American taxpayer dollars might be padding the pockets of terrorists in Gaza, and the USAID Office of the Inspector General (USAID OIG) is on the case with a magnifying glass trained on the U.N., as Fox News reports.
The core of this mess is an ongoing investigation into whether U.S. aid, meant for humanitarian relief in Gaza, has been siphoned off by Hamas and other foreign terrorist groups, even as a ceasefire holds between Israel and Hamas.
This isn’t a new concern; as far back as November 2023, USAID OIG flagged the potential diversion of aid as a top investigative priority.
Fast forward to July 2024, and the OIG dropped a bombshell update, confirming they’re digging into credible claims of Hamas meddling with humanitarian shipments, including theft and smuggling contraband.
Meanwhile, over half of USAID’s programs are tied to U.N. organizations, which, conveniently, skip the agency’s partner vetting process -- a gap the OIG warns creates serious risks.
Adding fuel to the fire, the U.N. itself admitted that after May 2025, most aid entering Gaza was snatched by armed groups and desperate locals, though they’ve curiously downplayed Hamas’ role in the mess.
Let’s not forget the elephant in the room: Hamas’ cozy relationship with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has been under scrutiny since the horrific Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that killed over 1,200 Israelis and 32 Americans while taking 251 hostages.
Since that brutal day, USAID OIG has zeroed in on Hamas’ infiltration of UNRWA, with investigations revealing in April that three UNRWA staff were linked to the attack and 14 others had ties to Hamas.
UNRWA did fire nine employees over their connections to the Oct. 7 carnage, but when pressed by USAID OIG in July 2024, they couldn’t -- or wouldn’t -- hand over the names of those let go. Talk about transparency!
A U.S. diplomatic official briefed on the investigations didn’t mince words, telling Fox News Digital: "received and continues to receive reports directly from aid workers and other parties on the ground that counters the sanitized narrative that Hamas was never involved in the theft of American funded aid."
That same official added: "sent in by whistleblowers and aid workers who are fed up with the U.N.’s failure to identify Hamas as the culprit." If that doesn’t raise eyebrows about the U.N.’s accountability, what will?
Contrast this with a July 2024 Reuters report citing a USAID analysis that found little evidence of Hamas pilfering aid -- a claim quickly contested by both the State Department and the White House as dubious at best.
On the home front, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, launched his own probe into UNRWA staff involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks, demanding unredacted U.N. reports in an October 2024 letter to ensure no American funds support terrorist affiliates.
With the U.S. footing a hefty bill -- 22% of the U.N.’s general budget, 40% of its humanitarian funds, 25% of peacekeeping costs, and hundreds of millions to UNRWA in recent years. Taxpayers deserve answers, not excuses.
While the U.N. claims it’s cooperating, and UNRWA insists it’s been forthcoming with information, ongoing USAID OIG investigations into Hamas-linked officials suggest this story is far from over. Let’s hope the truth doesn’t get buried under bureaucratic red tape.
