Exclusive Investigation Reveals Absence of Substantiating Claims Against UN Relief Agency Staff
Israel has failed to present credible evidence supporting its allegations that employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) are associated with terrorist organizations like Hamas or Islamic Jihad, according to an independent review headed by Catherine Colonna, the former French foreign minister.
Commissioned by the UN to investigate Israeli claims, the Colonna report disclosed that UNRWA consistently provided Israel with employee lists for verification. The report highlighted that since 2011, Israel has not raised any concerns about UNRWA staff based on these lists.
Unfounded allegations linking UNRWA staff to a Hamas attack on Israel in October led major donors to temporarily suspend funding to the agency. This funding halt came despite the urgent needs of 2.3 million Gazans affected by ongoing conflicts, facing challenges in accessing essential resources like water, food, and medical care.
While many donor nations have resumed their financial support, the United States has maintained its funding blockage due to these allegations.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein criticized the Colonna review, accusing over 2,135 UNRWA workers of affiliations with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He dismissed the report as insufficient, urging donors to redirect their funds to other humanitarian organizations in Gaza.
Colonna expressed understanding towards Israel’s response, emphasizing the importance of implementing the review’s recommendations for positive outcomes.
Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, called for immediate restoration of full funding to UNRWA to assist civilians in need, highlighting the severe humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the conflict.
A separate investigation into the October Hamas attack is ongoing by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services, with no completion date announced yet.
The Colonna review, crafted in collaboration with three Nordic research institutes, underscored Israel’s failure to validate broader claims about UNRWA staff’s involvement with terrorist organizations. Despite public assertions by Israel, no supporting evidence has been provided.
The review also noted that Israeli authorities have not responded to UNRWA’s requests for evidence, hindering potential investigations.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres endorsed the Colonna report’s recommendations for enhancing UNRWA’s neutrality monitoring capabilities, emphasizing the agency’s vital role in supporting Palestinian refugees across various regions.
The Colonna review highlighted UNRWA’s indispensable role in delivering essential humanitarian aid and services to Palestinian refugees, stressing its significance in the absence of a political resolution between Israel and Palestine.
It proposed improvements in neutrality safeguards for UNRWA’s extensive staff, acknowledging the agency’s already stringent compliance measures compared to similar organizations.
Addressing frequent Israeli criticisms, the review found minimal evidence supporting claims of antisemitic content in UNRWA schools’ textbooks.
The absence of concrete evidence supporting Israel’s allegations has drawn scrutiny over donor countries’ swift decision to cut funding to UNRWA amidst escalating Gaza conflicts, collapsing health systems, and looming famine.
