Israeli officials released a video claiming to show an employee of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) carrying an Israeli man who had been shot and is lying motionless to the back of a vehicle, then driving away from a village in southern Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7. It remains unclear whether the Israeli man was alive or dead. The Washington Post was the first to publish the clip, which has since been shared online by Israeli officials who identified the UNRWA employee as Faisal Ali Mussalem Al Naami, a social worker in the agency's Gaza sector.
Israel provided intelligence information suggesting that some UNRWA employees participated in the kidnappings and killings during the attack that sparked the Gaza war. Israel's claims have prompted a number of countries to suspend their funding for UNRWA. The agency denies any wrongdoing and states that its role is solely humanitarian.
UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler responded to the video, stating, "It is not possible for UNRWA to verify the authenticity of the video or images and confirm the identity of the person (in the clip). We have not received any evidence from the Israeli authorities." He added, "However, since there is an investigation being conducted by the highest UN investigation authorities, we invite any country, party, or institution with information, including any public domain information, to provide it to the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services to assist in advancing this investigation."
In a surveillance clip, a white vehicle is seen entering the Beeri housing complex, one of the areas severely affected by the attack, then stopping in front of three apparent bodies laid on the roadside next to a portable cooler. A man exited the vehicle with a rifle, followed by the driver, identified as Al Naami, who was wearing black clothing. The two men carried one of the three individuals lying in the street by his arms and legs and placed him in the back of the vehicle, after which they glanced quickly at the scattered belongings in the street before driving away from the housing complex.
An Israeli military spokesperson shared an image from the video on the platform X, and an official from the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted part of the video. Reuters previously published the same surveillance clip from the Beeri housing complex after confirming the location by comparing the infrastructure and layout of the trees and their arrangement with satellite images and archival photos of the area. However, Reuters has not verified, nor could it verify, the identities of everyone seen in the video.
In a press briefing on Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant referred to the new video and stated that over 30 UNRWA employees participated in the attack and facilitated the hostage-taking of some individuals.
