The UNRWA workers were accused of kidnapping, providing ammunition and participating in the massacre of 97 people at a kibbutz. Israeli officials claimed that 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 240 were abducted and taken to Gaza on Oct. 7. The UNRWA schools, shelters and feeds Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
A dossier provided by Tel Aviv to Washington cited the 12 – seven teachers, two school employees, a clerk, a social worker and a storeroom manager – as the individuals responsible for helping Hamas days after the attack. Some of the accused were also members of Hamas – formally the Islamic Resistance Movement – and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally.
Israeli intelligence officers claim to have established the movements of these employees based on phone tracking, while others were allegedly monitored discussing their involvement in the Hamas attack.
According to the dossier, a school counselor from Khan Younis in southern Gaza teamed up with his son to kidnap a woman from Israel. Meanwhile, a social worker from Nuseirat in central Gaza is accused of transporting the body of a deceased Israeli soldier to Gaza. This same social worker also allegedly distributed ammunition and organized vehicles on the day of the attack.
The allegations prompted the U.S. and seven other nations to suspend funding to the UNRWA. But UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded with the eight countries to reconsider this decision, given that there are 13,000 UNRWA staff members – mostly Palestinians – who depend on this money. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini backed Guterres' plea.
"It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region. The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support, and so does regional stability," Lazzarini said.
Lazzarini added that nine of the 12 employees named in the dossier had been fired from the UNRWA, while two others were already dead.
Accusations against UNRWA employees coincide with ICJ ruling
The accusations Israel lobbed against UNRWA employees coincided with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issuing an interim ruling against Israel. In response to the accusations of genocide filed by South Africa, the ICJ ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza and allow more aid into the territory.
According to the UN's top court, Israel must undertake "all measures" to ensure its military does not commit acts that could violate the Genocide Convention. However, it stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war-torn region.
South Africa, a party to the genocide convention along with Israel, brought the case to the ICJ. Pretoria accused Tel Aviv of intending to "destroy the Palestinians as a group in Gaza."
The court issued six provisional measures, acting as restraining orders, directing Israel to limit the death and destruction caused by its military campaign, prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Ahead of the ICJ ruling, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Tel Aviv would not comply with the order to halt operations in Gaza. "Nobody will stop us. Not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil and not anybody else," he stated. (Related: Israel-Hamas war will continue until rights are recognized – analyst.)
During the court hearing, Israel rejected the accusations, describing them as a "grossly distorted story." Israel maintained that its actions in Gaza were in self-defense, targeting Hamas rather than civilians, and denied any genocidal intent.
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