The U.N. introduced on Monday that it fired 9 employees members from its company for Palestinian refugees, often known as UNRWA, after an inner investigation discovered they could have been concerned within the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, assault towards Israel.
John Minchillo/AP
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John Minchillo/AP
JERUSALEM — The United Nations stated Monday it has fired further employees members from its company for Palestinian refugees after an inner investigation discovered they could have been concerned within the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assault towards Israel.
The U.N. secretary-general’s workplace introduced the transfer in a quick assertion to journalists. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general, didn’t elaborate on the UNRWA staffers’ probably position within the assault or on the proof that prompted its resolution.
UNRWA beforehand fired 12 staffers and put seven staffers on administrative go away with out pay over the claims. The group of 9 staffers the U.N. introduced it had fired Monday contains some from every group, stated Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA.
The U.N. didn’t make clear what number of have now been fired from the company in complete.
The U.N.’s inner watchdog has been investigating the company since Israel in January accused 12 UNRWA staffers of being concerned within the Oct. 7 assault on Israel, through which militants killed 1,200 individuals and kidnapped some 250 others.
Israel’s allegations initially led prime donor international locations to droop their funding for UNRWA. That prompted a money crunch of about $450 million {dollars}. Since then, all donor international locations apart from the U.S. have determined to renew funding.
Oren Marmorstein, the spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of International Affairs, wrote on X following the announcement of the firings that Israel was once more calling for donor international locations to droop funding “because the funds could go to terrorist parts.”
“UNRWA is a part of the issue and never a part of the answer, and anybody who seeks one of the best pursuits of Israel, the Gaza Strip and the area ought to act to interchange UNWRA’s actions with different businesses,” he wrote.
The U.N. watchdog charged with investigating UNRWA, referred to as the Workplace of Inner Oversight Providers, stated it drew on proof supplied by Israel in discussions with Israeli authorities. It stated it couldn’t independently corroborate that proof because it didn’t have direct entry to it. The investigators additionally reviewed inner UNRWA info, together with employees data, e mail and different communications information.
It stated it discovered ample proof pointing to 9 staff’ potential involvement within the Oct. 7 assault.
An Israeli official with data of the discussions, who requested anonymity as a result of he was not licensed to temporary the media, stated that Israeli authorities spent hours on every accused UNRWA staffer when briefing U.N. investigators on their findings.
“I’ve determined that within the case of those remaining 9 employees members, they can not work for UNRWA,” the company’s head Philippe Lazzarini stated in an announcement.
“The company’s precedence is to proceed lifesaving and important providers for Palestine refugees in Gaza and throughout the area, particularly within the face of the continued struggle, the instability and threat of regional escalation,” stated Lazzarini, who additionally stated he condemned the Oct. 7 assault.
In 9 different instances, the proof was inadequate, and in a single different case there was no proof pointing to involvement.
UNRWA has been the primary company distributing support to Palestinians in Gaza through the 10-month outdated struggle there, which Gaza Well being officers say has killed over 39,600 individuals and unleashed a mass humanitarian disaster.
Israel has escalated requires the company’s shutdown because the struggle started. It has lengthy accused UNRWA of collaborating with Hamas and turning a blind eye to the militant group’s actions. All through the struggle, it has launched pictures of tunnels constructed subsequent to UNRWA services and charged that many extra UNRWA staffers than those that have been fired are members of militant teams.
Throughout the struggle, far-right protesters demonstrating towards the company have set parts of the its facility in Jerusalem ablaze.
UNRWA denies collaborating with Hamas. The company says that greater than 200 UNRWA staffers have been killed, and 190 of the company’s installations have been broken through the struggle — together with U.N.-run faculties which have been become shelters for displaced Palestinians.
