Amid the ongoing firestorm surrounding the revelation that some UNRWA employees were part of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, new information obtained by Israel Hayom details the scope of the misconduct by the UN agency, which is tasked with helping Palestinians, just hours after an Israeli official told Israel Hayom a decision was made not to share with the public information on its terrorism complicity.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Although the information that has been gathered by Israeli intelligence and various state bodies has not been shared by the public, Israel Hayom can share some of the information that clearly shows UNRWA's complicity. It shows that applications for "refugee" status with UNRWA are submitted digitally, without the need to physically present oneself, contrary to what is customary according to UN refugee protocols.
The data also shows that UNRWA continues to count "refugees" who left the camps it runs as if they still live there. For example, out of some 490,000 "registered refugees" in Lebanon, only about 250,000 reside there. The number of UNRWA employees has reached massive proportions: Some 30,000 agency employees care for 5.9 million "reported refugees". By comparison, at the UN Refugee Agency (which is separate from UNRWA), only 20,000 employees care for 108 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide.
Israel has been a partner in funding UNRWA, through the annual membership fees it pays to the UN. In addition, even under the current government, UNRWA benefits from VAT exemptions and additional tax breaks in Israel. The other major donors are the US, Germany, the European Union, Sweden, Norway, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Turkey – some of whom have now suspended their support following the revelations of misconduct, including the participation of some 12 employees in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
The operational arm of Hamas
UNRWA is the second largest employer in the Gaza Strip, after Hamas. According to the UN Charter, the agency is by definition supposed to implement the policy of the local government wherever it operates, meaning Hamas. According to the report, this makes UNRWA a de facto subcontractor for Hamas.
Video: A boobytrapped floor in an UNRWA-run school during Operation Swords of Iron / Credit: IDF Spokesperson
Working for UNRWA is very lucrative. Agency employees are entitled to receive, free education, health, dental care, food distribution and welfare services. These favorable conditions have caused many Hamas terrorists to register themselves as agency employees. This double affiliation, with Hamas and UNRWA, allows the organization's terrorists to freely use the agency's infrastructure for illicity purposes that have been discovered countless times during IDF counterterrorism operations in the strip.
Teachers celebrating the massacre
In addition to the 12 employees who were reported to have participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, the UN Watch organization exposed that 3,000 of the agency's teachers celebrated the massacre in a secret Telegram group. Some 130 staff members were caught promoting terror and incitement online, and an UNRWA teacher held one of the kidnapped Israelis in his home. There is a suspicion in Israel that agency staff take part in the sexual abuse of the Israeli hostages held captive in the strip.
Many terror tunnels and sites for storing combat equipment have been exposed in UNRWA schools, kindergartens, and playgrounds, the report shows.
Israeli officials believe that all these actions are done with the knowledge of the agency's management in Gaza. As is well known, much of the subject matter in UNRWA's 380 schools (284 of which are in Gaza) involves incitement towards murdering Jews and destroying Israel. At the same time, there is a dramatic decline in student performance across the board in UNRWA's education system, and many students remain illiterate.
The report notes that UNRWA's health system also extensively serves Hamas' terror activities. UNRWA clinics and hospitals have become weapons caches and headquarters above and below ground. Tunnel shafts have been found in very close proximity to agency institutions.
UNRWA medical equipment, including international humanitarian aid, is used by Hamas fighters. It is known in Israel that the Hamas officers, together with UNRWA employees, manage the distribution of medical resources while prioritizing Hamas affiliates.
Recommendations have been submitted to Israeli decision-makers to consider alternatives to UNRWA, such as the American aid agency USAID, which is already active in Gaza. Additionally, UN agencies active around the world can be mobilized, such as the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF, and more.
Israeli officials have not provided an answer as to who decided ed to have a policy in which UNRWA would remain active the Gaza Strip during and after the war. Prime Minister Netanyahu avoided public criticism of the agency in his many statements. Various spokespersons in the government ministries and the IDF deferred to other agencies when it comes to who is preventing the publication of the full information about UNRWA to the Israeli public.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
