An Israeli spells out allegations against a dozen U.N. employees the country says participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.

The allegations against staffers with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees prompted Western countries to freeze funds vital for the body, which is a lifeline for desperate Palestinians in Gaza. The U.N. fired nine of the 12 accused workers and condemned “the abhorrent alleged acts” of staff members.

The accusations come after years of tensions between Israel and the agency known as UNRWA over its work in Gaza, where it employs roughly 13,000 people.

Despite the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the besieged territory — where Israel’s war against Hamas has displaced the vast majority of the population and officials say a quarter of Palestinians are starving — major donors, including the U.S. and Britain, have cut funding. On Monday, Japan and Austria joined them in pausing assistance.

  • girlfreddyOPEnglish
    7511·
    10 months ago

    The document said intelligence gathered showed that at least 190 UNRWA workers were Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives, without providing evidence.

    It wouldn’t shock me at all that we find out later that Israel was bs’ing about this and Palestinians starved to death because of it.

    • AlmightySnoo 🐢🇮🇱🇺🇦@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2915·
      10 months ago

      So far UNRWA’s track record is on Israel’s side, and for the UNRWA to immediately fire 9 of those accused of collaborating with Hamas means the evidence that was presented to them was exceptionally compelling:

      Today, in the course of the regular inspection of its premises, UNRWA discovered rockets hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip.

      The agency protested strongly to the relevant authorities in Gaza to express outrage and condemnation of the presence of such a structure underneath one of its installations,

      To their merit though, whenever they fucked up they admitted it.

      • Zoolander@lemmy.worldEnglish
        388·
        10 months ago

        It’s crazy to me that these countries cut funding, even after they fired those people. UNRWA is providing much needed help, from what I’ve heard of the reporting so far, and this disrupts those efforts a lot.

        • AlmightySnoo 🐢🇮🇱🇺🇦@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1416·
          10 months ago

          even after they fired those people

          An independent investigation is still ongoing as there are 190 accused, not just 9. Those 9 employees are only those against whom the evidence was compelling enough to prompt an immediate firing by the UNRWA.

            • DarkGamer@kbin.social
              918·
              10 months ago

              Evidently they count people as refugees even if they resettle elsewhere and get citizenship from another country, and all their descendants as well. If your father was a refugee so are you. Which leads to an interesting situation of people who were never personally displaced claiming refugee status for generations.

              • jonne@infosec.pubEnglish
                173·
                10 months ago

                So you think a people should just relinquish their claim on their homeland if they haven’t been personally displaced?

                  • jonne@infosec.pubEnglish
                    32·
                    10 months ago

                    I guess it depends, looks like you can go back 2000 years for Jews, but can’t even go less than 100 for Palestinians.

                • DarkGamer@kbin.social
                  716·
                  10 months ago

                  I think they shouldn’t qualify as refugees if they haven’t been personally displaced, and I hope one day they realize that lives are more important than claims to land their ancestors lived on. The alternative, violence, is what led to them losing this land in the first place, and is why they continue to lose land and freedoms. Choosing violence has consequences.

                  • jonne@infosec.pubEnglish
                    105·
                    10 months ago

                    Definitely don’t let Israel know about your anti-Zionist views, you might lose your job.

    • DarkGamer@kbin.social
      711·
      10 months ago

      I believe that refers to the 190 workers figure, not the 12 verified participants in October 7th.

      • girlfreddyOPEnglish
        51·
        10 months ago

        Yes. That was in the portion I quoted.

        • DarkGamer@kbin.social
          58·
          10 months ago

          So if the affiliation of the 12 isn’t in question, israel can’t be totally lying about this connection.