US foreign aid watchdog finds evidence tying four more UN staffers to Oct. 7

The announcement follows a separate action in February, when the office imposed a 10-year, government-wide debarment on Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, a former UNRWA school principal in Gaza.

By Mike Wagenheim, JNS

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General said Thursday that it has identified evidence linking four current or former employees of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees to the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The individuals—three teachers and a social worker—are suspected of participating in terrorist activities during the Oct. 7 attacks or in the detention of civilian hostages kidnapped from Israel and taken into Gaza.

“These subjects were referred to the U.S. Department of State for consideration of suspension and/or debarment action to exclude them from working across future U.S.-funded aid organizations,” the agency stated.

(JNS sought comment from the U.N. secretary-general and UNRWA.)

The announcement follows a separate action in February, when the office imposed a 10-year, government-wide debarment on Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, a former UNRWA school principal in Gaza.

Investigators found that Mousa, identified as a Hamas operative, coordinated communications with other suspected members on Oct. 7.

“That action represented the first known debarment by the U.S. of a terrorist affiliated with a U.N. agency responsible for humanitarian assistance programming,” the office said.

UNRWA confirmed to JNS that Mousa was fired as a result of the investigation.

The office stated that its ongoing probe into UNRWA has so far led to referrals for seven individuals for alleged participation in the Oct. 7 attacks and 14 others for suspected ties to Hamas.

“It remains USAID OIG’s investigative priority to ensure that U.S.-funded humanitarian assistance in Gaza does not fall into the hands of Hamas and other foreign terrorist organizations,” the office said.

“In support of this effort, USAID OIG has additional ongoing investigative work aimed at preventing the recirculation of terrorist-affiliated actors across aid organizations operating in Gaza.”