The United Nations announced on Monday that nine staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) may have been involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, and their employment will be terminated. An investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) found sufficient evidence to conclude that the nine individuals may have been involved in the attacks. However, the report remains confidential and will not be made public. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, criticized the investigation as a “disgrace” and “too little too late.” “The investigation ignored the thousands of agency employees involved in Hamas terrorism and the extent of their involvement. Israel has provided the UN with precise details of over a hundred UNRWA employees who are members of the terrorist organization Hamas,” Erdan said in a statement. “And as if that weren’t enough—the Secretary-General recently chose to award UNRWA-Gaza the UN Secretary-General’s Award for 2023,” he noted. Lazzarini issued a statement defending the agency’s actions, stating that the allegations were brought to their attention in January, and the contracts of the staff in question were immediately terminated. He also noted that additional allegations were brought to their attention in March and April, and the concerned staff were added to the OIOS investigation. Of the 19 staff members under investigation, one was cleared of involvement and has rejoined UNRWA, while nine others had insufficient evidence to support the allegations against them, and their investigation has been closed. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)