UN agency for Palestinian refugees sacks staff for ‘role in Hamas attack’
The Hindu
UN agency for Palestinian refugees fires employees accused of involvement in Hamas attack, leading to US funding suspension.
Jerusalem
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday it had sacked several employees accused by Israel of involvement in Hamas’s October 7 attack, prompting the United States to suspend critical funding.
The head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, vowed to hold “accountable, including through criminal prosecution” any UNRWA employee found to have taken part in acts of terror.
Call for review
In response to the firings, UN chief Antonio Guterres pledged to conduct an “urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA”, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The U.S. State Department said it had “temporarily paused additional funding” to the agency while it reviewed the claims as well as the UN’s plan to address concerns.
Twelve employees “may have been involved”, it added.
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