Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday revealed to foreign media the identities of 12 Hamas terrorists employed by the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) who participated in the October 7 massacre.
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Gallant indicated that Israel possesses solid intelligence showing that more than 30 of the organization's employees actively participated in the massacre and the kidnapping of civilians and soldiers from Israeli border towns and military bases near Gaza.
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Details of UNRWA employee involved in October 7 massacre
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
According to the information, 12% of UNRWA's 13,000 employees are linked to terrorist organizations in Gaza, with 1,468 of the employees actively involved in these organizations.
Additionally, he presented security camera footage from the Erez Border Crossing from October 7, showing Palestinian Red Crescent medics assisting in evacuating a wounded terrorist of Hamas’ elite Nukhba force.
Security camera footage showing Palestinian Red Crescent medics assisting in evacuating a wounded terrorist of Hamas’ elite Nukhba force from the Erez Border Crossing on October 7
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Israel revealed the UNRWA employees' alleged involvement in the deadly attack last month but did not publically identify any of them, prompting the United Nations to launch a probe into the allegations.
Later that week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that of the 12 implicated employees, nine were dismissed by the agency, one was confirmed dead and the identities of the other two were being clarified.
Twelve countries, including the U.S., Germany, the UK, Canada and Italy, suspended funding to UNRWA following these allegations.
Israel has previously accused UNRWA employees of assisting Hamas in the October 7 attack, during which approximately 1,200 people were killed and around 240 others were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, or in the days that followed.
Since the outbreak of the war, the IDF and other Israeli security agencies have exposed Hamas' use of UNRWA clinics, schools and equipment for terrorist purposes. Additionally, it was revealed that UNRWA teachers celebrated the massacre against Israel on Telegram.
Last week, the IDF disclosed the existence of a tunnel housing a Hamas data center beneath UNRWA's main headquarters in the upscale Al Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.
"The complex, which houses numerous servers and advanced technology, was built by Hamas as part of its control over Palestinian telecommunications companies in the Gaza Strip," the Shin Bet security agency reported.
"The demolition of this complex is another very important step by the Shin Bet and the IDF to undermine Hamas' capabilities and is also a step toward dismantling Hamas' rule in the Strip."
Inside underground Hamas tunnel route passing under UNRWA-funded school and its demolition
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Infographic of Hamas underground route passing between UNRWA sites in Gaza City
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini claimed in an X post that "UNRWA did not know what is under its headquarters in Gaza.”
"UNRWA staff left its headquarters in Gaza City on 12 October following the Israeli evacuation orders and as bombardment intensified in the area. We have not used that compound since we left it nor are we aware of any activity that may have taken place there," Lassarini added.
"We understand, through media reporting, that the Israeli Army has deployed troops within the UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza City. We are therefore unable to confirm or otherwise comment on these reports."
Israel has been pressing for years to shut down UNRWA, yet every three years, the UN General Assembly renews the agency's mandate, which is currently set to expire on June 30, 2026.
The U.S. under President Donald Trump froze all American funding to UNRWA, but the Biden administration reinstated it despite Israeli claims of incitement in its textbooks, employment of terror activists and perpetuation of the Palestinian refugee issue.
However, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing Israeli and U.S. sources, that Israel is quietly pressing Washington and the UN to allow UNRWA to continue its critical role in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. This came following a New York Times report about discussions within the IDF on whether it was advisable to blacklist the Palestinian relief agency.
An Israeli delegation visiting the United States met with senior Biden administration officials and with UN Secretary-General Guterres to discuss the future of the agency.
The delegation, which included senior IDF officials, told U.S. and UN officials that it wants UNRWA to continue providing critical humanitarian aid to Gazans in the short term, while ensuring a thorough investigation into their employees' ties to Hamas.
The Israelis called for a thorough reform of UNRWA or its complete replacement after the war. U.S. officials concurred with the necessity of reforming the agency but recognized that there was presently no substitute for providing aid to Gaza.