UN agency fires staffers involved in Oct 7 attack

Palestinians stand before the destruction caused by an Israeli strike in Rafah on Saturday. Pic/PTI

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees fired a number of its staffers in Gaza suspected of taking part in the October 7 attack by Hamas and other militants on southern Israel, its director said Friday, prompting the United States - the agency's biggest donor - to temporarily halt its funding.

The agency, known by its acronym UNRWA, has been the main agency providing aid for Gaza's population amid the humanitarian disaster caused by Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza triggered by the October 7 attack. UNRWA officials did not comment on the impact that the US halt in funding would have on its operations.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said it terminated contracts with "several" employees and ordered an investigation after Israel provided information alleging they played a role in the attack. The US State Department said there were allegations against 12 employees. UNRWA has 13,000 staffers in Gaza, almost all of them Palestinians, ranging from teachers in schools that the agency runs to doctors, medical staff and aid workers.

In a statement, Lazzarini called the allegations "shocking" and said any employee "involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution." He did not elaborate on what the staffers' alleged role was in the attacks. In the unprecedented surprise attack, Hamas fighters broke through the security fence surrounding Gaza and stormed nearby Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping some 250. Other militants joined the rampage.

"UNRWA reiterates its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the abhorrent attacks of 7 October" and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages, Lazzarini said. Since the war's start, Israel's assault has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, most women and children, and wounded more than 64,400 others, Gaza's Health Ministry said Friday. More than 150 UNWRA employees are among those killed.

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