Israel has provided the Biden administration with new documents containing information about how U.N. agency personnel aided or assisted in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, Fox News has learned.
The document specifically alleges that 12 employees who worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provided assistance in various capacities. According to the document, seven United Nations employees entered Israel on October 7, and others were accused of “participating in terrorist activities” or coordinating the movement of vehicles.
The document alleges that approximately 190 UNRWA personnel in the Gaza Strip have ties to Islamist terrorist organizations. But intelligence estimates provided to The Wall Street Journal put the number at about 1,200, or 10% of UNRWA’s Gaza staff.
Two of them joined Hamas terrorists in raiding Israeli kibbutzim and directly participated in the violence, while two other employees kidnapped an Israeli woman and held her hostage in her home, the documents said. And another UN official handed out ammunition to Hamas terrorists.
Austria suspends payments to UNRWA over Israel scandal; UN workers support, praise Hamas
Israeli soldiers patrol near Kibbutz Beli in southern Israel on October 12, 2023. Close to where 270 Israelis were killed by militants at the Supernova music festival on October 7th. Thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed since October 7th. In 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants invaded Israel in a surprise attack, Israel declared war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip enclave the next day. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
The dossier identifies the UN personnel involved and provides photographs and descriptions of their roles in the UN agency.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the individuals allegedly involved in the attack were no longer employed.
“Of the 12 people involved, nine were immediately identified and dismissed by UNRWA Director General Philippe Lazzarini. One was confirmed dead and the identities of the remaining two have been revealed,” Guterres said. Ta.
File photo: A truck with the logo of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) enters Egypt from Gaza at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during the temporary truce between Hamas and Israel in Rafah, Egypt. , November 27, 2023. (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Darsh/File photo)
He also said that UN personnel found to have been involved in acts of terrorism “will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.”
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Of the 12 employees, nine were teachers and one was a social worker. Ten are specifically listed as having ties to Hamas and one person as having ties to the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
A police officer walks near a destroyed police station after fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants who occupied the police station on October 8, 2023 in Sderot, Israel. (Amir Levi/Getty Images)
The accusations against UNRWA officials sparked a global backlash, prompting 10 Western countries to suspend payments to the agency.
Countries that have suspended payments to aid agencies include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Japan and Austria.
UN urges countries to resume funding to UNRWA despite reports of employees taking part in October 7 massacre
Austria is the latest country to join the list, announcing its decision on Monday.
“We call on UNRWA and the United Nations to carry out a comprehensive, prompt and complete investigation into the allegations,” the Austrian ministry said in a statement.
A photo taken from the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 25, 2023 shows smoke rising in the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli attack as fighting between Israel and the Palestinian organization Hamas continues. (Ronaldo Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
Contributions from these countries accounted for more than 60% of UNRWA’s total budget in 2022.
UNRWA provides basic services to millions of Palestinians across the Middle East, but much of their financial support is now in question, forcing the agency to cease operations within weeks. said that it would be done.
Photos of Israelis killed in the October 7 attack by Hamas militants and those killed during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip are displayed on a giant screen at the National Library in Jerusalem, Israel, on Sunday, January. Visitors to see. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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Director of Communications Juliet Touma said the agency could be forced to suspend aid to Gaza by the end of February if funding is not restored.
Fox News’ Yonat Friling, Gillian Turner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
