A USAID investigation revealed that more than a hundred current or former employees of UNRWA may have had links to Hamas and even participated in the massacre on October 7, deepening allegations of antisemitism within UN agencies
A new scandal is shaking the United Nations once again. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) referred to the U.S. State Department the names of 101 current or former employees of UNRWA to be suspended or disqualified due to their alleged links with the terrorist group Hamas and their possible involvement in the massacre carried out on October 7, 2023 against Israel.
The revelation, included in a report from the USAID Office of Inspector General, fuels the growing criticism against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and once again puts under scrutiny the UN's ability to detect and eradicate the infiltration of terrorism within its own structures.
Executives, teachers, and counselors named
Among the reported employees are:
School directors and deputy directors.
Teachers.
Security personnel.
Psychosocial counselors.
Medical professionals.
Administrative assistants.
According to the report, some of them had been previously investigated, but new evidence allowed for an expanded list of suspects.
One of the most serious findings indicates that two deputy directors of schools managed by UNRWA held leadership positions within the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, the terrorist wing of Hamas.
Additionally, USAID asserts that:
An employee of UNRWA served as a company deputy commander of Hamas's 5th Infantry Battalion.
Another acted as a squad leader of the Khan Yunis Brigade.
A school deputy director allegedly coordinated communications for the Nuseirat Battalion during October 7.
A teacher transported two anti-tank missiles intended to be used in the massacre.
Antisemitism within international organizations
The new revelations deepen the accusations made for years by Israel and various Jewish organizations, which have accused UNRWA of tolerating antisemitic rhetoric, glorifying terrorism, and allowing the infiltration of Hamas into its educational and administrative structure.
For many critics, the problem transcends individual cases and exposes a systemic failure within United Nations agencies, especially in those that operate in Gaza under limited oversight.
The fact that school directors funded with international aid have been implicated in the worst antisemitic attack since the Holocaust raises serious questions about the control mechanisms applied by the UN.
Scandal at the UN: over 100 UNRWA employees linked to Hamas and the massacre of October 7
United States moves forward with sanctions
If the accusations are confirmed, those involved will be disqualified from working in any organization funded with U.S. taxpayer money.
One of the first cases has already resulted in concrete sanctions. This involves Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, identified as a member of Hamas's East Jabaliya Battalion and director of a UNRWA school, who coordinated communications with other members of the terrorist group during the massacre on October 7.
The measure aims to prevent individuals linked to terrorist organizations from continuing to manage programs funded with international resources.
UNRWA's defense
When consulted by international media, UNRWA stated that it takes the accusations "very seriously."
"We have a zero-tolerance policy for any violation of neutrality. There is no place in UNRWA for terrorists, criminals, or individuals who do not share the values of the United Nations", a spokesperson for the agency asserted.
The organization also stated that it collaborated with the investigation by providing documentation and expressed its willingness to respond to allegations supported by verifiable evidence.
However, for many observers, these new revelations once again call into question the agency's functioning and fuel criticism towards a UN that has repeatedly been accused of maintaining a double standard regarding terrorism and antisemitism, especially when the victims are Israeli citizens.
The case reopens an uncomfortable debate for the international community: how to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need without having their structures used or infiltrated by terrorist organizations that promote hatred and violence against the Jewish people.
