The US Department of State announced it's temporarily pausing additional funding for the The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) after allegations that employees may have been involved in the attacks on Oct. 7, according to a statement on Friday from department spokesman Matthew Miller.
"The United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them," according to the statement.
Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday to emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter.
"We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres’ pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate," according to the statement. "We also welcome the UN’s announcement of a 'comprehensive and independent' review of UNRWA."
Miller said there must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of Oct. 7.
Miller said UNRWA plays a critical role in providing essential food, medicine, shelter, and other humanitarian support to Palestinians.
The statement said it's important for UNRWA to address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures.
Miller said the US has reached out to the Israeli government to seek more information about the allegations and that members of congress have also been briefed.
The US State Department had recently praised UNRWA's work, and the administration of Joe Biden restored funding that was halted during Donald Trump's tenure.
In response to the allegations against UNRWA employees, US Senate Republicans were critical of Biden's move to fund the agency.
"For years I have warned the Biden administration about resuming funding to UNRWA, which has a history of employing people connected to terrorist movements like Hamas," Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Friday.
Probe into UNRWA
The United Nations Palestinian agency (UNRWA) said on Friday it had opened a probe into the alleged involvement of several of its employees in the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel by Hamas, and that it had severed ties with these staff members.
"The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7," said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General.
"To protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay." Lazzarini did not disclose the number of employees allegedly involved in the attacks, nor the nature of their alleged involvement.
He said, however, that "any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror" would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.
UNRWA says allegations are shocking
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has been briefed about the allegations, his spokesperson said.
"The Secretary-General is horrified by this news," said spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Dujarric added that the U.N. chief had asked Lazzarini to conduct a probe to ensure that any UNRWA employee shown to have participated or abetted the Oct. 7 attacks be terminated immediately and referred for potential criminal prosecution.
"An urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA will be conducted," Dujarric added.
UNRWA, established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, provides services including schooling, primary healthcare and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
UNRWA has provided aid and used its facilities to shelter people fleeing bombardment and a ground offensive launched by Israel in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attacks, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 253 people taken hostage.
"These shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the agency has been providing since the war began," Lazzarini said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a statement that the European Union is in contact with UNRWA, and expects it to provide full transparency on the allegations and to take immediate measures against staff involved.
The Commission will assess further steps and draw lessons based on the result of the full and comprehensive investigation, the statement said.