Israel yet to provide evidence to back Hamas 7 October attack claims against UNRWA staff, says UN

A month after Israel accused 12 United Nations staff members of involvement in the Hamas attack on 7 October, UN investigators are still awaiting evidence from Israel to substantiate the claims even though they anticipate receiving some material “shortly”, according to The Guardian report.

The allegations against the 12 employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) prompted 16 major donors to suspend contributions totaling $450 million. This occurred at a critical juncture when over two million Gazans are on the brink of famine.

UNRWA has warned it is nearing a “breaking point” and can sustain operations for just one more month with current funds, added the report.

On January 29, the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) initiated an investigation following Israel’s allegations, first presented to UNRWA in January. An update on the investigation was provided to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday.

According to The Guardian report, citing diplomats who reviewed the preliminary OIOS report, no new evidence from Israel has surfaced since the initial claims were made in January, which lacked substantiation.

Summarising the findings, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the investigation is still awaiting corroborating material from Israel.