The UN said on Monday that nine staff working
for its Palestine refugee agency UNRWA will be sacked because
they may have been involved in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led
attacks against Israel.
The development follows the conclusion of an investigation by the
UN Office of Oversight Services (OIOS), launched earlier this
year after Israel alleged that several UNRWA personnel took
part in the brutal assault on its territory in which some 1,200
people were killed and another 250 were taken to Gaza as
hostages.
However, OIOS was not able to independently authenticate
information used by Israel to support the allegations.
Appropriate measures and terminations
OIOS is the highest investigative body in the UN system and its
reports are confidential but can be made available to Member
States upon request.
Investigators made findings in relation to 19 UNRWA staff alleged
to have been involved in the attacks, UN Deputy Spokesperson
Farhan Haq told journalists in New
York.
“In one case, no evidence was obtained by OIOS to support
the allegations of the staff member's involvement,
while in nine other cases, the evidence obtained by
OIOS was insufficient to support the staff members'
involvement,” he said.
Regarding these10 cases, he said that appropriate measures will
be taken in due course, in conformity with UNRWA Regulations and
Rules.
With respect to the remaining nine cases, the evidence obtained
by OIOS indicated that the UNRWA staff members may have been
involved in the 7 October attacks.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini
issued a
statement acknowledging the completion of the probe.
“I have decided that in the case of these remaining nine staff
members, they cannot work for UNRWA. All contracts of these staff
members will be terminated in the interest of the Agency,” he
said.
Information not authenticated
Asked about the extent of the staff members' alleged involvement,
Mr. Haq responded that he did not have specific information about
the specific allegations.
He said the OIOS investigation involved visits to Israel for
discussions with officials and to see and review information held
by authorities there.
The investigators also travelled to Amman, Jordan, to obtain and
review relevant information held by UNRWA, including on its staff
and operations.
They also reviewed information and communications technology
data, such as email records and information on agency vehicles,
in addition to information from various other sources, including
that released to the media and other public sources, and
communications with several Member States.
“However, one thing I'd like to point out is that since
information used by Israeli officials to support the allegations
have remained in Israeli custody, OIOS was not able
to independently authenticate most of the information provided to
it,” he noted.
Parallel probe
The accusations surfaced in January when Israel informed UNRWA of
the alleged involvement of 12 staff members in the attacks.
UNRWA immediately identified
and terminated 10, while two were confirmed dead.
The UN later received information from Israel about seven more
cases – five in March and two in April.
Following the initial allegations, UN Secretary-General António
Guterres immediately ordered OIOS to
investigate.
He also appointed an independent review panel to conduct a
separate assessment into UNRWA to determine whether the agency
was doing everything it could to ensure neutrality and to respond
to allegations of serious breaches when they arise.
The panel – headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine
Colonna - published its
report in April.
Speaking at the time, she said “the set of rules and the
mechanisms and procedures in place [at UNRWA] are the most
elaborate within the UN system, precisely because it is such a
difficult issue to work in such a complex and sensitive
environment.”
Mr. Lazzarini said that UNRWA has started implementing the
panel's recommendations and is fully committed to them.
“Finally, I reiterate UNRWA's condemnation of the 7 October
attack in the strongest possible terms. I call – once again – for
the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and their
safe return to their families,” he said.
UN chief's opinions
Mr. Haq was asked about the Secretary-General's views regarding
the OIOS findings.
The UN chief “believes that it is important that we go through
this very carefully, given the fact that any
involvement in these attacks would constitute a major betrayal of
trust,” he said.
“Obviously, there were actions that were taken for the benefit of
the agency that were very swift and very decisive in terms of
dealing with the individuals who had been named at first, and now
it's good to have all of the information available,” he added.
Referring to the Gaza war, Mr. Haq also underlined the importance
of remembering that a “huge number” of UNRWA staff
have been taking enormous risks for months, keeping
hundreds of thousands of people alive, whether in shelters or by
providing food and services.
“And we want to make sure that the reputation of our UNRWA staff,
our dedicated staff, including about 200 people who have lost
their lives since 7 October, is fully recognized and that UNRWA
gets the support that it needs,” he said.
