Twelve staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which helps Palestinian refugees, have lost their jobs after being accused of taking part in the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas on Israel. The agency said it got information from the Israeli authorities about the alleged involvement of its workers in the attacks, which left 97 people dead and hundreds more wounded in different places across Israel. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said he acted swiftly to end the contracts of the staff members and start an inquiry to find out the truth. “He said in a statement, “Any UNRWA worker who was involved in acts of terror will face the consequences, including through criminal prosecution.” The agency also said it would carry out a quick and thorough independent review of its operations and staff behaviour in Gaza, where it has about 13,000 employees. The US and some other countries have stopped their funding to UNRWA, which depends on voluntary donations from donors, until the investigation is over. The US State Department said it was “very disturbed” by the allegations and that it would not give any more money to the agency until the allegations were resolved. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” by the news and that he had asked Lazzarini to make sure that any UNRWA worker proven to have joined or helped the October 7 attacks be fired immediately and referred for possible criminal prosecution. UNRWA was set up by the UN in 1949 to help Palestinians who were displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It now serves 5.9 million refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The agency has faced criticism from Israel and its allies, who claim it keeps the Palestinian refugee problem alive and is unfair to Israel. Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, has admitted to carrying out the October 7 attacks, saying they were in retaliation for Israel’s blockade of the coastal area and its violence against Palestinians. Israel has responded with a series of airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza since the attacks, killing more than 200 people, including at least 52 children, according to health officials. The UN has urged an immediate ceasefire and a restart of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.