Washington, Feb 23:
The US Intelligence Community does not rule out that a number of workers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) could have been involved in Palestinian movement Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, a media report said on Thursday.
However, the US sleuths also cannot verify Israeli allegations of the agency’s links to militant groups,The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with a US intelligence report.
The US intelligence report assessed the likelihood that some UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas attack as “low confidence.” This means that the U.S. finds Israel’s claims plausible but does not have its own independent confirmation, the newspaper reported.
“There is a specific section that mentions how Israeli bias serves to mischaracterise much of their assessments on Unrwa and says this has resulted in distortions,” one person familiar with the report told the newspaper.
In January, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Israel had shared with the agency data on the alleged involvement of some of its staff members in the October 7 Hamas attack and vowed to hold accountable anyone involved in “acts of terror.” The US, Finland, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and some other countries have since suspended funding for UNRWA. In early February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed an independent review panel to examine UNRWA activities, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others.
Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. At least 29,300 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.
