On Wednesday, a UNWatch report revealed that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency staff have been stealing humanitarian aid materials meant for Gazan civilians, and reselling the materials at a profit.
UNRWA staff are stealing aid and selling it for profit, while those who report it face reprisals, according to numerous reports published by Palestinians in an UNRWA-related chatroom.
The posts expose a deep frustration by employees that senior UNRWA employees are engaged in the abuses, and that the agency is doing nothing about it.
This comes amid a recent call by UNRWA Commissioner-General Phillipe Lazzarini for countries to increase direct cash assistance to Gazans because, although "There is more food available it still does not mean that the food is accessible." The chatroom is run by a former UNRWA employee, Haitham al-Sayyed, who was removed from UNRWA in 2016 after he publicly called out the agency for hiding an UNRWA school map that denied the existence of Israel, covered up with a white cloth to hide it from the cameras while UN chief Ban Ki-moon was holding a press conference in June 2016.
In April, UN investigators were looking into allegations that 14 UNRWA staffers were actively involved in the Hamas October 7th attacks on Israel.
Several UN member nations have suspended funding to UNRWA over that incident.
Corruption in United Nations officials is nothing new, but what makes this particularly egregious, if it is proven true, is that the aid being stolen is intended for the few remaining innocents in Gaza; the very fact that diapers were among the items allegedly stolen speaks to that.
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