In January, The Wall Street Journal quoted “intelligence reports” to say that 12 members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or Unrwa, had taken part in the 7 October Hamas-led attack on southern Israel and that 10 percent of the agency’s 12,000 workers in Gaza had ties to Palestinian armed groups.
The report came only a couple of days after Israeli officials accused a dozen Unrwa workers of taking part in the attack.
The New York Times was the first to publish a detailed report on the alleged 12 Unrwa workers, but the WSJ added weight to the allegation, with its claimed findings of links between Hamas and the aid agency.
In response, the US immediately froze its funds to Unrwa, which prompted a dozen countries, including Germany and Britain, to follow suit – stalling a total of $450m. Unrwa, which was founded after the Nakba (catastrophe) for the Palestinian refugee population when the state of Israel was created, has been the main source of support for Palestinians not only in Gaza but in the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon as well. ….more
