US Federal Watchdog Finds Over 100 UNRWA Staffers Linked to Hamas, Oct. 7 Attack (original) (raw)

A truck, marked with United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) logo, crosses into Egypt from Gaza, at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah, Egypt, Nov. 27, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

More than 100 staffers at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) are affiliated with Hamas’ military wing and participated in the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, according to the US government’s oversight body responsible for monitoring American foreign assistance.

The inspector general’s office for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) revealed on Friday that it found evidence showing 101 current and former UNRWA employees also operated as Hamas terrorists. The federal watchdog said it referred every individual to the US State Department for suspension or debarment from US-funded aid programs.

“Among the individuals referred were UNRWA school principals, teachers, security personnel,
attendants, psychosocial counselors, and medical professionals,” the USAID inspector general noted.

According to the watchdog’s findings, several of the UNRWA individuals referred for suspension or debarment simultaneously held positions within Hamas’ military apparatus. According to the USAID inspector general, those identified included deputy school principals serving as commanders in Hamas infantry battalions, educators linked to intelligence units responsible for tracking explosive device deployments, and teachers who held battlefield leadership roles within the group’s military wing, known as the al-Qassam Brigades.

Investigators also cited cases involving a math and computer teacher allegedly tied to an al-Qassam intelligence squad, a teacher described as a Hamas sniper specialist, and another educator whom investigators say received orders to transport anti-tank missiles during the Oct. 7 atrocities.

In one of the most striking examples outlined by the report, a school principal was allegedly assigned to a Hamas military manufacturing unit’s chemical department, while investigators further alleged that the school under his supervision contained anti-tank firing positions and a tunnel shaft beneath the facility.

According to the watchdog, the latest referrals bring the total number of individuals referred for suspension or debarment to 108 as part of an ongoing investigation.

The inspector general’s office said its investigation remains active and focused on preventing US-funded humanitarian assistance from being diverted to terrorist organizations such as Hamas. Investigators indicated that additional referrals and potential criminal actions remain under consideration.

The findings are likely to intensify longstanding concerns in Israel and among many policymakers in Washington that Hamas has embedded operatives within civilian and humanitarian institutions in Gaza. Israeli officials have argued since the Oct. 7 attacks that international aid organizations require far more rigorous vetting procedures to prevent militants from exploiting humanitarian infrastructure. Critics of UNRWA have pointed to repeated allegations that some staff maintained ties to Hamas, while supporters of the agency argue that UNRWA remains essential for delivering education, health care, and emergency relief to millions of Palestinians.

The Israeli government and research organizations have publicized findings showing numerous UNRWA-employed staff, including teachers and school principals, are active Hamas members, some of whom were directly involved in the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel, while many others openly celebrated it.

Israel has maintained that the agency still employs hundreds of terrorist operatives in Gaza, even after firing several over their alleged involvement in Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught. Many countries, including the US, paused funding to UNRWA amid allegations that the agency aided Hamas terrorists. UNRWA employs 14,000 staff members in Gaza.

UNRWA officials have denied the agency’s complicity in the Oct. 7 massacre and argued their aid work in Gaza is crucial to alleviating the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn enclave. UNRWA has consistently maintained that it serves a critical humanitarian role for Palestinian refugees and has stated that employees found to have engaged in terrorism-related activities should be investigated and held accountable.

The latest referrals follow several earlier investigative actions. In February, USAID OIG announced the government-wide debarment of former UNRWA school principal Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa after investigators concluded he participated in the Oct. 7 attacks while serving as an operative in Hamas’ East Jabaliya Battalion. The watchdog described the action as the first known US debarment of an individual affiliated with a UN humanitarian agency for terrorism-related conduct.

For years, some pro-Israel lawmakers and watchdog groups have argued that US foreign assistance programs in Gaza faced an elevated risk of diversion by Hamas and other extremist groups. Those concerns grew after the Oct. 7 attacks, when investigators began examining whether aid-funded institutions had been infiltrated by individuals connected to the terrorist organization. USAID’s inspector general has repeatedly stated that protecting American taxpayer dollars from benefiting Hamas has become a top investigative priority.

Supporters of Israel argue that the latest findings reinforce the need for aggressive oversight of aid programs in conflict zones. They contend that humanitarian assistance can remain vital for civilians while still requiring strict safeguards to ensure that organizations linked to terrorism do not receive American funding.