UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees”, is claiming that some of its employees who were released into Gaza from Israeli detention said they were pressured by Israeli authorities into falsely stating that the agency has Hamas links and that staff took part in the October 7 attacks, Reuters reported Saturday.

The assertions are contained in a report by UNRWA which was reviewed by Reuters and dated February 2024. The report includes allegations of mistreatment in Israeli detention made by unidentified Palestinian Arabs, including several working for UNRWA.

UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma said the agency planned to hand the information in the 11-page, unpublished report to agencies inside and outside the UN specialized in documenting potential human rights abuses.

The document said several UNRWA staffers had been detained by the IDF, and added that the ill-treatment and abuse they said they had experienced included severe physical beatings, waterboarding, and threats of harm to family members.

"Agency staff members have been subject to threats and coercion by the Israeli authorities while in detention, and pressured to make false statements against the Agency, including that the Agency has affiliations with Hamas and that UNRWA staff members took part in the 7 October 2023 atrocities,” the report says, according to Reuters.

UNRWA declined a Reuters request to see transcripts of its interviews containing allegations of coerced false confessions.

Israel in January said that 12 UNRWA staff had taken part in Hamas’ October 7 attack. Among other things, Israel said those workers kidnapped a woman, handed out ammunition and actively taking part in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were murdered.

In the wake of Israel’s announcement, the US and a host of other countries announced they would temporarily pause funding to UNRWA.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month announced the formation of an independent investigation to look into Israel’s accusations.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini also announced that the UN agency had launched an investigation into the employees in question, but he has also insisted he had no knowledge of how deep Hamas is involved in UNRWA, and has accused Israel of "a deliberate and concerted campaign" aimed at ending UNRWA’s work.