TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli document obtained Monday spelled out allegations against a dozen U.N. employees the country says participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault — claiming seven stormed into Israeli territory, including two who participated in kidnappings.
...The U.N. fired nine of the 12 accused workers and condemned “the abhorrent alleged acts” of staff members.
The accusations come after years of tensions between Israel and the agency known as UNRWA over its work in Gaza, where it employs roughly 13,000 people.
...major donors, including the U.S. and Britain, have cut funding. On Monday, Japan and Austria joined...
With the majority of its budget in doubt, UNRWA says it will be forced to halt operations within weeks if funding isn’t restored.👏
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UNRWA WORKERS
The Israeli document, which has been shared with U.S. officials and was obtained by The Associated Press, lists 12 people, their alleged roles in the attack, job descriptions and photos.
The document said intelligence gathered showed that at least 190 UNRWA workers were Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives...
See next post on Wall Street Journal review: It's around 10% of UNRWA's employees, roughly TWELVE HUNDRED, not TWELVE.
It said of the 12 workers, nine were teachers and one a social worker. Seven of the employees were accused of crossing into Israel on Oct. 7. Of those, two were alleged to have kidnapped or assisted in the abduction of Israelis and another two were said to have participated in raids on communal farming villages...
One was accused of arming himself with an anti-tank missile the night before the attack, while the document claimed another took photos of a female hostage.
Some were accused of “participating in a terror activity” or coordinating the movement of trucks or weapons used in the attack. Ten were listed as having ties to Hamas and one to the Islamic Jihad militant group.
Two of the 12 have been killed, according to the document. The U.N. previously said one was still being identified.
The allegations have stoked longstanding tensions between Israel and UNRWA. Israel says Hamas uses the agency’s facilities to store weapons or launch attacks from. (sic) UNRWA says it does not knowingly tolerate such behavior and has internal safeguards to prevent abuses and discipline any wrongdoing.
Very effective measures.
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Israel has long been critical of the agency and accuses it of helping to perpetuate the 76-year-old Palestinian refugee crisis.
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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.
👏Therefore, 60% of UNRWA's perpetuation of the refugee crisis will end!
UNRWA provides basic services for Palestinian families who fled or were driven out of what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding the country’s creation. The refugees and their descendants are the majority of Gaza’s population.
"Who fled"! Flee further! "Descendants"! They've helped perpetuate refugees for three generations!