Israeli security officials have released a recording of a Palestinian residing in Gaza accusing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) of being controlled by Hamas, and being guilty of severe mismanagement and diversion of humanitarian supplies.
“The situation is terrible because the humanitarian people, those responsible for the humanitarian aid, are thieves,” the Gaza resident said in the recording. He further claimed, “Hamas has their hands on UNRWA administration workers, and it manages UNRWA. From the day they [Hamas] rose to power they took control of everything.”
The man’s comments were made during a call recorded by the IDF, during which an IDF officer was informing Palestinians about evacuation locations and aid distribution points amid ongoing Israeli bombardments in Gaza.
UNRWA’s mandate is to provide assistance and protection to registered Palestinian refugees, but it has faced accusations – along with mountains of evidence – of its support of Hamas.
In one incident reported by the Jerusalem Post, an Israeli hostage released by Hamas claimed to have been held in the attic of a UNRWA teacher. In another, the IDF discovered Hamas tunnels near UNRWA schools. Despite these allegations, UNRWA has consistently denied any affiliation with Hamas.
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee is reportedly preparing to investigate UNRWA, according to committee member Rep. Darrell Issa. “There is extensive evidence of a troubling connection between UNRWA and Hamas, and it is far deeper than was known,” said Issa. “Congress must now investigate and uncover the extent of what UNRWA knew, what it did, and what it may be hiding from the world.”
This investigation comes after the US resumed funding to UNRWA under President Biden in 2021, following a halt in 2018 under the Trump administration. Since Biden’s inauguration, the US has provided approximately $730 million in aid to the terror-backing UN agency.
Source: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
