Nine UNRWA Staff Dismissed for Possible Ties to October 7 Atrocities

Latest Developments

United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini announced the dismissal of nine of the agency’s employees for their potential involvement in the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on October 7. In a statement on August 5, Lazzarini explained that findings from an investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the UN’s internal oversight body, provided sufficient grounds to terminate the contracts of the individuals suspected of participating in the atrocities. “In the case of these remaining nine staff members, I have decided that they cannot work for UNRWA,” Lazzarini said. Some of the nine employees were already included among both the 12 staff members terminated and the seven placed on administrative leave over the allegations, Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA, later clarified.

However, Lazzarini refrained from assigning guilt to the dismissed employees, stating that the evidence, “if authenticated and corroborated – could indicate that the UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the attacks of 7 October.” The same investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support allegations against 10 other UNRWA staff members accused of being involved in the October 7 atrocities carried out by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel.

In response, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, condemned the OIOS investigation as “a disgrace.” Erdan pointed out that the agency only probed 19 UNRWA employees, even though Israel had supplied the United Nations with “detailed information” regarding over 100 employees whom Erdan asserted were affiliated with Hamas.

Expert Analysis

“UNRWA is far more rotten than nine bad apples. The agency is fully penetrated by Hamas in Gaza, with clear evidence of widespread affiliations among its staff and collaboration with Hamas at an institutional level. Firing nine employees does nothing to change the fundamental problem here.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior FDD Advisor

“Lazzarini’s reluctance to assert that UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 massacre underscores his commitment to shielding the agency, even in the face of compelling evidence of corruption within its ranks. It is evident that Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups have infiltrated UNRWA, a troubling reality that the organization and its leadership seem unwilling to acknowledge.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Hundreds of UNRWA Personnel Involved in Hamas Activities.

On February 22, the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv reported on an intelligence analysis presented to Israel’s war cabinet, which revealed that among the 12,000 employees of UNRWA in Gaza, 440 are actively involved in Hamas’s military operations. The report noted that around 2,000 more employees are supporters of Hamas but do not engage in its terrorist activities, while approximately 7,000 UNRWA employees have close relatives who are members of Hamas.

The United Nations does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. “Hamas is not a terrorist group for us … It’s a political movement,” Martin Griffiths, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, stated on February 14.

“United Nations’ Bigotry Towards Israel: UNRWA Anti-semitism Poisons Palestinian Youth,” by Jon Schanzer

“Top UN Aid Official Says Hamas Is Not A Terrorist Group,” FDD Flash Brief

“10 Things to Know About the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA),” FDD Insight

“Israel: Find UNRWA Successor Now,” FDD Flash Brief