UN relief agency ‘riddled with Hamas’

Australia is among several countries that have paused funding to UNRWA over allegations that 12 staff were involved in the October 7 massacre. Israel says Hamas’ infiltration is much more widespread.

At least nine countries have stopped funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) after Israel provided evidence to the UN that staff members were directly involved in the October 7 Hamas massacre.

UNRWA's main donor, the US, has paused funding, together with Australia, the UK, Canada, Italy, Finland, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.

UNRWA is the main agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza, including food and shelter for an estimated 1.7 million people displaced since Israel began its campaign to destroy Hamas, following the October 7 massacre.

The suspension of aid came after Israel provided evidence to the UN of specific UNRWA staff members involved in the Hamas attacks. One school counselor was shown to be involved in kidnapping a woman from Israel; a teacher held another hostage captive; a social worker helped to bring the body of a dead Israeli soldier to Gaza and distributed ammunition for the massacre.

Israel says the involvement of Hamas in UNWRA goes much deeper. Intelligence reviewed by the Wall Street Journal names 190 UNWRA employees as hardened fighters and states that around 10% of UNRWA's roughly 12,000 employees in Gaza have links to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The agency has also been accused of allowing Hamas to store weapons in UNRWA schools and hospitals and build tunnels beneath them. 

Israeli government spokesperson Mark Regev said there was a structural relationship between UNRWA and Hamas. The 12 proven to have direct involvement in October 7 were just the "tip of the iceberg", he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said UNRWA had no place in the future of Gaza. “We have been warning for years: UNRWA perpetuates the refugee issue, obstructs peace, and serves as a civilian arm of Hamas in Gaza. UNRWA is not the solution – many of its employees are Hamas affiliates with murderous ideologies, aiding in terror activities and preserving its authority,” Katz said.

Journalist Anshel Pfeffer wrote that the deep involvement of Hamas in UNRWA would not come as a surprise to anyone, least of all Israel which has no choice but to cooperate with UNRWA in facilitating humanitarian aid.

“UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza. Hamas is the largest political-social-religious movement there and has dominated all aspects of life in the coastal enclave for nearly 17 years. UNRWA is riddled with Hamas; it couldn't have been otherwise.

“It is a self-perpetuating organisation, a bureaucracy whose existence – reliant on conferring refugee status on, by now, a fourth generation of Palestinians, 75 years since their great-grandparents became refugees – has become an end in itself rather than a means to solving a problem,” wrote Pfeffer.

But he said UNRWA could not be dislodged without a wider solution to the conflict. "Until Israeli policy changes and unless Israel is willing to feed Gaza itself, it still has no alternative to UNRWA."

In a statement issued on Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said nine of the 12 UNRWA staff members at the centre of the allegations had been fired. One other was dead and the identities of two others were still “being clarified”.

“Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” Guterres said, adding that an independent review is forthcoming.

But Guterres said the Palestinians who need UNRWA support and the other staff members who do important work should not suffer.

"The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalised. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met," he said.

Australia has paused its $6 million humanitarian aid package to UNRWA, a package that was increased when the Albanese government took office. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was deeply concerned about the allegations as she welcomed the UNRWA’s immediate response to terminate contracts and launch an investigation.

The Zionist Federation of Australia welcomed the Australian Government’s decision to temporarily pause funding to UNRWA, and called on the government to insist on reforms before funding is resumed.

ZFA President Jeremy Leibler said, “While we welcome Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s decision to pause funding to UNRWA, the problems with UNRWA go far deeper than a handful of its staff participating in the 7 October massacres. We are calling on the Australian Government to desist from resuming funding until UNRWA removes all glorification of terrorism from its school text books, fires all teachers that have praised terrorism, and commits to a transparent, third-party audit of all its finances.”

The US State Department said it was “extremely troubled” by the allegations and had “temporarily paused additional funding” while it reviewed the claims and the UN’s plan to address concerns.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support.

“Their work has saved lives, and it is important that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures, including reviewing its existing policies and procedures.”

UNRWA was established by the United Nations after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war to provide humanitarian assistance for displaced Palestinians. It is the only UN agency dealing with one specific group of refugees: all other refugees in the world are helped through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

UNRWA runs most services to Palestinians not only in Gaza but also in refugee camps which are now established towns in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

READ MORE

Israel accuses 190 UN staff of being 'hardened' militants (Reuters)

Approximately 10 Percent of UNRWA Employees in Gaza Have Ties to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, WSJ Reports (Haaretz)

UNRWA workers accused of kidnapping woman, taking part in kibbutz massacre – report (Times of Israel)

Australia to pause $6m aid as UN investigates claim employees participated in October 7 attack (SMH)

UNRWA to stop aid delivery in Gaza after US, Australia cease funding following Israeli October 7 accusations (ABC)

What we know about Israel’s allegations against UN staffers in Gaza (CNN)

Israel wants UNRWA out of Gaza after staffers fired for involvement in Oct. 7 onslaught (Times of Israel)

UNRWA is riddled with Hamas. But Israel has no alternative (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz) 

Israel says UNRWA staff implicate themselves, more complicit in crimes (Ynet)