Finland has decided not to renew its support for UNRWA as other European governments review their funding following a U.S. watchdog investigation that referred more than 100 current or former agency employees over alleged links to Hamas and other designated terrorist organizations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
International support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency is facing renewed scrutiny after a U.S. watchdog investigation referred more than 100 current or former UNRWA employees for possible federal sanctions over alleged ties to Hamas and other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations.
Finland’s minister for foreign trade and development announced Thursday that the country would not extend its support for UNRWA, while several other governments are reconsidering their funding arrangements, according to a Just the News report.
A senior State Department official briefed on the investigation by the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General said the findings are prompting broader reviews in Europe.
“The USAID IG’s ongoing investigation into Hamas ties to UNRWA is prompting other European countries to examine continued funding to UNRWA,” the official said. “It’s time for the world to move on and fund more responsible organizations that are truly committed to peace.”
The USAID inspector general announced Wednesday that more than 100 current or former UNRWA personnel had been referred to the State Department for possible suspension or debarment.
Debarment would prevent those individuals from conducting business with the U.S. government, including receiving federal contracts, grants or other financial awards.
According to the inspector general, the referred individuals were found to have links to Hamas and other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations and to have participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.
Three former UNRWA school teachers among those referred have already been proposed for debarment by the State Department.
One was described as a Hamas military operative who allegedly kidnapped people during the Oct. 7 assault.
Another was identified in Hamas military records as an operative of the Rafah Brigade of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
A third allegedly received and held civilian hostages during the attack.
A fourth person, former UNRWA social worker Faisal Ali Al-Naami, was also proposed for debarment, but the proposal was terminated after authorities determined he was dead.
The inspector general said Al-Naami was a Hamas military communications operative who allegedly participated in the kidnapping of an Israeli civilian on Oct. 7.
The investigation has already produced one completed debarment.
Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, who worked as a UNRWA school principal, was debarred after investigators identified him as a Hamas operative who coordinated communications with other suspected Hamas members during the Oct. 7 attack.
Approximately 1,200 people in Israel were killed during the assault.
Mousa’s debarment was described as the first known U.S. action of its kind against a terrorist affiliate working for a United Nations humanitarian agency.
State Department spokesman Tommy Piggot said the findings reinforced the Trump administration’s decision to withhold funding from UNRWA.
“Unfortunately, it is no surprise that UNRWA employees were determined to be involved in the barbaric October 7 attack,” Piggot told Just the News.
“President Trump and Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio have affirmed time and time again that no State Department funding will be provided to UNRWA, which has been totally infiltrated by Hamas and terrorist sympathizers.”
Questions are also emerging over whether the United Nations would cooperate with potential criminal proceedings involving employees identified by U.S. investigators.
During a Friday press briefing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, was asked about the latest allegations and the possibility that individuals could be referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.
“I can tell you we are willing and open to cooperate obviously with the U.S. government and others on these issues while staying in full respect of the privileges and immunities of the organization,” Dujarric said.
A senior State Department official warned that the United States expects the U.N. to waive immunity where necessary for criminal cases.
“If the U.N. fails to waive immunity for staff that the USAID IG has identified as having committed mass murder, rape, and kidnappings of Americans and Israelis on Oct. 7, expect major repercussions,” the official told Just the News.
UNRWA was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 1949 following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict to provide emergency food, relief and other assistance to Palestinian refugees.
The agency has faced mounting criticism since the Oct. 7 attacks over allegations that some of its employees were connected to Hamas.
Israel also discovered a network of tunnels beneath UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters where Hamas stored supplies.
In January 2024, Israel presented evidence alleging that 12 UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 attacks.
UNRWA responded at the time by saying nine of the 12 employees had been terminated, one was dead and the remaining two cases would be investigated.
“Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution. The Secretariat is ready to cooperate with a competent authority able to prosecute the individuals in line with the Secretariat’s normal procedures for such cooperation,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said at the time.
The latest USAID inspector general referrals substantially expand the number of UNRWA personnel facing scrutiny in the United States and are now beginning to affect the agency’s financial relationships with foreign governments.
Finland has already decided against renewing its support, while the State Department official said other European countries are examining whether they should continue funding the organization.
The developing dispute now extends beyond questions about UNRWA’s internal oversight to whether governments that have financed the agency for decades will continue doing so as U.S. investigators pursue alleged connections between its personnel and terrorist organizations.
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