The International Court of Justice says Israel has not backed up allegations that members of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, also worked for the Hamas terror group it is fighting in Gaza.
“The court finds that Israel has not substantiated its allegations that a significant part of UNRWA’s employees are ‘members of Hamas… or other terrorist factions,'” says ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa.
Israel banned UNRWA from operating on Israeli soil after accusing some of its staff of taking part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war.
A series of investigations, including one led by France’s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some “neutrality-related issues” at UNRWA. However, the April 2024 report said Israel had “yet to provide supporting evidence” of its allegation that “a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations.”
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