The independent panel conducting an investigation of UNRWA, the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, presented the findings and recommendations of its interim report to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the United Nations announced on Wednesday night.
The panel was established after Israel presented evidence showing that at least 12 of the organization's employees were involved in the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7.
The report "found that UNRWA has in place a significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the Humanitarian Principle of neutrality, and the group has also identified critical areas that still need to be addressed," according to a statement released by the UN.
The statement also said that the review group "will now develop concrete and realistic recommendations on how to address these critical areas to strengthen and improve UNRWA."
The UN statement did not provide any further details about its findings and conclusions.
Guterres announced the formation of the investigative team last month, and it is expected to submit its final report on April 20. The independent investigation team is headed by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna and three research organizations from Sweden, Norway and Denmark are participating. The team is looking into whether UNRWA is doing "everything in its power" to ensure neutrality, and allowing the aid agency to respond to allegations of "serious violations," according to the UN.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received an interim report on UNRWA
(Photo: AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
At the beginning of this month, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned the UN General Assembly against "deliberate and concerted campaign to undermine its operations, and ultimately end them." At a press conference held later, he said "I did not receive any evidence for Israel's claims."
According to Lazzarini, every year UNRWA forwards to Israel and the Palestinian Authority the list of its employees, and "never even the slightest concern regarding our staff has been conveyed to me."
The IDF later revealed the identities of four additional UNRWA employees who were involved in the massacre, after the identities of other UN agency employees who took part had already been revealed, and for the first time also made public incriminating recordings of two terrorists who, in addition to being members of terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, worked as teachers in UN schools, and admitted that they took part in the massacre.
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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed last month in a briefing to foreign reporters the details of the 12 Hamas terrorists employed by UNRWA who participated in the October 7 massacre. In addition, Gallant said that Israel has established intelligence that more than 30 of the organization's employees actively participated in murdering Israelis, and assisted in the kidnapping of civilians and soldiers.
The minister presented to the reporters data which shows that 12% of the approximately 13,000 UNRWA employees are connected to the terrorist organizations in Gaza, and 1,468 of the employees are even active in them. He also presented documentation from the security cameras of the Erez Crossing on October 7, in which Palestine Red Crescent Society medics are seen helping to evacuate an injured Nukhba terrorist.
After Israel disclosed intelligence information about 12 UNRWA employees who participated in the massacre on October 7, including murdering and kidnapping Israelis, nine of the employees were fired and, according to the UN, one of them died. Following the suspicions, many countries, including the U.S., Germany, Great Britain, Canada and Italy, decided to stop providing funding to UNRWA.