It was revealed last week that Hamas members were involved in the surprise attack against Israel on October 7th. Over 1,000 Israeli civilians and soldiers were brutally murdered by terrorists. Hundreds of people were taken and held as hostages.
As a result of the news, several nations including the United States cut funding or stopped it. A new report, however, provides more information about Hamas’ influence on the agency and the corruption of its staff.
The Wall Street Journal reported that “at least 12 employees” of the U.N. Palestinian Refugee Agency had ties with Hamas, which was responsible for the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7. Around 10% of all Gaza staff are linked to jihadist militant groups.
The intelligence reports, which were based on what a U.S. official called “very sensitive signals intelligence” as well as data from cellphone tracking, the interrogation of Hamas fighters captured and documents recovered by dead militants among other things, were part of an Israeli briefing to U.S. government officials, which led Washington and others in suspending aid to Unrwa.
According to intelligence estimates shared with the U.S., around 1,200 Unrwa employees in Gaza are linked to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. About half of them have relatives who are members of the Islamist militant groups. The U.S., among others, has designated both groups as terrorist organizations. Hamas has been in control of Gaza since 2007 when it took over.
Unrwa is more than ‘a handful of bad apples’ who were involved in the massacre on October 7,’ said a senior Israeli official. “The institution is a haven for Hamas radical ideology as a group.”
The United States is a major contributor of financial resources to the U.N. The fact that the U.S. does not need to deal with this entity because one of its subsidiaries employs active terrorists involved in violent acts against Israel is just one of the many reasons. As mentioned above, the U.S. has cut funding for UNRWA – at least temporarily.
Some may still support UNRWA, citing the dire need for humanitarian aid to be provided to Gaza Strip civilians. If the organization tasked with making sure these people receive the resources they require is infested by terrorists, this undermines the goal of the aid and also puts more people at risk. Some have even pointed out that sending assistance to the area while Hamas is still in control is counterproductive, as the terrorists would steal any aid meant for civilians.
It is obvious that the U.N., and its agencies, have become corrupt. It’s not a new scandal; the U.N. has had many for years. The U.S. may not withdraw from the U.N. under the current White House resident, but it will happen at some point. It is not worth supporting an organization that chooses to associate itself with terrorists and condemns Israel for its defense against terrorists.
