On his final day in office, the outgoing head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees called for an independent investigation into the alleged killing of nearly 400 agency staff members in Gaza during the war triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Philippe Lazzarini said many other employees had been injured, detained or tortured, and urged the creation of a high level panel to examine the deaths of humanitarian workers.

Lazzarini accused Israel of operating with what he described as an extraordinary level of impunity, claiming that staff killings were routinely justified by labeling victims as members of Hamas. He also suggested that similar patterns were emerging in fighting involving Lebanon and warned that a lack of accountability risked spreading conflict beyond Gaza.

Israel has alleged that a significant portion of the agency’s Gaza workforce had ties to militant groups and that agency facilities were used for terrorist purposes, including during the October 7 assault. Internal and external reviews linked to the United Nations found some neutrality related concerns but said Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its central claims.

Relations between Israel and the agency have sharply deteriorated during the war, with Israel banning the organization from operating on its territory and citing security concerns. Funding cuts and political pressure have left the agency facing possible collapse, prompting Lazzarini to warn of severe humanitarian consequences if international support is not sustained.