A whistleblower has accused the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of misconduct in its Gaza Strip operations, alleging that senior officials permitted Hamas-affiliated entities to influence staffing and hindered internal investigations, Fox News reported Friday.
According to a confidential complaint obtained by Fox News, a former UNRWA employee claimed that the agency’s leadership repeatedly ignored internal concerns about ties between its staff and Hamas, and even actively prevented oversight efforts.
The whistleblower, whose identity was not disclosed, wrote that the agency's hierarchy “systematically undermined” UN oversight mechanisms by refusing to approve routine investigations, allegedly to avoid political fallout.
Among the claims made in the complaint was that Hamas representatives were permitted to “vet and approve” candidates for employment within the Gaza Strip. In one case, a candidate was reportedly hired as a school principal despite having previously been rejected for suspected affiliations with a terrorist organization, according to the document cited in the report.
The individual also alleged that some UNRWA leaders within Gaza were “completely co-opted” by Hamas, and that their decisions were routinely influenced or directed by members of the group. The complaint added, “In several instances, UNRWA management had knowledge of, or even encouraged, such conduct.”
The allegations were reportedly shared with the UN’s Office of Internal...
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