UNRWA has dismissed 70 employees in Gaza after finding that they were linked to terror organizations, according to a report by The Zioneer. The development follows a USAID investigation that identified 101 UNRWA staffers as Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7, 2023 massacre. Israel and critics say the firings vindicate longstanding claims about the agency's infiltration by militant groups.
UNRWA has quietly dismissed 70 employees in Gaza after determining they were linked to terror organizations, according to a report published Thursday by The Zioneer. The firings come in the wake of a USAID inspector general investigation that identified 101 current or former UNRWA staff members as Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7, 2023 massacre, as The Zioneer has previously reported. The report follows a USAID referral of those employees to the US State Department for suspension or debarment.
Israel and critics of the agency have long argued that UNRWA has been infiltrated by militant groups. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said last week that the agency's employees are not aid workers but terrorists. Israeli lawmaker Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beiteinu) has called UNRWA a terrorist organization and demanded it be evacuated from Kfar Aqab. The Canadian government, meanwhile, pledged $100 million in aid for Palestinians days after the firings became known.
The new batch of firings — 70 employees — appears to be broader than the previously reported dismissals of individual staffers. The Zioneer's report does not specify when the dismissals occurred, which positions were held by the fired employees, or whether they were among the 101 identified by USAID. The exact nature of their alleged links to terror organizations also remains unspecified.
- DevelopingUNRWA fires employees following Israeli accusations of role in Oct. 7 massacre
- DevelopingUSAID inquiry: 101 UNRWA staff were Hamas terrorists who took part in Oct. 7 attacks
- DevelopingUSAID report: dozens of UNRWA staff actively participated in Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre
- DevelopingIsraeli lawmaker calls for expelling UNRWA after report 101 more staff took part in October 7 massacre
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