Nine UN employees were let go due to suspected ties to the Hamas massacre: "Just the beginning"

On Monday, the United Nations stated that nine UNRWA employees are believed to have taken part in the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people, including 30 Americans, on October 7th in southern Israel.

During a press briefing, Farhan Haq, the U.N. secretary general's spokesperson, stated that there was enough evidence to conclude that nine individuals may have been involved in the 7th of October attacks.

The U.N. declared that it will end its employment with UNRWA, an organization that provides aid to Palestinian refugees.

The U.N.'s Office of Internal Oversight Services was instructed by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres in January to probe claims that UNRWA staff were involved in the Oct. 7 massacre.

According to Reuters, 19 staff members were probed, but only nine were fired, with the remaining cases lacking sufficient evidence to implicate them.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini announced on the agency's website that he has decided to terminate the contracts of the remaining nine staff members in the best interest of the agency.

The swift criticism of UNRWA's criminal misconduct was expressed by Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who stated on Planet Chronicle Digital that major donor nations should end funding for this corrupted pro-Hamas anti-peace entity. According to Rabbi Cooper, UNRWA is part of the problem for Palestinians, not part of any peaceful solution.

Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, criticized the agency on X, stating that a UN investigation had found that nine of its workers may have participated in the rape, murder, and slaughter of Israelis and Israeli communities during the Oct. 7 massacre. The "relief" agency had officially sunk to a new low, and it was time for the world to see its true nature.

The investigation is merely the beginning, according to David Bedein, the director of the Center for Near East Policy Research in Jerusalem, who spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital.

Bedein, who has published reports on UNRWA's curriculum that contained pro-terrorism and antisemitic teaching, stated, "UNRWA is now stronger after October 7, with no supervision or demand from Israel or donor countries for inspections of UNRWA facilities for weapons."

In September 2023, he advised the Israeli security establishment to closely monitor UNRWA.

In July, Israeli lawmakers approved the first reading of a bill that would cut ties with the U.N. agency and declare it a terrorist entity. Yulia Malinovsky, the bill's sponsor, spoke in the Knesset and called UNRWA "a fifth column within the State of Israel," stating that it was time for the agency to be outlawed in the country.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed initial legislation to increase funding for the multimillion-dollar organization and recover previously donated monies.

Despite Israeli accusations that UNRWA members participated in an attack on Israel, several countries, including Germany, Austria, Japan, and the European Union, have resumed funding the organization.

A spokesperson for the State Department informed Planet Chronicle Digital that they had not yet examined the report's conclusions.

This report was contributed to by Yonat Friling of Planet Chronicle, Ruth Marks Eglash, and Reuters.