Colonna report: Israel has not provided any evidence of Unrwa staff link to Hamas
Israeli authorities have not provided "any supporting evidence" to back up allegations that United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees employees are members of groups that attacked Israel on 7 October, a review led by the former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna has said.
The Colonna report, which was commissioned by the UN to look at Unrwa's operations and policies in the wake of Israel's allegations and will be released on Monday, said Israeli authorities have not responded to letters Unrwa in March and April requesting names and evidence in order to open an investigation.
The Israeli government, according to the independent review, "has not informed Unrwa of any concrete concerns relating to Unrwa staff since 2011".
In late January, Israel accused 12 Unrwa employees of participating in the 7 October attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed.
As a result of the allegations, Unrwa terminated the contracts of 10 of the employees (two were confirmed dead) and 16 countries paused or froze their financial contributions to the agency, amounting to around 50 percent of the agency's budget for the year.
Several countries who froze their contributions, including Australia, Canada and Finland, have since lifted those suspensions, with some citing a lack of evidence.
The UK government, which froze its funding, has said it would await the findings of the report before deciding whether to restore its contribution.
Meanwhile, in the US, Unrwa’s largest donor, Congress passed legislation last month that cuts off funding to the agency for the next year.
At the time the funding was cut, Unrwa said the decision would force the agency, the largest organisation operating in Gaza, into a dire situation with lives hanging in the balance.
In addition to its efforts in Gaza, Unrwa delivers essential services including education and healthcare to 5.9 million Palestinians refugees across the region, described in Colonna’s report as “indispensable”.