Israel's claims against UNRWA lack evidence — UN review

Israel has yet to provide evidence for its accusations that hundreds of staff with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees [UNRWA] are members of resistance groups, according to a review of the agency's neutrality that could prompt some donor countries to review funding freezes.

The United Nations appointed former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna to lead the UNRWA review of UNRWA's ability to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of breaches in February after Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff took part in the October 7 raid.

The review said Israel had not raised any concerns with UNRWA, based on those staff lists, since 2011. Then in March 2024, Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of resistance organisations.

"However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this," the review said.

A separate investigation by internal UN investigators is looking into the Israeli allegations against the 12 UNRWA staff. The UN said last week that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services [OIOS] has had "a number of meetings and cooperation from the Israeli authorities on this."

UNRWA provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The review said UNRWA shares staff lists annually with the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Israel stepped up its accusations in March, saying over 450 UNRWA staff were military operatives in Gaza-based groups. UNRWA employs 32,000 people across its area of operations, 13,000 of them in Gaza.

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein without any proof accused more than 2,135 UNRWA workers of being members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He said the Colonna review of UNRWA was insufficient and an "effort to avoid the problem and not address it head on."

'Lifeline for Palestine refugees'

Colonna told reporters she had good relations with Israel during the review but was not surprised by the Israeli response. She said she had appealed to Israel to "please take it on board, whatever we recommend - if implemented - will bring good."

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has accepted the recommendations, his spokesperson said, calling on all countries to actively support UNRWA as it is "a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region."

Israel's allegations against the dozen UNRWA staff led 16 states to pause or suspend funding of $450 million to UNRWA, a blow to an agency grappling with the humanitarian crisis that has swept Gaza since Israel launched its offensive there.

UNRWA said 10 of those countries had resumed funding, but the United States, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Lithuania had not. A UN spokesperson said UNRWA currently had enough funding to pay for operations until June.

Following the Israeli allegations against UNRWA staff, the United States, UNRWA's biggest donor at $300-400 million a year, paused funding, then the U.S. Congress suspended contributions until at least March 2025.

'Robust framework'

Israel has long complained about the agency, founded in 1949 to care for Palestinian refugees. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for UNRWA to be shut down, saying it seeks to preserve the issue of Palestinian refugees.

Israel has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza since it launched its invasion on Gaza in October 2023.

UNRWA says it terminated the contracts of 10 of the 12 staff accused by Israel of involvement in the Hamas raid, and that the other two are dead.

The Colonna review noted that UNRWA has "a more developed approach" to neutrality than other similar UN or aid groups. "Despite this robust framework, neutrality-related issues persist," it found.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday that UNRWA was developing an action plan to take forward the recommendations by Colonna's review.

"The recommendations in this report will further strengthen our efforts and response during one of the most difficult moments in the history of the Palestinian people," he said.