The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has dismissed a Gaza school principal accused of taking part in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, according to a report by JNS.

The individual, identified as Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, was recently added to a U.S. government blacklist under the administration of President Donald Trump.

“Upon the allegations made against Mr. Mousa by the Israeli authorities, on April 16, 2024, UNRWA immediately placed him on administrative leave without pay,” UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler told JNS. “Upon completion of the Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation, his appointment was terminated on Aug. 20, 2024.”

A report released in late February by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Agency for International Development stated that investigators uncovered what they described as decisive evidence that Mousa took part in the October 7 attack while serving as a captain in Hamas’s East Jabaliya Battalion.

The watchdog body, which functions independently from the State Department and monitors U.S. foreign assistance programs, said Mousa “coordinated communications with other suspected Hamas members during the Oct. 7 attacks while serving as an UNRWA school principal.”

According to The Washington Free Beacon, which cited information from the State Department, Mousa shut down his UNRWA school early on the morning of October 7 and then reached out to at least 20 Hamas operatives, instructing them to infiltrate Israel “with cars and weapons.”

A source familiar with the inspector general’s probe said investigators requested that UNRWA provide the names of employees who had been terminated for suspected links to terrorism.

The source said the agency declined to share that information and did not reveal the identities of staff members believed to have taken part in the October 7 attacks, actions that investigators said hindered their work.

Because of that, the State Department—which absorbed USAID last year—alerted UNRWA that Mousa had been placed on the U.S. government’s blacklist and would be prohibited from participating in American foreign aid programs for the next decade.

UNRWA has faced longstanding accusations that it maintains close ties with the Hamas terrorist organization, allegations that critics say have repeatedly been supported by evidence. Those concerns intensified in 2024 after Israel presented information indicating that several UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.

After those claims were made public, the United Nations created a review panel led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to examine Israel’s allegations. In its findings, the panel said it had identified “neutrality-related issues” within UNRWA, but also stated that Israel had not yet provided proof that large numbers of the agency’s employees belonged to terrorist organizations.

Even as criticism of UNRWA continues, the International Court of Justice recently ruled that Israel must allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip through United Nations bodies, including UNRWA. Israel and the United States both criticized that decision.

{Matzav.com}