Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, said UNRWA, the United Nations agency for the Palestinians, must be allowed to continue its work while investigating allegations that many of its 13,000 employees in Gaza allegedly involved in the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
“No other body can do what UNRWA is doing, the allegations must be verified… let’s wait for the investigations to take place,” Borrell said on the eve of a meeting of European development ministers in Brussels.
“In the meantime, people must continue to eat and be treated by doctors,” he added.
Israel accused a dozen UNRWA employees of participating in the October 7 attacks, prompting many international donors to suspend funding to the agency.
One of the twelve men involved is believed to be an UNRWA teacher who was handling an anti-tank missile, and another teacher is said to have filmed the capture of a hostage during the assault.
Another staff member, also a primary school teacher, is suspected of serving as a Hamas commander and participating in the Kibbutz Beeri massacres, while an UNRWA employee working as a social worker is believed to be involved in the removal of the body of an IDF soldier that day.
Of the 12 UNRWA employees accused of having participated in the October 7 massacre, seven are believed to be teachers, two are educational advisors and the others are managers of humanitarian aid warehouses.
This article is originally published on fr.timesofisrael.com
