No widespread Hamas infiltration of UNRWA, reports says
- Israel claimed dozens of UNRWA workers took part in the Oct. 7 attacks
- Independent report finds no evidence of significant ties to militant groups
- UNRWA Washington director: 'Like any organization, more can be done'
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(NewsNation) — An independent report released Monday says there’s no evidence a significant number of workers from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) are tied to militant groups.
The report comes after Israel claimed dozens of UNRWA workers took part in the Oct. 7 attacks.
“Our commissioner general has talked about a global campaign of misinformation that has been designed to mischaracterize and force distrust and tarnish the agency,” said Bill Deere, director of UNRWA’s Washington office. “This is, from our perspective, the third major milestone in debunking that narrative.”
The 48-page report released Monday suggests UNRWA has “robust” procedures to uphold the U.N. principle of neutrality, the Associated Press reported.
The report, however, cited gaps in implementation, including staff publicly expressing political views, textbooks used in schools the agency runs with “problematic content” and staff unions disrupting operations. It makes 50 recommendations to improve UNRWA’s neutrality.
“Like any organization, more can be done,” he said. “But just remember, that more is going to require the help of donor states and our regional partners.”
Israel’s allegations led to the suspension of contributions to UNRWA by the United States and more than a dozen other countries, according to AP. That caused a pause in funding worth about $450 million, according to the independent report.
Some countries, however, have resumed contributions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
