Israel recalled its ambassador to the UN on Monday as tensions erupted over the handling of allegations of sexual assault by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks.

At the heart of the row was the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which said its own staff had been tortured by Israel, even as Israel said the agency had employed more than 450 "terrorists."

"According to intelligence, over 450 terrorists belonging to terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip, mainly Hamas, are also employed by UNRWA," an Israeli military statement said.

The military also released what it said were recordings of "a terrorist working as an Arabic teacher at an UNRWA school... describing his entry into Israeli territory and stating that he is holding female Israeli hostages" during the October 7 attack by Hamas.