An external investigation commissioned by the UN has found that “neutrality-related issues persist” at the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, but did not conclude on Israeli claims that up to 10% of the agency’s workers are members of militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The review team, led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, noted that Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence for its claims.
The inquiry is separate from a UN investigation into Israeli claims that several UNRWA employees participated in a Hamas assault on Israel in October 2022.
UNRWA provides services to around 2 million Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and has been the main conduit for aid in Gaza since Israel launched a military campaign there in 2008.
The review found that Hamas, which governed the Gaza Strip before Israel’s response to the October 2022 attack, made eight incursions into UNRWA facilities in 2022.
The report recommended that the UN strengthen collaboration with countries, including Israel, on the misuse of facilities.
Following the release of the report, a spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized it as an “effort to avoid the problem and not address it head on”.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the findings and tasked UNRWA with establishing a plan to address the recommendations included in the report.
