Israel-Palestine Mega Fact Check!

Here is UNRWA’s official statement regarding this claim:

“UNRWA has not received any information, let alone any evidence, from the Israeli Authorities or any other Member State about the above claim. UNRWA became aware of this claim first from international media and later from a press briefing by an Israeli government official.

Like any other UN organization, UNRWA carries out detailed reference checks on any staff the Agency recruits. In addition, UNRWA shares the names, employee numbers, and functions of all staff members every year in all five areas of operations with the host authorities (Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority) and, for the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, with Israel as the occupying power. This means that at all times, host states and Israel are fully informed and aware of the details of all staff members working for UNRWA. Other UN Member States also receive these lists upon request. 

The names of the individuals against whom allegations were made in January, March and April had all [been] shared multiple times with Israel and other Member States. Prior to January 2024, UNRWA did not receive any indication from the relevant authorities of any involvement of its staff in armed or militant groups. In addition, the Agency screens its staff on a biannual basis against the UN Security Council Consolidated Sanctions List.”

If Israel believed that 10% of UNRWA staff had links to militant organizations, it should have shared this list, along with all supporting evidence, to UNRWA so that it could investigate and take appropriate action. But it has not, which seriously undermines the credibility of this claim.