Israel yet to show evidence UNRWA staff are members of terrorist groups, review finds

Israel has yet to provide evidence for its accusations that hundreds of staff with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) are members of terrorist groups, according to a review of the agency’s neutrality released on Monday that could prompt some donor countries to review funding freezes.

The United Nations appointed former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna to lead the UNRWA review of UNRWA’s ability to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of breaches in February after Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff took part in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks which triggered the Gaza war.

A separate investigation by internal U.N. investigators is looking into the Israeli allegations against the 12 UNRWA staff. The U.N. said last week that the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) has had “a number of meetings and cooperation from the Israeli authorities on this.”

Read more: Reuters