatib from Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.
UNRWA stated that it may have to cease its operations in a matter of weeks if funding is not restored, as the majority of its budget is currently uncertain.
The United Nations agency was at risk as Israel reported that discussions for a cease-fire, attended by CIA Director William Burns, the Israeli leader, and high-level delegates from Egypt and Qatar, were productive. However, there are still significant differences in reaching a potential agreement.
The negotiations aim to bring relief to the conflict-ridden Gaza and to obtain the freedom of over 130 hostages who are believed to still be held in the area.
Ongoing conflict in Gaza is creating challenges for providing aid to the exhausted population. Israel has instructed residents in the western part of Gaza City to evacuate and move south, as fighting persists in the northern region. This area was heavily targeted by Israel at the start of the war and was previously claimed to be under their military control.
The aggression of Israel in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 26,000 Palestinians, with the majority being women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled region. The ministry does not differentiate between fatalities of civilians and those involved in combat.
The military conflict has raised concerns about a potential larger regional dispute, as the U.S. reported three of its soldiers were killed in a strike attributed to Iran-backed groups in Jordan this past weekend.
Specifics of accusations made against UNRWA employees in Gaza.
The Israeli document, which has been shared with U.S. officials and obtained by CBS News Monday, lists 12 people, their alleged roles in the attack, job descriptions and photos.
According to the document, evidence suggests that 190 workers of UNRWA were also members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad. The document does not provide any proof for this claim. Of the 12 workers mentioned, nine were teachers and one was a social worker. The document also states that seven of the employees were accused of illegally entering Israel on October 7. Among these accusations, two were related to kidnapping or aiding in the abduction of Israelis, and another two were said to have been involved in attacks on communal farming villages.
One individual was allegedly found in possession of an anti-tank missile the evening prior to the assault, while the report stated that another person had photographed a female hostage.
Several individuals were alleged to have been involved in “engaging in terrorist activities” or organizing the transportation of trucks or weapons used in the assault. Ten were identified as having connections to Hamas, while one was linked to the Islamic Jihad militant organization.
The names and photos of the accused workers could not immediately be verified. Two of the 12 have been killed, according to the document. The U.N. previously said one was still being identified.
are the focus of ongoing debates.
Ongoing discussions center on UNRWA’s financial support, authority, and conflicting relations with Israel.
The claims have reignited long-standing conflicts between Israel and UNRWA. Israel accuses Hamas of using the organization’s buildings to store weapons or carry out attacks. However, UNRWA states that it is not aware of or condones such actions and has established measures to prevent misconduct and punish any wrongdoing.
The commissioner of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, has recently stated that he will conduct an independent assessment of the agency’s procedures and security measures.
For many years, Israel has been expressing disapproval towards the agency and claims that it contributes to the ongoing Palestinian refugee crisis that has been going on for 76 years.
Jonathan Conricus, a former spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces who is now a senior fellow at the The Foundation for Defense of Democracies thinktank in the U.S., told CBS News correspondent Pamela Falk on Monday that he believes UNRWA is “an obstacle to peace and a corrupt organization that facilitates the continued rule of Hamas over Gaza and its terrorist activities against Israel.”
According to him, the organization has no potential for the future and should be gradually discontinued in a responsible manner, in order to benefit both Palestinians and Israelis.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is responsible for addressing the significant needs of millions of Palestinians in the Middle East, which have been greatly increased due to the recent conflict.
OMAR EL-QATTAA/AFP/Getty
On Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged donors to resume providing funding and stated that UNRWA should not be punished for the alleged actions of a few workers.
The United States, the agency’s largest donor, cut funding over the weekend, followed by several other countries. Together, they provided more than 60% of UNRWA’s budget in 2022.
UNRWA offers essential assistance to Palestinian families who were displaced from what is now Israel during the 1948 war that occurred during the establishment of the country. The refugees and their offspring make up the majority of Gaza’s inhabitants.
According to Lazzarini, since the start of the war, the majority of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the territory rely on the agency’s initiatives for basic survival needs such as food and shelter.
One fourth of Gaza’s residents are at risk of starvation due to ongoing conflict and limitations imposed by Israel, causing a significant decrease in aid delivery to an average of 500 trucks per day before the war.
Juliette Touma, the Communications Director, issued a warning that the agency’s assistance in Gaza will come to an end by the end of February.
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Source: cbsnews.com