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US moves to bar former UNRWA teachers over alleged Hamas and PIJ links
One allegedly helped abduct hostages on 7 October, while another is accused of holding civilians captive in Gaza
Three former UNRWA teachers accused of links to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including alleged involvement in the 7 October attacks and the holding of hostages, are facing sanctions by the United States.
The US Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG) said it had provided evidence to the State Department recommending that three former employees be debarred from US government contracts and grants.
One of the teachers was allegedly also a Hamas operative in its Deir al-Balah Battalion and helped abduct hostages during the 7 October massacre.
A second was identified as an operative in Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Rafah Brigade and is accused of entering Israel during the attacks.
The third former teacher was allegedly another member of Hamas’s Deir al-Balah Battalion and is accused of holding civilian hostages in Gaza.
USAID OIG said more than 100 current and former UNRWA employees have now been referred to the State Department over alleged links to Hamas or involvement in the 7 October attacks.
The State Department is reviewing the evidence in each case and will decide whether further employees should be suspended or barred from receiving US government contracts and grants.
Investigators had also considered action against former UNRWA social worker Faisal Ali Al-Naami, who they identified as a Hamas military communications operative.
He was accused of taking part in the abduction of a civilian from Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October. The proposed action against him was dropped after investigators learned he had died.
Israeli authorities previously released footage which they said showed Al-Naami taking the body of 21-year-old Yonatan Samerano into Gaza following the attack on the Nova music festival. Samerano’s body was recovered by the IDF in June 2025.
The investigation has already led to action against another former UNRWA employee, Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa.
Mousa, a former school principal, was identified by investigators as an operative in Hamas’s East Jabaliya Battalion who communicated with other suspected Hamas members during the 7 October attacks.
UNRWA previously confirmed that Mousa was dismissed from his position in August 2024 following an investigation into his activities.
He was later debarred by the US, preventing him from taking part in federal contracts and grant programmes.
USAID OIG said it was the first known US debarment of a terrorist affiliated with a UN agency involved in humanitarian assistance.
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