UNRWA says it dismissed 70 Gaza staff after U.S. inspector general review, amid concerns over Hamas ties

UNRWA has dismissed 70 staff members in Gaza, according to a report published Thursday by the New York Post. The personnel action is described as part of the agency’s efforts to address concerns that its workforce could include or reflect links to Hamas, a group that controls parts of the territory.

The New York Post report ties the dismissals to an independent investigation by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General. It says the review helped push UNRWA to acknowledge that it has a “Hamas problem,” quoting a senior State Department official speaking on the situation.

In the same report, the State Department official is quoted as saying, “It’s quite telling that it took the USAID Inspector General’s independent investigation for UNRWA to recognize that it has a Hamas problem.” The quote frames the issue as one of governance and oversight, with the U.S. review serving as the catalyst for the agency’s personnel response.

UNRWA’s reported decision to remove staff in Gaza would represent a major operational change for the UN relief and services agency working in the territory. Personnel decisions at such scale typically affect the agency’s ability to maintain continuity in program delivery, including staffing for day-to-day services that rely on locally based employees.

The report does not identify the specific positions, reasons provided to the affected employees, or the internal UNRWA procedures that were used to reach the dismissal decisions. It also does not provide details about whether any additional steps were taken beyond termination, such as further screening, compliance audits, or referrals for law enforcement review.

For U.S. officials, the personnel action described by the New York Post fits into a broader emphasis on vetting and oversight of aid-linked entities. The report’s reliance on the USAID inspector general review suggests that Washington is pressing for stronger safeguards to prevent diversion or manipulation of humanitarian assistance and to ensure that aid delivery does not indirectly benefit designated terrorist organizations.

In the short term, the practical effect of the dismissals would likely depend on how quickly UNRWA can recruit or reassign staff in Gaza and how it documents and verifies eligibility for roles. Any future U.S.-UN cooperation on funding and oversight could hinge on whether UNRWA provides additional transparency about the investigation process and the criteria used to remove employees over alleged extremist connections.