As Western nations suspended funding for the main United Nations' relief agency in Gaza over Israeli claims, the U.N. chief promised to hold his staff accountable but urgently appealed for the aid to keep flowing.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the world body was "taking swift action following the extremely serious allegations" against 12 staff for UNRWA, the main relief agency for Palestinian refugees, and had launched an internal investigation into the allegations.
Israel implicated 12 of the agency's 13,000 staff in Gaza as participants in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis and hostage-taking of 240 others.
UNRWA was set up after the 1948 war that led to Israel's independence, helping Palestinian families who fled for safety. Since Israel declared war on Hamas, UNRWA, which employs mostly Palestinians, has been overwhelmed providing shelter and food to Gaza's 2.2 million population.
Nine of the 12 staff were immediately identified and terminated by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, Guterres said, while two others' identities were still being "clarified" and one was "confirmed dead."
"Any U.N. employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution," he said, adding that the world body will cooperate with a prosecution by a "competent authority."
An Israeli document shared with U.S. officials and obtained by The Associated Press on Monday said nine were teachers and one was a social worker. The document, without providing evidence, said 10 had ties to Hamas and one to an Islamic Jihad group, but intelligence found at least 190 UNRWA workers were Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives.
Seven of the staff crossed into Israel on Oct. 7, three took part in the attack, one was accused of taking part in a kidnapping, while another helped steal a soldier's body, AP reported, adding it could not confirm the Israeli allegations. Two of the 12 were killed, according to the document.
'Horrified by these accusations'
Gaza's aid operation already faced difficult setbacks before some Western nations, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, joined the United States in suspending funding for UNRWA, pending investigations by UNRWA and the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services.
Faced with a serious donor and credibility crisis along with a widening aid gap, UNRWA will run out of money to support all of Gaza's civilians who will depend on it for daily survival in February, according to Guterres.
More than three-fourths of Gaza's population are displaced, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Outside of Gaza, UNRWA operates in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, all neighboring areas where Palestinian refugees have fled for safety.
At least 27,100 people – 25,900 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis – have been killed in the war since Hamas' Oct. 7 surprise attack, OCHA reported. Another 69,541 people, mostly Palestinians, have been injured.
"While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations – I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations," Guterres said.
"The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences," he continued. "But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met."
Israel's allegations come as its closest ally, the United States, pushes for a two-month cease-fire agreement that would require Israel to pause its military operations against Hamas in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages. It also would call on Israel to permit more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
In a televised news conference on Saturday, however, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war against Hamas would continue until “complete victory."
In November, Hamas released more than 100 hostages, mostly women and children, in exchange for a weeklong cease-fire and the release of 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
On Friday, UNRWA's Lazzarini said he fired staff immediately based on information provided by Israeli authorities "about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees" in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
“To protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay," he said, adding that UNRWA condemns the attack "in the strongest possible terms" and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages.
This story has been updated with additional details.
