UNRWA claimed that a report that a teacher working for the agency held an Israeli civilian hostage in the Gaza Strip was "unsubstantiated" on Friday, with community notes on X responding by listing several incidents in which UNRWA teachers were linked to or expressed support for terrorist groups.
On Wednesday, Channel 13 reporter Almog Boker posted on X (formerly Twitter) that a released hostage had told him that a teacher associated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East had held him in his attic, barely provided him with food, and neglected his medical needs.
"Uninvolved," they say, right? Well, read this story carefully. One of the abductees, held for nearly 50 days in an attic, reveals he was held by a UNRWA teacher – a father of ten children. This teacher locked the victim away, barely provided food, and neglected medical needs. But…
— almog boker (@bokeralmog) November 29, 2023
In a post on X, the UN agency responded that "spreading unsubstantiated claims about UNRWA must stop immediately."
"Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation," it said.
Spreading unsubstantiated claims about @UNRWA must stop immediately.Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation.FULL Statement ⬇️https://t.co/gzNCMnVeif pic.twitter.com/1XGV99RbXw
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) December 1, 2023
In a community note on the agency's post, readers wrote "claims against UNRWA have been documented for a long time," adding a list of links to incidents of its staff being linked to or supporting terrorist organizations.
The list included a case in which a headmaster of an UNRWA school was found to be building rockets for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, and a recent report by UN Watch showing how agency teachers celebrated the massacre committed by Hamas on October 7.
UNRWA demands Israeli reporter delete report about hostage in agency teacher's home
In a statement attached to the tweet, the agency added that it had asked Boker to provide more information, claiming that the reporter had not done so.
"In the absence of credible information to support this claim, UNRWA requests that the journalist immediately deletes the post. Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation," wrote UNRWA, saying that it takes "all allegations of breach of UN principles extremely seriously and immediately investigates them.
"Defamation attacks and the spread of misinformation about UNRWA - from any side - directly endanger the lifesaving operations of the Agency and its staff operating on the ground," it said. “These harmful and presumably gratuitous acts must stop, immediately."
Boker responded to UNRWA's statement on Saturday, writing "survivors of Hamas captivity are beginning to share their stories. One of them testified he was held hostage and starved by an UNRWA teacher. That’s not an 'allegation.' That’s a survivor testimony, and more testimonies are coming."
Survivors of Hamas captivity are beginning to share their stories. One of them testified he was held hostage and starved by an @UNRWA teacher. That’s not an “allegation”. That’s a survivor testimony, and more testimonies are coming. While Hamas holds 136 Israeli hostages in… https://t.co/A3cBUUmE4l
— almog boker (@bokeralmog) December 2, 2023
"While Hamas holds 136 Israeli hostages in Gaza, I can’t share information that could endanger them or identify the survivor. I hope UNRWA treats this more seriously than Hamas’s theft from its stocks and abuse of its civilian facilities for terror activity."
On Saturday, the IDF said it had found dozens of rockets hidden under boxes marked with UNRWA's insignia in northern Gaza.
The UN agency has also admitted that it has found tunnels under its schools and rockets inside its schools on multiple occasions.
#OTD, 1 year ago, a Hamas terrorist tunnel collapsed underneath an @UNRWA school.On November 8, 2023, IDF troops exposed a terrorist tunnel shaft near an UNRWA school and neutralized the tunnel. For years, we’ve been saying this—Hamas will exploit anything and anyone to… https://t.co/KGUY9bVF2k pic.twitter.com/F2TjGLrCQ4
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 2, 2023
On Saturday, the IDF noted that a Hamas terrorist tunnel collapsed under a UNRWA school last year and that soldiers had found a tunnel shaft near an agency school last month.