A confidential United Nations report has come under scrutiny after a Washington Free Beacon review found that investigators dismissed significant Israeli intelligence linking UNRWA employees to Hamas involvement in the October 7 massacre.
The internal investigation, conducted by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), examined allegations against 19 staffers from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), relying primarily on intelligence provided by Israeli authorities. Despite acknowledging the credibility of the evidence-which included intercepted phone calls and cell phone data-the UN ultimately deemed it "insufficient" to justify terminating the employment of 10 individuals.
One case involved a UNRWA staffer identified by Israel as a Hamas commander, allegedly involved in the October 7 infiltration and attacks. Audio recordings indicated he assisted family members in entering Israeli territory and participated in the abduction of an Israeli woman. However, the UN characterized the recorded conversation as a parental reprimand rather than proof of collaboration.
Another staffer was tied to Hamas via SMS communications, which allegedly instructed him to bring anti-tank missiles to a rendezvous point. The staffer denied involvement, and with no corroborating evidence beyond Israeli intelligence, the UN closed the case.
In a third case, a UNRWA employee detained by Israel was suspected of aiding a family member in the kidnapping of an Israeli citizen. Again, the UN concluded the available evidence did not meet its threshold for disciplinary action.
The Free Beacon reported that the UN cited its findings in August 2024 when defending the decision not to dismiss 10 of the accused employees. The International Court of Justice later referenced the same report in its ruling supporting the return of UNRWA's humanitarian operations in Gaza.
Critics, including a senior congressional aide who spoke to the Free Beacon, accused the UN of dismissing credible intelligence to preserve a narrative that distances Hamas from UNRWA. A former US legal official also criticized the UN's use of an "impossibly high legal standard" that prevented even administrative sanctions against the implicated staffers.
The US Agency for International Development's Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG) has launched a parallel investigation, which may result in the blacklisting of Hamas-linked UNRWA staff from future employment in US-funded aid organizations. American and Western officials quoted by the Free Beacon expressed concerns that UNRWA personnel with suspected terror ties could transfer to other UN agencies without proper vetting.
"The UN clearly is unable to investigate itself properly," a senior US official involved in Gaza aid operations told the Free Beacon. "The IG's investigation will protect American taxpayer dollars from funding the salaries of Hamas terrorists shape-shifting as aid workers going forward."
The findings have reignited calls for stringent vetting procedures for UN personnel, with one Western diplomat noting to the Free Beacon that current systems are insufficient to prevent the reallocation of compromised staff across UN bodies.
US Senator Ted Cruz called the report "deeply worrying."