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USAID Watchdog Expands UNRWA Probe to Over 100 Staff for Alleged Hamas Ties

A House hearing on 149 cases will test the watchdog’s bid for continued independence.

Overview

  • The investigation now reportedly covers more than 100 UNRWA officials for alleged links to Hamas and possible participation in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
  • Investigators have identified 14 agency employees as affiliated with Hamas and referred two additional workers for debarment from U.S. funding for 10 years.
  • Deputy Inspector General Adam Kaplan is slated to brief the House Foreign Affairs Oversight and Intelligence Subcommittee on Tuesday on the office’s active cases.
  • The watchdog highlights recent outcomes, including guilty pleas in a $550 million fraud scheme, indictments alleging a $650 million diversion in Kenya, and a Ukraine audit that flagged over $26 billion going to people living abroad along with duplicate payments.
  • The intensifying scrutiny follows President Trump’s February 2025 order halting U.S. funding to UNRWA, as lawmakers weigh proposals to abolish or transfer USAID OIG’s functions.