The U.S. State Department has recommended barring three former employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after an investigation found evidence linking them to terrorist activities and hostage-taking during the October 7, 2023, attacks. The recommendations follow findings by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General (OIG), which cited their involvement with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

All three individuals served as teachers for UNRWA before their alleged militant activities. The first was reported to have been a member of Hamas’s Deir al-Balah Battalion and implicated in the abduction of hostages during the October 7 attacks. The second former educator was associated with PIJ’s Rafah Brigade and is accused of crossing into Israel as part of the October 7 incursion. The third was also linked to Hamas’s Deir al-Balah Battalion and reportedly took part in holding civilians hostage within Gaza.

In a statement, a USAID OIG spokesperson highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts to prevent terrorists from infiltrating U.S.-funded programs abroad, emphasizing the importance of oversight in curbing extremism within humanitarian operations in Gaza and beyond.

The investigation also considered recommending a former UNRWA social worker, Faisal Ali Al-Naami, for debarment due to his role as a Hamas military communications operative and his participation in abducting a civilian from Kibbutz Be’eri during the same attacks. However, this recommendation was withdrawn after reports confirmed Naami’s death. Israeli authorities previously released video footage of Naami handling the body of 21-year-old Yonatan Samerano on October 7; Samerano’s remains were recovered by Israeli Defense Forces in June 2025 on his birthday.

This probe follows a prior debarment linked to the same investigation: Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, who was identified as a Hamas operative within the East Jabaliya Battalion. Mousa, who served as a UNRWA school principal during the attacks, allegedly facilitated communications among Hamas members involved in the October 7 violence. His disbarment marked the first known action by the U.S. against a terrorist affiliated with a UN agency devoted to humanitarian aid.

UNRWA confirmed that Mousa was dismissed from his principal position in August 2024 after an internal inquiry substantiated his involvement in terrorist activities.

The unfolding cases underscore increased scrutiny of UNRWA staff and the challenge of balancing humanitarian missions with security concerns in conflict-affected areas. The recommendations for debarment are part of broader efforts to safeguard U.S.-funded aid programs from infiltration by militant operatives.