The U.S. State Department said Friday it is halting new aid to a United Nations aid agency in Gaza until a probe can determine whether a dozen of its staff were part of the Oct. 7 raid by Hamas into Israel.
The organization at question is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, commonly known as UNRWA. The agency said Friday it had opened an investigation into whether some of its hundreds of staff members may have been a part of the October attack that left over a thousand Israelis dead and erupted the region into chaos.
A State Department statement said the U.S. is “extremely troubled” by the allegations, adding that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to U.N. authorities on Thursday to “emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter.”
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“There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7,” the statement added.
It’s unclear what role the UNRWA staffers allegedly had in the October attack, but the agency has played a critical role in aiding Gazans who’ve had their families and homes wiped out in the ensuing Israeli bombardment and invasion that followed Oct. 7. As of Friday, Palestinian authorities estimate that as many as 26,000 Gazans have died in the carnage.
The State Department addressed UNRWA’s importance in Gaza, writing that it “plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support.”
The department added, “Their work has saved lives, and it is important that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures, including reviewing its existing policies and procedures.”
It’s unclear how much of UNRWA’s funding comes from the U.S. or how much the agency’s day-to-day operations will be impacted by the pausing of funds. President Joe Biden pledged $75 million to the organization in October, bypassing a long-held congressional block on funds going to UNRWA over fears it had been infiltrated by Hamas.
In a statement of its own, UNRWA’s commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, said it was the Israeli government who provided information about its staff members’ alleged involvement in Oct. 7.
Lazzarini said he immediately fired the dozen staff members who were accused to “protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance.”
“Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” Lazzarini said. “These shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the Agency has been providing since the war began. Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world.”
