UNRWA dismisses 70 Gaza staff but states firings carry no finding of misconduct

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East terminated the employment of 70 staff members in Gaza with immediate effect on Friday. Christian Saunders, Commissioner-General ad interim of UNRWA, took the decision, the agency stated in a Friday release.

The statement said the dismissals were not part of a disciplinary process and did not constitute validation of the claims made against the staff.

The action followed a United States Agency for International Development investigation whose results were published June 5. USAID referred more than 100 UNRWA staff members for suspension or dismissal after assessing that a number of employees were deeply enmeshed in Hamas' civil society and military operations.

The USAID report also found numerous school teachers and principals it claimed participated directly in Hamas' Oct.

7 terrorist attacks. UNRWA's Office of Internal Oversight Services had announced in April the results of a separate investigation into 19 employees accused of participating in the Oct. 7 attacks. UNRWA terminated 12 of those 19 employees in January.

Of the remaining seven cases, the agency dismissed one for lack of evidence while six remained under investigation as of April. Israeli authorities have long charged UNRWA with being directly tied to Hamas. The Israeli Defense Forces wrote in a January web post that evidence since Oct.

7 showed numerous incidents of Hamas exploiting UNRWA infrastructure and employees being involved in terrorist activity. Israel's Foreign Ministry said UNRWA's statement on the 70 terminations, while blaming Israel and without mentioning Hamas, amounted to a cynical cover-up.

The ministry added that the responsibility to purge terrorism lies solely with the United Nations and that Hamas membership remains acceptable within UNRWA's ranks.

UNRWA, for its part, denies being an active collaborator with Hamas but states that working with the group is an operational necessity for distributing aid in Gaza. The agency said it lacks police or intelligence capacities and must rely on the cooperation of member states, including Israel as the occupying power, to protect its operations and neutrality.

President Donald Trump's administration weighed levying terrorism-related sanctions against UNRWA in December.

Fox News Digital contacted UNRWA and a spokesperson for the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations but did not immediately receive a response.