Israel bans relief agency UNRWA over Oct 7 massacre

Israel approved a bill banning UNRWA after the agency confirmed a senior Hamas commander involved in one of the most brutal incidents of the October 7 attack was a staff member.

Muhammad Abu Attawi was a senior Hamas commander and a truck driver for UNRWA. Picture; Israeli Defence Forces.

Israel has approved a bill banning the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Israel and east Jerusalem, and severely limiting its activities in Gaza and the West Bank.

Members of the Knesset passed the bill with 92 votes in favour and 10 against, after the agency confirmed a senior Hamas commander involved in one of the most brutal incidents of the October 7 massacre had been a staff member since 2022.

🔴 #BREAKING The IDF confirms that the terrorist who commanded the attack that led to the abduction of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and other hostages was an @UNRWA employee.

Muhammad Abu Attawi was a Hamas Nukhba Force commander who led the killing and kidnapping of Israelis from a… pic.twitter.com/uFYKjlbht8

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 25, 2024

Late last week, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed the death of Muhammad Abu Attawi in Gaza, and named him as a UNRWA staffer and commander of Hamas’s Nukbha force who led the killing and kidnapping of partygoers at the Nova music festival.

According to UNRWA, Attawi’s name was included in a letter the refugee agency received from Israel in July that included a list of 100 staff members who were also allegedly members of terror groups, including Hamas.

Eliminated:

Muhammad Abu Atawi an UNWRA employee who participated in the massacre of Oct 7th was Eliminated pic.twitter.com/GTbjWwOyh1

— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) October 24, 2024

Israeli media reported that the agency said it didn’t take any action against Attawi, who worked as a driver, because Israel didn’t respond to a request for further information.

“The UNRWA commissioner general responded to that letter immediately stating that any allegation is taken seriously. He urged (the government of Israel) to co-operate with the agency by providing more information so he could take action. To date, UNRWA has not received any response to that letter,” Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s director of communications, told the Times of Israel.

According to the IDF, on October 7 Attawi commanded the attack on a bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re’im where 30 festival goers were hiding, killing 16 in a brutal grenade and gun attack and kidnapping four. Among those Attawi kidnapped was Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was found executed with five other hostages in a Gaza tunnel in August. Mr Goldberg-Palin had his arm blown off when he threw himself on a grenade in order to save others in the shelter.

Israel had previously accused a number UNRWA members of taking part in the Hamas attack and in January, the agency dismissed 12 staffers after Israeli officials warned of their involvement in the massacre.

In February, the Israeli military revealed the existence of a subterranean Hamas data centre directly beneath UNRWA’s Gaza Strip headquarters and in August, another nine staffers were sacked over their alleged involvement in the attacks.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the decision to ban the agency, saying it set “a dangerous precedent”.

“This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA … These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians,” he wrote on X.

The move also brought condemnation and criticism from the governments of Australia, the United States, Britain and Germany, among others.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Australia opposed Israel’s decision and called on Israel to “comply with the binding orders” of the International Court of Justice to provide aid in Gaza “at scale”.

“UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) does life-saving work,” Senator Wong said in a statement.

“Australia opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to severely restrict UNRWA’s work.

“On Sunday, Australia joined Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK to urge Israel’s Knesset not to proceed with this legislation.”

“Australia again calls on Israel to comply with the binding orders of the ICJ to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale in Gaza,” Senator Wong said.

Ahead of the vote, the United States said it was “deeply concerned” about the bill, reiterating the “critical” role the agency plays in distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

Washington warned Israel on October 15 that it had 30 days to increase the amount of aid reaching the Gaza Strip or it would consider withholding some military assistance to its key ally.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain was “gravely concerned” as the legislation would make “UNRWA’s essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardising the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza and delivery of essential health and education services in the West Bank”.

With AFP