United Nations aid agency staff accused of taking part in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel included some who provided rocket-propelled grenades — as well as others who actively killed and kidnapped Israelis, according to a damning intel document given to the US.
At least 10 of the 12 fired last week by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were active members of Hamas, while another was affiliated with Islamic Jihad, according to documents obtained by the New York Times.
Israeli officials said they tracked the movements of UN aid workers on the day of the attack, using phone records and phone calls.
In addition to using the agency as a cover, the terrorist also worked during the day as a terrorist as well as teachers and other school employees, according to the document, which provided names for the staff that the Times did not publish.
They found that at least one person was told by text message to bring a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) he kept at his home with him, the document reported.
Israeli officials have accused a dozen UNRWA staff of participating in the October 7 terrorist attack. HAITHAM IMAD/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A social worker also removed ammunition, coordinated a vehicle and took the body of a dead Israeli soldier with him to Gaza, according to Israeli intelligence.
A school counselor from southern Gaza worked with his son to kidnap a woman who became one of more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas terrorists that day, according to the document.
In total, Israeli officials said a dozen workers from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency took an active part in the terror attack – prompting the aid agency to announce on Friday that it was dismissing nine of the surviving staff, as the investigation continued.
Two others have died, according to the agency.
Ten of the UN aid workers are said to be active members of the terrorist group.
The US immediately cut funding to the agency following the allegations, the State Department said — marking a sharp reversal from the Biden administration’s strong support for UNRWA.
“The United States is deeply concerned by allegations that 12 UNRWA personnel may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel,” the department said in a statement.
Other countries including Canada, Italy, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Finland have announced that they are halting any additional aid to the agency.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also said the 27-member bloc was looking to “assess further steps and draw lessons based on the results of a full and comprehensive investigation.”
The terrorist allegedly worked in the past as a mathematics and Arabic language teacher, another school worker, a social worker and a storeroom manager. X/@XTrendHunter
But Hamas has slammed Israel’s “threat” against UNRWA, urging the UN and other international groups not to “heed the threat of blackmail”.
The Palestinian Authority also urged countries to lift the suspension of their funds, calling for “maximum support for this international organization and not to stop support and assistance to it.”
And over the weekend, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, argued, “It is highly irresponsible to block an agency and the entire community it serves because of alleged criminal acts against some individuals, especially in times of war, displacement and political crisis in the region.
The Palestinian Authority urged countries to lift the suspension of their funding to the UN group, calling for “maximum support for this international organization and not stopping support and assistance to it.” AP
“The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support, and so does regional stability.”
Johann Soufi, a lawyer and former director of UNRWA’s legal office in Gaza, also said the agency “has always had a policy of zero tolerance for violence and incitement to hatred.
“Approving UNRWA, which barely keeps the entire population of Gaza alive, on the alleged responsibility of a few workers, is tantamount to punishing the people of Gaza collectively, who live in terrible humanitarian conditions.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
