In a shocking revelation, the United Nations (UN) has confirmed that nine staff members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNWRA, may have been involved in the Hamas-led attack on Israel that took place on October 7th. The UN announced the termination of their employment following a thorough investigation into the accusations made by Israel. The attack resulted in a devastating loss of lives, with 1,200 people killed and 251 others taken as hostages back to Gaza.

UN deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, expressed the UN's deep disappointment and condemnation for the alleged involvement of the UNWRA staff members in the attack. "For us, any participation in the attacks is a tremendous betrayal of the sort of work that we are supposed to be doing on behalf of the Palestinian people," Haq stated.

Israel initially claimed that 12 UNWRA staff members were involved in the attack and later went on to allege that over 450 UNWRA staff members were linked to terrorist groups. However, a UN review conducted in April found no evidence supporting these claims by Israel.

In March, UNRWA, which employs a total of 13,000 people in Gaza, reported that some of its employees had been pressured by Israeli authorities into giving false statements while in detention. Consequently, several countries withdrew their funding support for the UN agency in response to the allegations made by Israel.

However, in a positive development, the United Kingdom joined other nations in resuming its funding for UNRWA in July, leaving the United States as the sole country yet to restart its contributions. The US has been the largest donor to UNRWA in the past.

It is worth noting that rescuers in Gaza strongly believe that the majority of the casualties from the attack were women and children. However, Israel maintains its assertion that the attack was specifically targeted at Hamas. Additionally, Ismail al-Ghoul, who Israel maintains was involved in the attack, has been refuted as being a part of it by Al Jazeera.

The termination of the nine UNWRA staff members involved in the Hamas-led attack serves as a stern reminder of the importance of maintaining the integrity and neutrality of humanitarian organizations. The UN's commitment to investigate such allegations thoroughly demonstrates its commitment to ensuring accountability and justice for those affected by conflicts in the region.