US & GLOBAL: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has been at the center of controversy regarding its alleged ties to Hamas and involvement in the October 7, 2023, missile attack against Israel.
By Anne M Erbynstein
In February 2024, UNRWA released a report detailing allegations of mistreatment in Israeli detention made by unidentified Palestinians, including several working for UNRWA.
Some Gazan employees released from Israeli detention reported having been coerced into stating that UNRWA has Hamas links and that staff took part in the October 7 attack. However, Reuters could not independently confirm these accounts, and UNRWA declined to provide transcripts of interviews containing allegations of coerced false confessions.
The report also highlighted broader allegations of abuse against Palestinian detainees, including beatings, humiliation, threats, and deaths due to denied medical treatment. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied allegations of sexual abuse and stated that any mistreatment was “absolutely prohibited.”
A US intelligence assessment acknowledged that some of Israel’s accusations were credible but could not be independently verified. It, also, cast doubt on claims of wider UNRWA links to militant groups
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken deemed the evidence provided by Israel regarding UNRWA staffers’ involvement in the October 7 terror attack as “highly credible.”
Most recently, the IDF released audio recordings incriminating two additional UNRWA employees allegedly participating in the Hamas-led October 7 attack. These recordings brought the total number of agency workers actively involved in the attacks to 14.
Today, while there is evidence supporting Israel’s claims, the situation remains complex, and further investigation is necessary to establish a definitive conclusion. The UNRWA’s role and potential ties to Hamas continue to be scrutinized.
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