What next as Israel says 12 UN employees participated in Hamas attack

New Delhi: An Israeli document obtained Monday spelled out allegations against a dozen UN employees the country says took part in Hamas' October 7 assault claiming seven stormed into Israeli territory, including one who participated in a kidnapping and another who helped to steal a soldier's body.

The allegations against staffers with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees prompted the United States and several other countries to freeze funds vital for the body, which is a lifeline for desperate Palestinians in Gaza. The White House indicated that funding could be restored depending on the agency's investigation and subsequent actions.

Condemning "the abhorrent alleged acts", the UN fired nine of the accused workers, who include teachers and a social worker. Two are reportedly dead, and the last is still being identified.

The accusations come after years of tensions between Israel and the agency known as UNRWA over its work in Gaza, where it employs roughly 13,000 people.

UNRWA is the biggest aid provider in Gaza, where Israel's war against Hamas has displaced the vast majority of the population within the besieged territory and plunged it into a humanitarian catastrophe. UN officials say a quarter of the population is starving.

With the majority of its budget in doubt, and because UNRWA spends contributions as they come in throughout the year, the agency says it will be forced to halt operations within weeks if funding isn't restored. (AP)