After they confirmed the death of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar, Israeli television started airing videos of what the soldiers found in his pockets: A pack of Mentos, a lighter, prayer beads, and a large wad of cash — all ordinary stuff.
HOwever, there was one more item on Sinwar’s person that is very concerning. He was carrying an official document identifying him as an employee of UNRWA, the United Nations agency that was established exclusively to help Palestinian refugees, and which has tragically become indistinguishable from Hamas.
According to Israeli security documents that were recently made public, at least 440 of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees in Gaza are Hamas terrorists. An additional 2,000 are registered Hamas operatives, and more than 7,000 have immediate family members who are active in Hamas.
Despite being provided with several documents showing evidence of the organization’s complicity in the murder and kidnapping of Israelis on 7 October 2023, the United Nations stonewalled the investigation, admitting that it had identified nine UNRWA employees who "may have" been involved in the massacre.
The organization did not mention anything about UNRWA’s schools, which have repeatedly been suspected to be hotbeds of incitement and indoctrination, teaching young Gazans to hate Jews and plan to harm them. UNRWA’s schools have literally gone so far as to disseminate educational materials praising Adolf Hitler.
The evidence was enough for Congress to approve a nearly unprecedented appropriations bill earlier this year that bans all funding for UNRWA for only the second time in American history. The Biden White House, though, was quick to sign on to a "statement of shared commitments" that affirms the administration’s support for the agency.
"We have been clear about the important role that UNRWA plays in delivering humanitarian assistance and other critical assistance to Palestinians in Gaza," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a July briefing. "As you know, we are currently barred by statute from providing assistance through UNRWA, but that doesn’t mean we don’t support the work that they do."