- According to a UN report, Israel has not yet provided any evidence of links between UNRWA employees and Hamas.
- The UN has presented the results of the investigation led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
- In January, Israel alleged that twelve UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
- As a result, 16 countries withdrew their donations from the aid organization.
Israel then declared in March that more than 450 Palestinian aid workers were agents of terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. The report now states that Israel has provided no evidence to support these claims.
To review staff, the UN expert group notes that UNRWA has annually shared staff lists with the countries in which the agency is active. In addition to Israel, this would also include Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli government has not expressed any concerns to UNRWA based on these lists since 2011, the report says.
Solid principles of neutrality in place
The report also states that UNRWA takes a “more pronounced approach” to neutrality than similar UN or aid organizations. In addition, there are solid framework conditions to ensure compliance with the principles of humanitarian neutrality.
But there are also problems with neutrality. These included public expressions of political views by some UNRWA staff, the use of textbooks with problematic content in some UNRWA schools, and threats from UNRWA unions against management. The neutrality of the aid organization in the Gaza Strip is also made more difficult by the size of the aid project, as most of the employees are recruited locally and also receive UNRWA benefits.
The expert group identified various areas of UNRWA that could be strengthened. This would allow the aid organization to communicate better with its donors. UNRWA would also benefit from a better leadership structure. Finally, the UN report recommends strengthening neutrality mechanisms and introducing further options for personnel verification.
UN Secretary General appeals to donors
UN Secretary-General António Guterres thanked Catherine Colonna for the report before publication, as his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric announced. In addition, Guterres and UNRWA boss Philippe Lazzarini agreed to implement the recommendations contained in the report for the aid agency. Guterres is also counting on the support of UNRWA donor states. “The Secretary-General calls on all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA as it is the lifeline for Palestinian refugees in the region.”
Some states have resumed payments to UNRWA that had been suspended. However, they are calling for, among other things, greater checking and monitoring of staff.