The panel will be led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and will collaborate with European research institutions.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the establishment of an independent commission to evaluate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The aid agency has come under fire over Israeli accusations that 12 of its staff members were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
More than a dozen countries, including the United States, Germany, Britain and Sweden, have suspended funding to the agency.
The independent commission will be chaired by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and will work with three European research institutes, the UN statement said.
The purpose of the investigation is to “assess whether the authorities are doing everything possible to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious violations.”
European research groups working on independent evaluations are the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr Mikkelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
The commission is expected to submit an interim report to Mr. Guterres in late March, followed by a final report in late April with recommendations for “improving and strengthening” government mechanisms, if necessary.
The assessment is separate from an internal investigation launched by the United Nations last month following initial allegations against 12 UNRWA staff.
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack killed 1,139 people, most of them civilians, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistics.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that the United Nations agency was “fully infiltrated” by Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.
UNRWA Director-General Philippe Lazzarini said he looked forward to the review group's findings.
“I welcome the appointment by the UN Secretary-General of an independent review group to assess how UNRWA ensures its neutrality and responds to allegations of serious violations. We look forward to the conclusions and recommendations,” Lazzarini said in a social media post.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that his government had evidence linking the agency to “terrorism” and would submit it to a United Nations panel.
“We will submit all the evidence that highlights UNRWA's ties to terrorism and its negative impact on regional stability. It is imperative that this commission uncovers the truth,” Katz said on social media. Written on Media Platform X.
Reuters reported that Israeli intelligence documents allege that around 190 UNRWA employees, including teachers, were also members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
Palestinian officials accused Israel of falsifying information to damage UNRWA. The United Nations fired the nine accused workers, condemned the “alleged abhorrent conduct” and launched an investigation into the allegations.
After pledging to eliminate Hamas, Israel launched devastating artillery and ground attacks on Gaza, killing at least 27,478 people, mostly women and children, according to the Palestinian Authority.
More than 80 percent of the Gaza Strip's population was forced to flee, and vast swaths of the territory were reduced to rubble during the Israeli operation.
