A Trump administration official told JNS that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency’s decision to dismiss 70 staff members is linked to an ongoing inspector general investigation into alleged ties between agency personnel and terrorist organizations, including involvement in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
UNRWA, which serves as the global body’s Palestinian-exclusive aid and social services entity, announced on June 12 that it had terminated 70 employees, saying the action was taken “further to an assessment of the safety and security of UNRWA operations in Gaza.” The agency did not describe the dismissals as disciplinary measures and said they “do not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against them.”
The agency, long under the microscope for direct links to and cooperation with terror groups, said it has “repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities to provide information and evidence to substantiate allegations against individual UNRWA staff members in Gaza but has received no response to date.”
However, the latest allegations did not come from the Jewish state.
On June 8, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the office of the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development found evidence that more than 100 UNRWA staff members participated in Oct. 7 or are affiliated with the terror group’s military wing.
According to the report, those findings were forwarded to the U.S. State Department, along with a recommendation that 101 current and former UNRWA staff members be suspended or barred from participating in U.S.-funded aid programs for 10 years. The individuals reportedly include teachers, school principals, security staff, medical workers and psychosocial counselors.
“The timing of UNRWA’s decision to terminate dozens of staff appears as a direct response to the USAID Inspector General’s active and ongoing investigation,” a senior U.S. official briefed on the investigation told JNS. “Because of loose vetting procedures in the U.N. system, USAID IG law enforcement officers are also working to prevent Hamas-linked staff from jumping to other aid organizations operating in Gaza.”
‘Not linked to funding issues’
Asked on Friday about the dismissals, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told JNS in a briefing that “the situation in UNRWA is rather complex and challenging, and sometimes the commissioner-general has to take decisions that are not easy to take, but that are in the best interest of the organization.”
Pressed on whether the move was related to funding pressure, Dujarric said funding has “always been challenging, but this is not linked to funding issues.”
“I will leave it at that,” the U.N. spokesman said.
UNRWA has faced sustained funding shortfalls after the United States and several European countries suspended or reduced contributions, while some Arab donors have also scaled back support. The agency has repeatedly appealed for additional funding to sustain operations in Gaza and across the region.
Israel and some of its allies have long accused UNRWA of enabling militant activity through its schools and facilities and of perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through its policies on refugee status and a so-called “right of return” for Palestinians and their descendants.
“UNRWA’s statement on the termination of 70 employees, while blaming the victim, Israel, and without even mentioning the word ‘Hamas,’ is a cynical cover-up,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated.
“The responsibility to purge terrorism lies solely with the U.N., yet Hamas membership remains simply acceptable within UNRWA’s ranks,” the ministry said. “By harboring terrorists and letting its facilities serve as Hamas headquarters, UNRWA has become an arm of Hamas.”
