Tensions worsened on Monday between Israel, which accused UNRWA of employing “more than 450 terrorists” in Gaza, and the UN agency, which reported “torture” suffered by its staff detained in Palestinian territories.
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The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has been at the center of controversy since Israel accused 12 of its employees in late January of being involved in the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP Lives mattered.
Citing information from intelligence agencies, the Israeli army claimed on Monday that “more than 450 terrorists belonging to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, primarily Hamas, are also employed by UNRWA.”
At the same time, it released a recording of “a terrorist working as an Arabic teacher in a UNRWA school” who “describes his entry into Israeli territory on October 7 and says: 'He is holding Israeli women hostage.'”
Following Israel's allegations in January, which led to the suspension of funding from around 15 donor countries, the UN immediately distanced itself from the accused employees, launched an internal investigation and commissioned an independent group to evaluate UNRWA and its “neutrality”.
But it notes that Israel has not yet shared evidence of its allegations with investigators or UNRWA, which employs around 30,000 people in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
The UN agency, for its part, accused Israeli authorities of committing “acts of torture” against some of its employees detained in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
“Our employees reported to us terrible things during their detention and interrogation by the Israeli authorities,” such as “torture, mistreatment, abuse and sexual exploitation,” the agency said in a statement sent to AFP.
“Some of our staff reported to UNRWA teams that they had been forced to confess under torture,” when they were questioned “about UNRWA-Hamas relations and involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel,” it added them added.
Confessions that, according to the agency, serve a “disinformation campaign” led “by the Israeli authorities.”
The AFP could not independently confirm the allegations made by the Israeli army and UNRWA.
Ambassador recalled
Tensions between the United Nations and Israeli authorities were also highlighted on Monday by the recall of Israel's UN ambassador.
“I have ordered our UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan to return to Israel for immediate consultations,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a message published on X.
Explaining his decision, the minister accused UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of remaining “silent” on the “atrocities committed by Hamas”, despite the publication on Monday of a report by Hamas' special representative on sexual violence during conflict, Pramila Patten , which “roughly describes her.”
Mr Guterres' spokesman denied the allegations. “The secretary-general has in no way taken any action to keep this report secret,” his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told AFP.
According to the Hamas Health Ministry, military operations launched by Israel in retaliation for the October 7 attack resulted in more than 30,500 deaths, mostly civilians.