Progressive Democrats introduced a bill to restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, months after the U.S. banned funding for one year over allegations some of their employees were involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
That measure received widespread support in Congress, with Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York emphasizing the “incestuous relationship between UNRWA and Hamas,” saying the U.S. must stop funding “institutions that perpetuate hate, that perpetuate the radicalization that ultimately led to October 7th.”
In addition to the dozen staff members who were directly involved in the attacks, the Israel Defense Forces said in early March that UNRWA has more than 450 “military operatives” from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in its ranks.
Despite these realities, Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, André Carson of Indiana, and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois introduced the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024.
The United States has historically been one of the largest financial supporters of UNRWA, which serves nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. In March of this year, the U.S. paused UNRWA funding after the Israeli government alleged that 12 agency employees had direct involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack.
Following the UN’s investigation and proactive commitments made by UNRWA toward complete accountability and reform, all countries except the U.S. have resumed their UNRWA funding, including the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Finland, Germany, Japan, and Sweden. Approximately 1.9 million people – 9 in 10 Gazans – have been displaced at least once, and an estimated 43,580 are pregnant women. UNRWA has served as the primary humanitarian aid organization operating in Gaza, and without funding, hundreds of thousands of Gaza civilians are left vulnerable. It is estimated that over 1 million Gazans will not have enough food this month, and availability of basic hygiene items has dropped to 15%. In addition to a polio outbreak, Gazans are suffering from malnutrition and treatable diseases due to “systematic dismantling of healthcare” from bombardments on civilians. (Rep. Pramila Jayapal)
“UNRWA has played a unique and integral role in supporting the welfare of Palestinian refugees for decades. Their on-the-ground understanding is invaluable to ensure that humanitarian aid makes it to the people who need it most — in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and critically in this moment in Gaza,” Jayapal said in a statement. “There is no question in my mind that revoking funding for UNRWA will lead to more devastation and loss of life in Gaza. We must ensure that those acting in good faith to save civilian lives are not undermined by a lack of US funding.”
In addition to the direct involvement from some UNRWA staff members with terror groups, UN Watch's Hillel Neuer has also highlighted how many employees celebrated the 10/7 attacks and staffers "regularly call to murder Jews, and create teaching materials that glorify terrorism, encourage martyrdom, demonize Israelis and incite antisemitism."