Comer Investigates UNRWA for Obstructing U.S. Oversight into Staff’s Alleged Hamas Ties

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is investigating the actions of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in response to credible reports that UNRWA staff members participated in the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks Hamas carried out against Israel. In a letter to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, Chairman Comer requests all documents and communication relating to the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) investigation into UNRWA staff members accused of assisting with or directly participating in the October 7, 2023 attack. This request follows UNRWA’s repeated failure to adequately respond to the U.S. government’s oversight requests.

“Despite repeated U.S. oversight inquiries, UNRWA, either on its own or at the direction of UN Headquarters, has refused to provide necessary documentation related to its staff’s involvement in this atrocity. For example, although the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG) has requested pertinent documentation related to the termination of several UNRWA employees implicated in the October 7th attack, the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), at UNRWA’s request, has redacted valuable information, further obscuring the involvement of current and former UNRWA staff’s in the attacks. This is unacceptable, as the lack of transparency greatly undermines U.S. efforts to assess risk and obstructs the oversight responsibilities of Congress,” wrote Chairman Comer.

The United States alone has been the United Nation’s largest contributor since its founding in 1945 and provides 22 percent of the UN general budget, 25 percent of its peacekeeping budget, and 40 percent of its humanitarian budget, including hundreds of millions in funds to UNRWA. Intelligence reports reveal that several UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023 attack against Israel by Hamas, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, that killed approximately 1,400 Israelis and at least 32 American citizens. Between 200 and 250 hostages were also taken into Gaza. These reports also uncovered the roughly 10 percent of UNRWA’s 12,000 staff in Gaza were reportedly affiliated with Islamist militant groups, including Hamas. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan directly led to the release of the 20 living Israeli hostages on October 13, 2025. 

“In February 2025, due to ongoing concerns regarding the connection between UNRWA and terrorist entities such as Hamas, President Trump issued an Executive Order terminating U.S. funding of UNRWA. President Trump’s historic peacekeeping initiative was successful, but it raises serious questions about the UN’s lack of effort in facilitating this process and whether it deserves to receive any continued funding from U.S. taxpayers. Without full accountability, we cannot confirm that implicated individuals—regardless of whether UNRWA or the UN generally believes they are culpable—have been removed from their positions or that vetting mechanisms are in place to prevent future threats. The risk remains that current or former UNRWA employees tied to terrorism could resurface within other UN entities or NGOs funded by U.S. tax dollars. The requested documents and communications are required for verification that no UN entity or NGO receiving American taxpayer funds employs individuals affiliated with, or supporting, terrorist entities,” concluded Chairman Comer.

Read the letter to the UN Secretary-General here.