UN Worker Killed Amid Israeli Operation in West Bank

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, reported that one of its employees was killed during an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank, where raids have intensified in recent weeks.

Israel’s military labeled the UN worker a “terrorist,” claiming he posed a threat to their forces.

This marks the first time in over a decade that a UNRWA employee has been killed in the Palestinian territories. Sufyan Jaber Abed Jawwad, who worked as a sanitation laborer, was identified as the employee. He was reportedly “shot and killed on the roof of his home by a sniper” in the Faraa refugee camp.

Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani of the Israeli military said on social media that during an operation in Faraa, “a terrorist was seen throwing explosive devices, posing a danger to our forces,” which prompted them to open fire. It was later discovered that Jawwad was an UNRWA employee.

This incident comes in addition to the deaths of six other UNRWA staff members in Gaza, who were killed during an airstrike on a school that had been turned into a shelter. UNRWA stated that this was the highest single-day death toll for the organization.

Mourners carried Jawwad’s body through the streets of Faraa, with his U.N. vest draped over the Palestinian flag. In Tubas, funerals also took place for other Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The Israeli military stated that they conducted a 48-hour counter-terrorism operation in Tubas, Tamun, and Faraa, during which an airstrike killed “five armed terrorists.”

UNRWA, which has over 30,000 employees across Palestinian territories and elsewhere, has previously faced accusations from Israel, which claimed the agency employed more than 400 “terrorists” in Gaza.

Violence in the West Bank has surged in recent months, with Israeli forces conducting large-scale raids since late August. The U.N. Human Rights Chief noted that some of these operations are happening at a scale not seen in the past two decades.

The Palestinian health ministry reported that since October 7, at least 679 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, while Israeli officials say at least 24 Israelis, including security personnel, have been killed during Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations.