About 1,200 staff members of the UN’s Palestinian refugee aid agency have ties to Hamas — and thousands more of those workers have close ties to members of the Gaza terror group, according to Israeli documents.
The damning report – built on interrogations of Hamas terrorists and documents obtained in Gaza – claimed that about 10% of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s 12,000 workers in Gaza had ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Wall said. Street Journal.
Among all the agency’s employees, nearly half — or around 6,000 — have close relatives in the militant organization, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, according to intelligence, provided to the US.
Those with ties to the terror group are considered “cooperatives,” meaning they participate in Hamas’ military or political activities, the report said.
“UNRWA’s problem is not just a ‘few bad apples’ involved in the October 7 massacre – the institution as a whole is a haven for the radical ideology of Hamas,” a senior Israeli government official told the Journal.
About 10% of the 12,000 members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency have close ties to Gaza terror groups, according to Israeli intelligence. AFP via Getty Images The aid agency is responsible for distributing most of the aid to Gaza’s nearly 2 million refugees. Reuters
UNRWA declined to comment on claims that its ranks are filled with Hamas relatives, noting that an internal UN investigation into the agency is underway after 12 of its members were accused last week of taking part in the October 7 terror attack.
While 15% of the average adult male in Gaza has some connection to Hamas, intelligence reports show that a much higher percentage — almost a quarter — of male UNRWA workers have ties to the group, claiming the terror group may have more influence. on aid agencies compared to the general population.
The aid group’s apparent politicization has previously been flagged by Israel, which saw former UNRWA union chief Suhail al-Hindi selected for a senior position in Hamas in 2017.
UNRWA quickly fired al-Hindi after the intelligence report was released.
UNRWA has long been accused of spreading anti-Israel sentiment in its refugee camps. Xinhua/Shutterstock
The aid organization has fired nine of 12 staff accused of active involvement in Hamas terror activities, including an Arab teacher who was revealed to be a militant commander who took part in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7.
Two of the dozen are dead, and the fate of the 12th is unclear.
The sacked staff included teachers and other social workers who aided in the terrorist attacks that left more than 1,200 people dead and more than 240 others kidnapped.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini criticized the country for halting funds to aid groups after the Israeli report. via REUTERS At least 12 UNRWA workers were directly involved in the October 7 terrorist attack, according to intelligence documents. Reuters
The allegations facing the agency have shaken the world’s confidence in its ability to provide aid to the nearly 2 million Palestinian refugees caught in the middle of the Israel-Hamas war.
Ten countries, including the US, have cut millions of dollars in funding to UNRWA, with the agency’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini criticizing the move as unfairly punishing the Palestinian population as a whole.
“Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing,” Lazzarini said at the weekend. “I am shocked that such a decision was taken based on the alleged behavior of a few individuals and as the war continued, the need deepened and the famine grew.
“The Palestinian people in Gaza do not need this additional collective punishment. This tarnishes all of us,” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
