UNRWA fires 70 Gaza staffers as it grapples with Hamas problem

WASHINGTON — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has fired 70 staffers based in the Gaza Strip after more than 100 of its employees’ ties to the Oct.7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel were uncovered by a federal watchdog probe.UNRWA Commissioner-General ad interim Christian Saunders said in a statement Thursday that the mass sacking was “not part of a disciplinary process and does not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against” the workers.Saunders added that the culling was part of “an assessment of the safety and security of UNRWA operations in Gaza.”“UNRWA has repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities to provide information and evidence to substantiate allegations against individual UNRWA staff members in Gaza but has received no response to date,” he also said.“The decision was taken in the interests of the Agency as provided for by UNRWA’s legal framework.

Its purpose is to mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees the Agency serves under its mandate and for UNRWA personnel and premises.”On Monday, the US Agency for International Development’s internal watchdog (USAID OIG) referred more than 100 UNRWA staff for suspension or debarment from taking taxpayer funds for the enxt 10 years over their roles in helping Hamas carry out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.“It’s quite telling that it took the USAID Inspector General’s independent investigation for UNRWA to recognize that it has a Hamas problem,” a senior State Department official told The Post Friday.“USAID OIG’s investigation will also enable aid organizations to avoid hiring Hamas members  whose interests serve terror rather than those in need.”In total, 108 UNRWA employees will be barred from receiving US funding based on their “participation” in the attack that killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel — including 46 US citizens — or their “affiliation” with Ha...