UNRWA Under Fire: Allegations of Terrorism Ties and American Taxpayer Concerns

Amidst reports of terror connections, Congress seeks action against UNRWA, raising questions about the agency's credibility and the use of American taxpayer dollars.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has come under fire following allegations that agency employees assisted the Hamas terror group. This has prompted members of Congress to introduce legislation demanding the recovery of American taxpayer dollars provided to UNRWA.

Representatives Brian Mast (R-Fla.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) have introduced legislation that would require the U.S. State Department to recoup any American funds given to UNRWA. They allege that the agency has "masqueraded as a relief organization while serving as an incubator for Palestinian terrorists."

Intelligence reports, according to Mast, indicate that up to 10% of UNRWA workers have direct links to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihadists. He condemns the misuse of American tax dollars to fund such activities, demanding that the State Department take action to retrieve them.

The allegations surfaced after reports that at least a dozen UNRWA employees joined or assisted Hamas terrorists during their attack on Israeli border communities on October 7, 2022. The attack resulted in a significant number of casualties and the kidnapping of over 200 individuals.

Following these reports, the Biden administration announced on January 26 that it would suspend additional taxpayer funding to UNRWA. However, just days prior to the freeze, the administration had already transferred $121 million to the agency.

The bipartisan bill introduced by Mast and Gottheimer aims to recoup the $121 million transferred to UNRWA before the funding freeze. From 2009 to 2024, the United States provided approximately $4 billion to the humanitarian relief organization.

U.S. intelligence has stated that it is likely that some UNRWA employees participated in the October 7 attack. However, it could not verify Israeli allegations of wider links between the agency and Hamas.

In March, the Israeli government released a dossier alleging that 12 UNRWA employees had ties to Hamas and assisted in the October 7 attack. Three of these individuals were suspected of involvement in the hostage situation.

UNRWA dismissed the 12 employees named in the allegations. However, the damage had already been done, leading to a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in donor funding.

The Israeli dossier also raised concerns about the content of textbooks used in UNRWA schools. It alleged that the curriculum glorifies martyrdom, contains antisemitic tropes, and presents a distorted map of Israel and Palestinian territories.

Congress has passed legislation to defund UNRWA until 2025. Other governments have also cut financial ties to the agency. These actions follow years of concerns about UNRWA's alleged ties to terrorism.