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Fox News Digital has exclusively obtained a dossier reportedly used by the Israeli government to express its concerns to the U.S. and other countries regarding its dealings with a controversial United Nations agency and its connections with Hamas. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) faced a significant funding cut from donors following allegations that at least a dozen of its employees were linked to and assisted Hamas during an attack on Israel on October 7. In response, the United States and several allies halted their funding to UNRWA in January, and the agency dismissed the 12 implicated employees. Since then, claims have escalated, suggesting potentially hundreds of UNRWA staff might have ties to Hamas.
Fox News Digital’s review of the dossier reveals an increase in the number of UNRWA employees allegedly involved in the October 7 attack to at least 15, with suspicions of at least three participating in hostage-taking. This information led several countries to suspend their financial support to UNRWA, a decision most have yet to reverse. The dossier claims about 17% of UNRWA’s teachers and 20% of its school principals and deputy principals, alongside approximately 10% of its 151 relief workers and members of its health services, are affiliated with Hamas.
From 2009 to 2024, nearly $4 billion in taxpayer dollars was allocated to UNRWA, according to a Fox News Digital review. Serious allegations suggest Hamas has representatives within UNRWA’s staff union and maintains communication with the agency’s district managers. Given UNRWA’s extensive operations in the Gaza Strip, Hamas reportedly prioritizes its relationship with the agency, coordinating activities in both normal and emergency situations.
Satellite imagery analyzed by Fox News Digital identified two boys’ schools with alleged Hamas tunnels underneath them, leading to UNRWA’s condemnation of potential neutrality violations. However, the tunnels reportedly remained open as of 2023. Israel has identified several schools adjacent to rocket and mortar launch sites across the Gaza Strip.
Israel accuses UNRWA of logistical support for Hamas, including the sale of imported equipment to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad weapons manufacturing units. The dossier details how Hamas assists UNRWA in securing humanitarian aid, with Hamas operatives coordinating aid transfers and providing security for convoys. UNRWA is said to comply with Hamas demands in various areas, including fuel and equipment transfers.
The dossier also highlights excerpts from textbooks used in UNRWA’s schools that allegedly contain glorification of martyrdom and antisemitic tropes. Maps in these textbooks depict a unified Palestine, omitting Israel, which Israel argues violates UNRWA’s neutrality policy.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed, and over 6,900 civilians were injured, with hundreds taken hostage during Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7, 2023. UNRWA and the United Nations have reportedly cooperated fully with Israeli authorities, disclosing the allegations and terminating the implicated employees.
William Deere, a senior congressional adviser to UNRWA’s Washington, D.C., office, stated that the Israeli government provided only the names of the dozen employees, with further accusations emerging from international media and an Israeli official’s press briefing. U.S. intelligence in February acknowledged the likelihood of some UNRWA employees participating in the attack but could not confirm broader links between the agency and Hamas. Despite this, the United Nations has not recognized Hamas as a terrorist organization.
An independent review led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna is underway, focusing on UNRWA’s adherence to its neutrality policy. The review’s interim report is expected on March 20, 2024, with the final report due a month later.
In recent weeks, Australia, the European Commission, and Sweden resumed funding for UNRWA. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong emphasized the importance of ensuring UNRWA’s operational integrity and rebuilding confidence in the organization to maintain aid flow to Gaza. Wong also announced an additional $2.6 million to UNICEF for urgent services in Gaza and the delivery of defense force parachutes for a U.S.-led humanitarian airdrop initiative.
Survivors and family members of the October 7 attack victims have filed a lawsuit against UNRWA USA and UNRWA, accusing them of supporting Hamas. The lawsuit represents a rare instance where a nonprofit organization is implicated in financing an international terrorist act.
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Contributions to this report were made by Danielle Wallace, Lawrence Richardson, Brianna Herlihy, and The Associated Press.