The announcement came as UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini visited the Gulf in a bid to drum up support for the embattled aid provider after key donors suspended funding in the wake of Israeli intelligence allegedly showing that 12 staff members were involved in the brutal attacks and that hundreds more employees were directly linked to Hamas and other terror groups.

Some 15 countries, including top donors the United States, Germany, Britain and Sweden, have suspended funding to UNRWA over the allegations, raising concerns that the agency may no longer be able to deliver vital aid to Gaza’s beleaguered population, which has been left vulnerable after months of war sparked by the Hamas massacre.

In a Monday statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that he had appointed an independent group “to assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.”