A new USAID investigation reportedly found that over a dozen UNRWA employees took part in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre, including a deputy school principal who served as a Hamas platoon commander. The probe expands on earlier findings and recommends ending U.S. funding to the agency.
A U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) watchdog report has identified dozens of UNRWA employees who actively participated in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre, according to an Israeli media report published Monday. The findings expand on a previous review, which The Zioneer reported on June 9, that found 101 UNRWA teachers and administrators were Hamas operatives who took part in the attacks.
This latest probe goes further, detailing that the staff involvement was not limited to affiliations but included active military roles within Hamas. Among the examples cited: a deputy school principal who served concurrently as a Hamas company deputy commander in the Al-Qassam Brigades. The report recommends unequivocally barring UNRWA from U.S. aid programs.
The report comes amid ongoing Israeli legislative efforts to designate UNRWA a terrorist organization and restrict its activity in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories. The U.S. has already paused funding to the agency since early 2024 over the initial findings. The new USAID document may renew debate in Congress over whether to designate UNRWA a foreign terrorist organization, a step that would permanently end American aid.
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