America authorities mentioned Friday that it was briefly pausing extra funding for UNRWA, the United Nations humanitarian company that serves Palestinians, because the group mentioned it had opened an investigation into allegations from Israel that a few of its employees members participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.
On Oct. 7, Hamas militants, designated a terrorist group by Israel, the U.S. and the European Union, killed round 1,200 individuals in Israel and kidnapped about 240 others, in keeping with Israeli officers.
UNRWA mentioned it had fired the staff who had been accused.
”The Israeli authorities have supplied UNRWA with details about the alleged involvement of a number of UNRWA staff within the horrific assaults on Israel on October 7,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-Normal, mentioned in an announcement Friday, in keeping with the Reuters information company. ”To guard the company’s capacity to ship humanitarian help, I’ve taken the choice to right away terminate the contracts of those employees members and launch an investigation so as to set up the reality at once.”
Lazzarini didn’t say what number of UNRWA staff had been accused of taking part within the assault, however mentioned ”any UNRWA worker who was concerned in acts of terror” can be held accountable, and presumably face legal prosecution. 30,000 individuals work for UNWRA, in keeping with its web site. State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned 12 UNRWA staff had been accused of taking part within the Oct. 7 assault.
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Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-Normal Antonio Guterres, mentioned in a social media publish that Guterres had been briefed by Lazzarini on the ”extraordinarily severe allegations” towards the UNRWA employees and that he was ”horrified by this information and has requested Mr. Lazzarini to analyze this matter swiftly.”
The U.N. chief had urged the termination of the staffers and a referral for legal prosecution of any UNRWA staff discovered to have participated within the assault.
America, the most important funder of UNRWA, introduced that it might briefly pause additional funding for the company ”whereas we evaluation these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to deal with them.”
State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned in an announcement that the U.S. was ”extraordinarily troubled” by the allegations and had reached out to the Israeli authorities about them. He mentioned members of Congress had been briefed.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Guterres Thursday to debate the allegations and instructed him ”there have to be full accountability for anybody who participated within the heinous assaults,” in keeping with Miller’s assertion.
The U.S. has put its assist for UNRWA on maintain beforehand, beneath former President Trump in 2018, and the company has lengthy been accused by Israel of turning a blind eye to Hamas actions in Gaza.
The Biden administration resumed the U.S. funding in 2021, and is now asking Congress for an extra assist bundle for Israel and the Palestinians.
CBS Information’ Margaret Brennan, Olivia Gazis and Camila Schick in Washington contributed to this report.
