UN Officials In Hot Water After Link To Hamas

In the wake of claims that many employees assisted Hamas in carrying out its terror assault on October 7, the United Nations Secretary-General pleaded with the West to restore financing to the only assistance organization permitted in the Gaza Strip.

Reports show that Israel has accused twelve UNRWA workers of aiding Hamas in their assault on Israel last October.

After several hundred million dollars were withheld in response to Israel’s accusations on January 26, Antonio Guterres pleaded with Western states to restore funds, including the UK, Canada, most of continental Europe, and the US.

Although UNRWA did not reveal the exact number of personnel entangled in the controversy, the United States withdrew its funds first and said that twelve were involved.

Reports indicate the United Kingdom was among other nations that swiftly followed suit within hours, including the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Nearly 60% of UNRWA’s budget in 2022 came from the eight nations that had withdrawn money from the agency.

The heinous allegations against these employees must have repercussions, Guterres said.   However, sanctions should not be imposed on the thousands of UNRWA employees, many of whom operate in very hazardous environments for humanitarian workers. Meeting the urgent needs of the people they assist is of the utmost importance.

The secretary-general elaborated by saying that out of the twelve workers who were suspected, nine were fired without delay, one was found dead, and two remained to be caught.  He threatened legal action, including criminal prosecution, against all responsible.

A UN spokeswoman issued a second warning, stating that humanitarian operations will have to be halted by February’s end in the absence of the funds.

On January 26th, the United States declared that it would no longer be providing financial support to UNRWA, a humanitarian agency that assists Palestinians.   The claims have deeply troubled the Biden administration, which has long been an ardent supporter of UNRWA.

This report has created quite a commotion on Capitol Hill, as Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) has called for an immediate suspension of U.S. funding for UNRWA pending the results of an impartial and thorough investigation.