The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have arrested at least eight United Nations employees over their alleged ties to Hamas, a secret document read, Maariv reported Thursday.
All eight of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) employees were arrested in the Gaza Strip and transferred to Israel, the Israeli news outlet reported. (RELATED: REPORT: Israel Border Guards Find Six Military Drones Amid UNRWA Donations)
The Hebrew outlet said they obtained a secret document from UNRWA requesting that Israel grant the organization access to the accused following their arrest. The arrests spanned from October to February, with one of the employees being accused of participating in Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre of southern Israeli communities.
JERUSALEM – FEBRUARY 05: Protesters hold signs and flags in front of the UNRWA office in Jerusalem during a demonstration calling for the expulsion of the UNRWA office from the city on February 5, 2024 in Jerusalem. Israel recently claimed 13 of 13,000 Gaza employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) participated in October 7 attacks against Israel, and the UN agency fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, which have not been made public. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
Israeli officials said that they had not yet answered the appeals by UNRWA and that the investigation over the alleged deeds of the accused are still ongoing, the outlet reported.
בשל קשר לחמאס: לפחות 8 עובדי הארגון אונר”א נעצרו ע”י כוחות צה”לhttps://t.co/KjxWQCwflw
— מעריב אונליין (@MaarivOnline) February 22, 2024
Israel published accusations of 12 UNRWA employees Feb. 16 who allegedly directly participated in the Oct. 7 massacre. Some allegedly participated in the taking of hostages.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 30: Protester Leslie Angeline of CodePink is removed by members of U.S. Capitol Police during a hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability of House Foreign Affairs Committee at the U.S. Capitol on January 30, 2024 in Washington, DC. The subcommittee held a hearing titled “UNRWA Exposed: Examining the Agency’s Mission and Failures.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
KHAN YUNIS, GAZA – NOVEMBER 22: UNRWA distributes flour to Palestinian refugees on November 22, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. On Tuesday night, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day pause in fighting that would entail the release of 50 hostages, as well as the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners. But the start of the short-term truce had not been confirmed as of Wednesday morning and air strikes continued in the territory overnight. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)
“In addition to these 12 workers [whose information was published], we have significant indications based on intelligence, that over 30 UNRWA workers participated in the massacre, facilitated the taking of hostages, looted and stole from Israeli communities, and more,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, according to The Times of Israel. The minister estimated that 12 percent of UNRWA staff had ties to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Palestinian refugees gather outside the offices of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, in Beirut on January 30, 2024 to protest against some countries’ decision to stop funding the organisation. At least 12 countries — including top donors the United States and Germany — have halted funds over Israeli claims that some UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas’s October 7 attack that sparked the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)
JERUSALEM – FEBRUARY 05: A protester holds a sign in front of the UNRWA office in Jerusalem during a demonstration calling to expel UNRWA office from the city on February 5, 2024 in Jerusalem. Israel recently claimed 13 of 13,000 Gaza employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) participated in October 7 attacks against Israel, and the UN agency fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, which have not been made public. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
An American intelligence assessment obtained by The Wall Street Journal estimates that about 10 percent of staff have such ties. “The institution [UNRWA] as a whole is a haven for Hamas’ radical ideology,” one Israeli official told The Wall Street Journal.
The United Nations have formed a board to review such allegations against their employees.