UNRWA employee accused of being a Hamas terrorist killed by IDF

Before being taken hostage and murdered by Hamas terrorists, American Hersh Goldberg-Polin was in a "death shelter."

UNRWA employee accused of being a Hamas terrorist killed by IDF
UNRWA employee accused of being a Hamas terrorist killed by IDF

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday announced that they had "eliminated" a Hamas commander who was involved in the Oct. 7 attacks, including the assault on the Reim bomb shelter where U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin was abducted, and who also worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) simultaneously.

On Wednesday, during a joint operation by the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency, the Hamas' elite Nukhba force commander, Mohammad Abu Itiwi, was killed by the Israeli Airforce.

The UN agency did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

Hamas bomb shelter attack
Mohammad Abu Itiwi during the October 7th Massacre. The Hamas Nukhba commander was involved in the murder and abduction of Israeli civilians on October 7th and, according to the IDF, was simultaneously employed by UNRWA. (IDF Spokesman's Unit)

The IDF has released images showing that Abu Itiwi has been working for UNRWA since July 2022 and was photographed at the Reim bomb shelter during the Tribe of Nova music festival, where attendees sought shelter as Hamas terrorists attacked.

The bomb shelter in Reim, known as the Goldberg-Polin House, has become a symbol of the Oct. 7th massacre and was where Goldberg-Polin, his best friend Aner Shapira, and 25 others sought refuge from Hamas attackers.

According to the IDF, Abu Itiwi is accused of leading the attack on the shelter on Route 232 in southern Israel, where Hamas terrorists repeatedly threw grenades at the dozens of people found inside.

Shapira, a 22-year-old IDF soldier, tried to soothe the 20-or-so people in the shelter and assured them of his protection.

The Times of Israel reported on a horrific event, where one person was tasked with catching grenades and throwing them back. If they missed any, the responsibility fell to the person next to them.

Israel Hamas bomb shelter
Pictures are displayed on the walls of a bomb shelter in which, six months earlier, people sought refuge before being killed during the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from Gaza, near Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel, April 7, 2024.  (Reuters/Amir Cohen)

Before being killed, Shapira successfully tossed back seven grenades.

Goldberg-Polin's arm was blown off from the elbow down during the attack on the shelter. He tied himself a tourniquet before being abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, where he was killed 11 months later.

In the shelter, 27 individuals were present. Out of them, 16 were murdered, four were abducted, and seven managed to escape.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories contacted UN officials and the international community to request an immediate investigation into the involvement of UNRWA employees in the Oct. 7th Massacre.

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, pictured on screen, speak during the Democratic National Convention
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, pictured on screen, speak during the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.  (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The U.N. agency has faced accusations of links to Hamas, but it has consistently denied many of these claims.

At least 12 U.N. staffers have been fired in recent months due to potential involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks.

by Caitlin McFall,Yonat Friling

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