On Monday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees accused Israel of detaining and torturing some of its employees, forcing them to make false confessions about the agency's connections to Hamas.
Some staff members have reported to UNRWA teams that they were compelled to provide confessions under torture and ill-treatment. According to a statement from UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma, the false confessions were made during questioning about the relationship between UNRWA and Hamas and their alleged involvement in the 7 October attack against Israel.
Israel has made allegations against 12 UN Relief and Works Agency employees for their alleged involvement in the October 7 terrorist attacks. It is claimed that approximately 12% of UNRWA's 13,000 employees are affiliated with Hamas or other Palestinian militant organizations.
Israeli officials have stated that some of the information about the 12 staffers involved in October 7 was gathered through cell phone data and other sources. UNRWA has terminated 10 of the 12 accused employees, while the remaining two are deceased.
Per Barrtons, the claims are detailed in a report that has not been published yet by UNRWA. It accuses Israel of mistreating Palestinians detained in Gaza during the conflict, including 21 UNRWA employees who reported being physically and mentally abused.
The Israeli military did not provide an immediate response to the accusations regarding the mistreatment and detention of UNRWA employees. However, they stated in a release that any form of mistreatment of detainees goes against IDF values and regulations, and is strictly forbidden. Investigations into the deaths of detainees are being handled by the military police and are currently pending.
The Israeli military strongly refuted allegations of sexual abuse of detainees, dismissing them as a manipulative effort to draw a false comparison with the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war by Hamas. The statement also refuted any claims of sleep deprivation among detainees and assured that they receive proper medical attention.
According to UNRWA, approximately 4,000 individuals from Gaza have been taken into custody by the Israeli military since the conflict began. As of February 19, the organization had recorded the confinement of 29 children and 80 women, along with elderly individuals with Alzheimer's and people with intellectual disabilities.
Un Agency Chief Seeks General Assembly Support
Meanwhile, Philippe Lazzarini expressed concern in a letter to the General Assembly's president about the UNRWA reaching a critical juncture due to frozen funding, pressure from Israel, and increasing humanitarian needs.
The UNRWA's capacity to fulfill its mandate is at risk, according to Lazzarini, who called on member states to offer the required political backing to ensure the agency's continuity.
The recent Israeli military operation in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 30,500 individuals, with 70% of the casualties being women and children, as reported by the Palestinian health ministry.
Lazzarini mentioned that Israel has not presented any evidence against his former employees. Several countries, such as the United States, Britain, Germany, and Japan, halted funding to the UNRWA after the Israeli accusations.
The total frozen amounts to $450 million, which is more than half of the funds UNRWA received in 2023. The United Nations terminated the employees accused by Israel and has initiated an internal investigation.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres assigned an independent panel to evaluate if UNRWA operates in a neutral manner in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The European Commission acknowledged the efforts made by the UN and its refugee agency and announced on Friday that it would provide $54 million in UNRWA funding.
The United States, the leading supporter of the chronically underfunded agency, was one of the first nations to halt assistance. Funds were redirected to support other UN operations. However, Guterres has emphasized that no other organization is equipped to take over UNRWA's role, which includes not only delivering aid but also overseeing educational and medical facilities.
Israel maintained its accusations, as its UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan emphasized on Monday that the agency has consistently been a part of the problem and not the solution. There are around 30,000 individuals employed by the UNRWA in the occupied territories, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, with approximately 13,000 employees stationed in the Gaza Strip, Ahram reported.
