Anger over UNRWA’s ‘nomination’ for Nobel Peace Prize

Father of son killed by Hamas in the October 7 massacre says agency deserves ‘a Nobel Prize for Terror’

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was implicated in the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, was reportedly in the running for a Nobel Peace Prize, sparking backlash from Israeli and Jewish groups.
The Prize was eventually handed to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organisation of survivors of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its campaigning against nuclear weapons.
UNRWA was included on an “unofficial shortlist”  for the prestigious award in February, and was rumoured to be among the favourites to win. 
Earlier this year, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) suggested the shortlist was topped by the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, followed by the International Court of Justice, UNRWA and Philippe Lazzarini, Article 36 and the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, and UNESCO and the Council of Europe.
More than 12,000 people signed a petition urging the Peace Research Institute Oslo to reconsider UNRWA’s candidacy for the Nobel Prize.
The apparent nomination came despite Israeli claims that dozens of its workers took part in the attacks by distributing ammunition, abducting hostages, and co-ordinating transportation.
The winner for the prize, Nihon Hidankyo, was announced on Friday morning.
All nominations for the top prize are kept secret for 50 years. 
The Telegraph could not confirm whether UNRWA was included on the list of nominees for the prize. 
The US froze funding to the agency in January after revelations emerged concerning the agency’s links to Hamas, while the UN ordered an independent inquiry.Following UNRWA’s investigation, 12 staff members were fired. In a statement, the agency said: “The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7.“To protect the Agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay.  Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.”
“A Nobel Peace Prize to the agency and its commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini would send a strong message about its role in supporting the lives of millions of Palestinian women, men, and children,” the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), which picked the nominations, wrote on its website.PRIO noted that UNRWA had maintained its aid operation despite financial support being withdrawn after the accusations.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of the victims kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, said it was “unthinkable” UNRWA could win a Nobel Prize.Ayelet Samerano, whose son Jonathan Samerano was killed on October 7 and taken into Gaza to be held as a hostage, said: “To our shock, after 100 days, we discovered that the person who kidnapped our child works for UNRWA.“He was a social worker employed by UNRWA, an organization whose sole purpose is supposed to be providing humanitarian aid.“UNRWA was founded on the principles of human rights and humanity. However, this is clearly not the case with UNRWA as we know it now. We’re talking about an organization that has taken a very active part in the murder, rape, and kidnapping of innocent people.”In February, footage appears to show an UNRWA worker dragging Jonathan’s lifeless body into a car and driving off.Mr Samerano added: “My son Jonathan was a young man whose only crime was dancing at a music festival. He was shot by Hamas and kidnapped by a social worker from UNRWA. This terrorist organization does not deserve a Nobel Peace Prize but a Nobel Prize for Terror.”
It is alleged that more than 12 of the agency’s employees participated in the terror attacks, in which nearly 1,200 people died and 250 were taken hostage.Further claims about the agency suggested that 10 per cent of its employees had links to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups, while 50 per cent have close family members who are part of the organizations.”Regarding the claims, which are based on “Israeli intelligence”, Mr Lazzarini said an independent investigation would be carried out regarding “what is true or untrue” and “what is politically motivated.”On its website, UNRWA states: “UNRWA has not received any information, let alone any evidence, from the Israeli authorities or any other member state about the [10 per cent] claim.“UNRWA became aware of this claim first from international media and later from a press briefing by an Israeli government official.”