Israel disclosed further details on Friday regarding the 12 UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) employees it accuses of involvement in the October 7 terrorist attacks and kidnappings. The disclosure included names, photos, and alleged roles with Hamas.
Israel also shared screengrabs of two UNWRA employees in Israel on October 7. The defense ministry provided ID photos of 10 other alleged Hamas members but did not provide supporting evidence.
The surprise Hamas attacks resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages. In response, Israel launched a bombardment and ground offensive, displacing at least 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza. Panic prevails as Israel gears up for a looming ground offensive.
In Khan Younis, Israeli forces continued a deadly raid of Nasser Hospital, Gaza’s largest functioning medical facility. Since October 7, Israeli attacks on Gaza have claimed over 28,000 lives and injured 68,000, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Israel’s relations with the United Nations have soured following condemnations of its military approach to the Gaza conflict. A dossier presented to the UN, the US, and other allies accused 12 UNRWA employees of involvement in the attacks, prompting funding suspensions. UNRWA fired 10 employees and launched an investigation.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called for UNRWA’s dismantling, alleging its deep involvement in terror activity. He claimed 12% of UNRWA’s Gaza staff are active Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad members, with 185 involved in Hamas’s military branches. UNRWA denied prior knowledge of the staffers’ alleged affiliations.
