‘Irredeemably Compromised’: Trump Admin Tells Congress Hamas-Linked UNRWA Must Be Dismantled

"The Trump administration has formally determined that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the Hamas-linked humanitarian group, cannot be salvaged and must be disbanded, according to a non-public notification transmitted to Congress and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The State Department ‘has not funded UNRWA since January 2024, does not have any ongoing programming with UNRWA, and is maintaining a policy of minimal contact with’ the organization, according to the July 29 notice transmitted to Congress. ‘The Administration has determined UNRWA is irredeemably compromised and now seeks its full dismantlement.’

The Trump administration’s assessment indicates the United States has fully lost faith in UNRWA after months of revelations that at least a dozen agency employees participated in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacres and worked alongside the terror group in Gaza. The move formally codifies the administration's position that UNRWA must be dismantled and starts the process of working toward that goal.

Hamas has continued to steal UNRWA aid supplies and resell them on the black market, the Free Beacon reported on Thursday, with armed Hamas members hijacking trucks carrying goods meant to make their way to Gaza’s civilian population. At least 12 percent of all U.N. employees in Gaza are members of Hamas or other terrorist organizations, and many of the workers identified for the Free Beacon as Hamas members drive the aid trucks themselves.

While UNRWA has promised to implement widespread reforms, its continued failure to stop Hamas from exploiting U.N.-controlled aid channels—alongside its relationship with the terror group—demonstrates that there cannot be a future for the agency in Gaza, according to a senior State Department official.

‘UNRWA exists to provide cover for Hamas,’ the official said. ‘They are completely corrupt and should be disbanded.’..."