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A US intelligence report has found that Israel's claims that UNRWA staff members in Gaza took part in the deadly Hamas attack on Israel last October cannot be independently verified.
The US National Intelligence Council said in a report last week that it had “low confidence” that staff at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees took part in the violence in southern Israel on October 7, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The “low confidence” conclusion means that the US intelligence community believes Israel's claims may be plausible but that American agencies could not independently confirm them.
Israel has accused a dozen people employed by UNRWA of being involved in the Hamas-led attacks that, according to Israeli figures, killed about 1,139 people.
The UN fired some of the members mentioned in the allegations. Others have died since Israel began its military operations in Gaza.
The claims led to the US and other countries freezing funding for the agency, which is responsible for delivering vital humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and countries in the region.
The report added that although UNRWA regularly has to co-ordinate with Hamas to operate in Gaza, this does not mean the UN agency is directly collaborating with the militant group.
Latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures
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Displaced Palestinians hold a white flag as they pass an Israeli tank position while fleeing the Hamad Town district of Khan Younis. Bloomberg -
A Palestinian woman cuts material to be used for sewing nappies at a workshop in Rafah. AFP -
Smoke rises following an explosion in Gaza, as seen from southern Israel. AP -
Parachutes carrying relief for Palestinians drop from an Egyptian Air Force cargo plane over central Gaza. Bloomberg -
A Palestinian boy who is suffering from malnutrition is treated at a healthcare centre amid widespread hunger. Reuters -
Palestinian children attend an English class in the library of the school housing displaced people in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
An UNRWA-run school housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah. AFP -
Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Rafah. AP -
A wounded Palestinian man who lost his wife and daughter walks past a neighbours' house destroyed by Israeli bombing in Rafah. AFP -
An injured man is rescued from the rubble after an Israeli air strike on the Rafah camp in Gaza. EPA -
Palestinians walk amid the rubble of houses destroyed by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza city. AFP -
Aid is dropped into Gaza from US military aircraft. Reuters -
Palestinians gather at air lorries in Gaza. More than 100 were killed when Israeli troops opened fire. AP -
The sun sets behind destroyed buildings in Gaza. AFP -
A Palestinian man enters a heavily damaged house following an Israeli strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
A wounded Palestinian is assisted at the site of an Israeli strike in Deir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. Reuters -
Palestinians gather in the hope of getting bags of flour carried by air lorries near an Israeli checkpoint in Gaza city, as the enclave's residents face crisis levels of hunger. Reuters -
Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues in Gaza. Reuters -
A displaced Palestinian child holds a crying baby in a camp in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters
The intelligence report's findings are in stark contrast to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's remarks in January, in which he said that the accusations against UNRWA were “highly, highly credible”.
The Journal also reported that Israel has not “shared the raw intelligence behind its assessments with the US” despite the strong security relationship between the two countries.
Israel has shared a dossier of sorts outlining its accusations, alongside details of where their evidence stems from, with the US and several western news organisations.
The UN has started an independent investigation into UNRWA to verify Israel's claims and take action as needed.
However, the UN and UNRWA leadership say Israel has not shared any evidence to aid in the investigation.
“We are asking now the state of Israel to fully co-operate to provide the evidence to the investigation team,” UNRWA director Philippe Lazzarini told Haaretz on Wednesday.
