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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees successful nan Near East (UNRWA) fired 70 unit members moving successful Gaza aft long-standing claims from Israeli authorities that nan agency is simply a collaborator pinch nan Hamas violent group.
"Today, nan Commissioner-General advertisement interim of UNRWA, Christian Saunders, took nan determination to terminate nan employment of 70 UNRWA unit members successful Gaza pinch contiguous effect," UNRWA wrote successful a Friday statement.
UNRWA insisted its determination was not an admittance of guilt, but 1 taken "to mitigate information and information risks for nan refugees nan Agency serves nether its instruction and for UNRWA unit and premises."
The agency claims it has "repeatedly asked nan Israeli authorities to supply accusation and grounds to substantiate allegations against individual UNRWA unit members successful Gaza but has received nary consequence to date."
ISRAEL SAYS UN MISLEADS WORLD AS GAZA AID STOLEN AND DIVERTED FROM CIVILIANS
A Palestinian boy walks adjacent a UNRWA schoolhouse sheltering displaced group that was deed successful an overnight Israeli onslaught successful Gaza City connected July 5, 2025. (Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)
"The dismissal of nan unit is not portion of a disciplinary process and does not represent successful immoderate measurement a validation of nan claims made against them," nan UNRWA connection read.
The firings travel a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) investigation that referred much than 100 UNRWA unit members for suspension aliases dismissal.
USAID's investigation, nan results of which the agency published June 5, assessed that a number of UNRWA's labor were profoundly enmeshed successful Hamas' civilian nine and subject operations.
The investigation results included mention of "a lawman schoolhouse main serving arsenic an al-Qassam lawman institution commandant successful nan Ain Gallout/5th infantry battalion, a lawman schoolhouse main serving arsenic squad leader for nan Khan Younis Brigade/2nd infantry battalion" and "a coach pinch expertise arsenic a sniper for Hamas."
Al-Qassam Brigades, nan subject helping of Hamas, manus complete Israeli hostages Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert to nan International Committee of nan Red Cross successful Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Gaza, connected Feb. 22, 2025, arsenic portion of nan seventh speech nether nan Jan. 19 ceasefire deal. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu)
The investigation besides recovered galore schoolhouse teachers and principals it claimed to person participated straight successful Hamas' Oct. 7 violent attacks.
Israeli authorities person agelong charged UNRWA pinch being directly tied to Hamas.
"Since October 7, grounds of galore incidents of Hamas exploiting UNRWA infrastructure and UNRWA labor being progressive successful violent activity has been exposed. Civilians successful Gaza person moreover stated that UNRWA is Hamas," nan Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) wrote successful a January web post.
Israeli soldiers guidelines wrong an evacuated United Nations Relief and Works Agency compound successful Gaza City during a media circuit organized by nan Israeli service connected Feb. 8, 2024. (Jack Guez/AFP)
Additionally, nan IDF claimed, citing intelligence findings, that "among nan 12,521 UNRWA labor successful nan Gaza Strip, astatine slightest 1,462 (12%) are members of Hamas aliases other designated violent organizations."
UNRWA SCHOOLS ‘HIJACKED BY HAMAS,’ WATCHDOG REPORT WARNS
Israel's Foreign Ministry pushed backmost connected UNRWA's defense framing and claims that Israel had not supplied grounds of employee-Hamas collaboration.
"UNRWA's connection connected nan termination of 70 employees, while blaming nan victim, Israel, and without moreover mentioning nan connection 'Hamas,' is simply a cynical cover-up," nan ministry wrote successful a connection shared connected X.
UNRWA's office is shown successful Gaza City, Gaza, connected Feb. 21, 2024. (Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu)
"The work to purge coercion lies solely pinch nan UN, yet Hamas rank remains simply acceptable wrong UNRWA's ranks. By harboring terrorists and letting its accommodation service arsenic Hamas headquarters, UNRWA has go an limb of Hamas," nan connection concluded.
UNRWA, for its part, denies being an progressive collaborator pinch Hamas, but insists moving pinch nan group is an operational necessity for distributing assistance successful Gaza.
"UNRWA, akin to different United Nations entities, does not person constabulary aliases intelligence capacities and must trust connected nan practice and assistance of Member States, including nan State of Israel arsenic nan Occupying Power, to protect its operations and neutrality amid precocious risks successful nan Occupied Palestinian Territory," nan agency wrote successful its Friday statement.
In April, UNRWA's Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) announced nan results of an investigation into 19 labor accused of participating successful Oct. 7. UNRWA terminated 12 of nan labor successful January. Of nan remaining 7 cases, UNRWA had dismissed one, citing a deficiency of evidence. The remaining six cases were still nether investigation arsenic of April, according to nan agency.
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President Donald Trump's management weighed levying terrorism-related sanctions against UNRWA successful December.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has besides referred to UNRWA arsenic "a subsidiary of Hamas."
Fox News Digital contacted UNRWA and a spokesperson for nan Israeli Ambassador to nan United Nations but did not instantly person a response.
