Three UNRWA staff members have been recommended for disbarment by the US State Department after the US Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General provided evidence of their roles in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as their participation in holding hostages or the October 7 massacre, the independent law enforcement and oversight entity announced on Wednesday.
The UNRWA staff members recommended for disbarment were all former school teachers. The first former educator also served as a Hamas military operative in the Deir al-Balah Battalion and allegedly helped abduct hostages during the October 7 massacre. The second former teacher was identified as an operative of the Rafah Brigade of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and allegedly invaded Israel during the October 7 attacks. The third was said to have been an operative in the Deir al-Balah Battalion and allegedly held civilians hostage in Gaza.
A USAID OIG spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post: "The USAID Office of Inspector General's active and ongoing investigations help prevent terrorists from circulating across US-funded foreign assistance programs in Gaza and across the world."
USAID OIG noted that it had also considered proposing former UNRWA social worker Faisal Ali Al-Naami for disbarment, a Hamas military communications operative who participated in the abduction of a civilian from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. This proposal was dropped, however, as Naami reportedly died.
Hamas terrorists held hostages' bodies in UNRWA facilities
Footage of Naami placing the body of murdered 21-year-old Yonatan Samerano on October 7 was released by Israeli officials in February 2024, while Samerano’s body was located by the IDF in June 2025, on his birthday.
USAID OIG’s investigation has already led to the debarment of Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, an operative of the Hamas East Jabaliya Battalion who coordinated communications with other suspected Hamas members during the October 7 attacks while serving as a UNRWA school principal. That action represented the first known debarment by the US of a terrorist affiliated with a UN agency responsible for humanitarian assistance programming.
UNRWA confirmed to the Post in March that Mousa was fired from his role as a school principal in August 2024 after an investigation into his terrorist activities. The disbarment also means Mousa has been prohibited from participating in all US contracting and grant activities.
USAID OIG has referred over 100 current or former UNRWA staff for participation in the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel and/or for their affiliation with Hamas to the US State Department for independent review of the evidence and consideration of suspension and/or debarment.