Israel: Up to 10 percent of UN agency’s Gaza staff were in terrorist groups

As many as 10 percent of the U.N. relief agency’s 13,000 workers in the Gaza Strip were members of the terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to an Israeli intelligence assessment shared with the United States.

It was part of a report setting out Israel’s belief that at least 13 of the United Nations workers took part in the deadly Hamas assault on Oct. 7.

The Israeli assessment, which was seen by Bloomberg News, claims that six employees with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency infiltrated Israeli territory during the terrorist attack, in which some 1,200 people were killed and about 240 more kidnapped and brought to the Gaza Strip. According to the document, four UNRWA employees were involved in kidnapping Israelis.

The document, which didn’t name any of the suspects, offered new details to undergird Israel’s longstanding accusation that UNRWA, which provides schooling, medicine and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, is deeply connected to and sometimes works in concert with Hamas.

A person familiar with the matter said Israel had shared the information with Biden administration officials, who were reviewing it.

Israel has long accused the agency of giving cover to Palestinian terrorists, promoting hatred of Israel in its schools and perpetuating the 75-year-old conflict by failing to encourage the resettlement and rehabilitation of Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA employs roughly 13,000 workers in the Gaza Strip and runs a network of schools and welfare services, including essential aid and shelter during the war.

The assessment calls the organization’s relationship with Hamas one of “mutual dependence” and said Hamas has gained influence over the agency’s employee commission.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “horrified by the news” that workers with UNRWA might have been involved in the attack by Hamas and urged the agency’s chief to refer the accused for potential prosecution, his office said in a statement. According to the statement, there will be an “urgent and comprehensive independent review” of the agency.

Asked about the Israeli claims, John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, told reporters that it was important not to impugn the work of the entire agency.

“I am not dismissing the seriousness of the allegations against those employees,” he said. “Hopefully, the investigation will give us more insight. It is important the UNRWA staff and commissioner general and the U.N. Secretary-General Guterres last week made it clear they’re taking this seriously. That’s our expectation too.”

The Israeli accusations spurred the U.S., U.K. and several other Western countries to suspend funding to the U.N. agency last week. The U.N. has urged the countries to reverse course, warning the withholding of funds could lead to a famine in the Gaza Strip, where UNRWA is a key provider of water, food, and shelter to two million Palestinians. The U.N. agency said it fired several workers over the claims and vowed to investigate.

While U.N. officials are aware of media references to the dossier, they haven’t received it from Israeli authorities, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Israel, citing interrogations of Hamas operatives, also accused UNRWA of diverting humanitarian aid and fuel to Hamas during the current conflict that was meant for Palestinian civilians.

At the same time, the document suggested that in some cases UNRWA may have little choice but to cooperate with Hamas.

“Hamas uses UNRWA and its activity to build up and advance terrorist attacks,” the document said. “It should be noted that UNRWA does not have the capability to eradicate this phenomenon due to its need for cooperation with Hamas to continue the agency’s activity and functionality” in the Gaza Strip.

More than 26,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since the war with Israel began, according to officials in the Hamas-run enclave, and more than a million have been displaced. About 130 Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza, amid talks aimed at their release in exchange for a cease-fire.