Members of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees are accused of committing heinous acts against Israelis during Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attacks as the U.S. and several other nations cut funding.
The damning allegations say UNRWA staff did everything from a school counselor allegedly helping in the kidnapping of a woman, to others distributing ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades, to another allegedly participating in a Kibbutz massacre in which 97 people were killed.
The allegations come from a dossier submitted to the United States by Israeli intelligence that American officials described as “credible enough” to justify cutting funding for the United Nations Palestinian and Social Assistance Agency.
Israel promised on Saturday to ban the UN aid agency from operating in Gaza after the end of the war.
After firing staff accused of involvement in the October 7 attack, bosses have asked the West to restore funding.
Members of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees are accused of committing heinous acts against Israelis during Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attacks as the U.S. and several other nations cut funding
The damning allegations say UNRWA staff did everything from a school counselor allegedly helping in the kidnapping of a woman, to others distributing ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades, to another allegedly participating in a Kibbutz massacre in which 97 people were killed
The dossier was originally compiled after Israeli intelligence was able to track the movements of a dozen men inside Israel on the day of the Hamas attack using personal phone records and phone conversations about the brutal siege, according to the New York Times.
At least three of them were reportedly instructed via text message to report to evacuation sites that day, and at least one was told to bring RPGs, which he kept as his home, the dossier said.
The agents accused of involvement in the attacks are listed by name and provide a full description of their alleged conduct that day. They have yet to be identified by the media.
Of the defendants, Israelis believe ten are members of Hamas, while seven have also been described as teachers, one clerk, a social worker, the storeroom manager and other employees of UNRWA schools.
According to Israeli intelligence, a school counselor from southern Gaza allegedly teamed up with his son to kidnap an Israeli woman. On the day of the attacks, around 250 people were taken hostage.
The social worker from central Gaza is said to have distributed ammunition, coordinated vehicles, recovered a dead Israeli soldier and brought him back to Gaza.
UNRWA said on Sunday it had fired nine staff members over Israel's allegations, and two others have since died.
The US State Department said it was “extremely disturbed” by the claims and called for “full accountability” for those involved in the October 7 attacks.
An aerial view of destroyed buildings as a result of the Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on January 26
An aerial view of the tents where Palestinians try to survive in difficult conditions after fleeing their homes to safety in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, January 27
Internally displaced Palestinians walk past Israeli tanks after the Israeli army told residents of Khan Yunis camp to leave their homes and head to the Rafah camps near the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip on January 27
Donors including Germany, Britain, Italy, Australia and Finland also followed the lead of the United States, which said on Friday it had “temporarily suspended the provision of additional funding” to the organization while it considered the claims as well as the United Nations plan to address concerns.
Japan announced late Sunday that it had also decided to suspend additional funding.
“When rebuilding Gaza, UNRWA must be replaced by agencies committed to real peace and development,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, calling on more donors to stop funding.
The organization promises a thorough investigation into the allegations, even before the explosive nature of the allegations comes to light.
Britain's Foreign Office also announced on Saturday that it would suspend future funding for UNRWA pending an investigation into the “relevant allegations.”
A statement from the Foreign Office said it was “appalled” by the allegations but remained “determined” to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On Saturday, Hamas criticized Israeli “threats” to UNRWA and called on the United Nations and other international organizations “not to give in to threats and blackmail.” 
Damage to their homes from Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, Gaza, on January 27
People walk on a damaged street filled with rainwater on January 27 during Israeli attacks on Gaza
Displaced Palestinians walk past Israeli tanks after the IDF called on residents of the Khan Yunis camp to leave their homes and go to the Rafah camps near the Egyptian border south of the Gaza Strip on January 26
Palestinians fleeing Khan Younis move towards Rafah on January 27 amid the ongoing conflict
Relations between Israel and UNRWA, which have been tense for years, have deteriorated further in recent days. The UN agency condemned tank fire that reportedly hit a shelter for displaced people in Khan Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza.
The agency said tens of thousands of displaced people were registered at the shelter and Wednesday's tank shelling killed 13 people.
When asked about the incident, the Israeli army responded that “a thorough review of the forces' operations in the area is underway,” adding that it is examining the possibility that the attack was a “result of Hamas fire.”
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini called Wednesday's bombing a “blatant disregard for basic rules of war” because the site was clearly marked as a UN facility and its coordinates were shared with Israeli authorities.
The Israeli army is the only known force to deploy tanks in the Gaza Strip.
The war between Israel and Hamas has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, destroyed swathes of the Gaza Strip and displaced nearly 85 percent of the territory's 2.3 million residents, according to local health authorities.
The Hamas attack in southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostages.
Before fighting broke out, UNRWA was struggling to meet funding needs.
The agency's chronic budget deficits worsened dramatically in 2018 when former U.S. President Donald Trump cut support for the agency.
But U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has fully restored support, providing $340 million in 2022, making it the agency's largest bilateral donor.
Internally displaced Palestinians walk past Israeli tanks after the Israeli army told residents of Khan Yunis camp to leave their homes and head to the Rafah camps near the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip on January 27
As Israeli attacks continue in Rafah, Gaza, January 26, Palestinians use empty bowls to grab food distributed by volunteers at a donation point
A displaced Palestinian child holds up an empty pot as he waits with others to receive food aid provided by a Palestinian youth group in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on January 25
Several major donor countries said on Saturday they would suspend their funding, prompting Lazzarini to say it was “shocking to see a suspension of funding for the agency in response to allegations against a small group of staff.”
Senior EU diplomat Josep Borrell praised the agency on Friday for “playing an important role in supporting vulnerable Palestinian refugees over many years.”
However, he said the bloc expects “full transparency about the allegations” as well as “immediate action against the personnel involved.”
The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority called on donors to reverse their suspension, calling on Saturday to “provide maximum support to this international organization and not to stop supporting and supporting it.”
Johann Soufi, a lawyer and former director of UNRWA's legal department in Gaza, said the organization has “always had a zero-tolerance policy towards violence and incitement to hatred.”
“Sanctioning UNRWA, which is barely keeping the entire population of Gaza alive, because of the alleged responsibility of a few employees amounts to collective punishment of the people of Gaza, who live in catastrophic humanitarian conditions,” he said.
The allegations against UNRWA staff came after the UN's top court ordered Israel to do everything possible to prevent any genocide in Gaza.
The International Court of Justice on Friday handed down its first ruling in a landmark South African case.
Soufi said the timing of the allegations against UNRWA “raises questions.”