The head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, said that more than 50 staff members, including teachers, doctors and social workers, had been detained and abused since the start of the 18-month-long war in Gaza.
“They have been treated in the most shocking & inhumane way. They reported being beaten + used as human shields,” Lazzarini wrote on X.
Those detained had been subjected to “sleep deprivation, humiliation, threats of harm to them & their families + attacks by dogs … [and] forced confessions”.
UN officials stated the reported abuse had taken place both in Gaza and in military detention sites in Israel.
Relations between Israel and UNRWA have deteriorated since the beginning of the war, which was triggered by a surprise attack by Hamas fighters in southern Israel in October 2023 during which they killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostage.
Israel banned all cooperation with UNRWA’s activities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank earlier this year, and claims the agency has been infiltrated by Hamas, an allegation that has been dismissed by the organization.
Israeli forces have killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since it launched its offensive on Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Bombardments and ground operations have also destroyed vast areas and displaced about 80% of the population, many of them 10 or more times.
