United Nations agencies have refused to provide key personnel records to U.S. investigators in an ongoing probe into potential Hamas ties inside U.S.-funded aid programs.
A report sent to Congress this week by the USAID inspector general’s office says multiple UN agencies failed to fully respond to requests for employee data tied to the programs. The requests sought names, basic identifying information, and employment history for people working on U.S.-funded awards, records investigators say are necessary to determine whether individuals with known affiliations were able to move between organizations without detection.
Some agencies offered only partial responses, while others did not respond at all, according to the report.
“None of the responding UN recipients provided the requested information pertaining to their personnel,” the report states
The requests were part of ‘Operation Stop the Carousel,’ a USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation into how individuals tied to terrorist groups moved between aid organizations receiving U.S. funding in Gaza. Investigators are examining whether those individuals were able to move across multiple organizations without being flagged when oversight relied on internal screening instead of outside verification.
The investigation expanded after earlier findings identified individuals believed to have been affiliated with Hamas, some of whom were referred for potential suspension or debarment from U.S.-funded programs.
“USAID policies exempted UN organizations from the vetting process that the Agency required of NGOs and contractors,” the report states.
Investigators say that structure leaves the U.S. government dependent on the United Nations to screen the personnel working on taxpayer-funded programs, including those operating inside Gaza-based aid distribution networks, limiting the government’s ability to independently verify who is participating in those programs and whether prior concerns about terrorist affiliations were identified or addressed, as federal officials continue reviewing how U.S. aid is distributed in Gaza.
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That leaves U.S. officials dependent on the same system now under investigation to catch potential terrorist ties.
Under existing UN rules, membership in Hamas alone does not automatically disqualify an applicant from working on U.S.-funded programs, a gap investigators say complicates efforts to prevent individuals tied to designated terrorist organizations from participating in aid operations.
“Vulnerabilities…limit the assurance that terrorist-affiliated staff have not been onboarded,” investigators wrote.
Access to personnel records would allow investigators to determine whether people working on aid programs had previously been flagged for ties to Hamas or other groups, and to bar future participation where warranted, particularly in cases where individuals may have shifted between organizations performing similar work.
Federal officials have indicated that individuals identified through the investigation could be referred for suspension or debarment. At the same time, organizations that provided material support could face further legal scrutiny under U.S. law. The OIG has also warned that failure to comply with information requests could result in referrals to Congress and other federal authorities.
The probe is now moving forward without the records investigators say they need, leaving unanswered how many individuals tied to terrorist groups may have already passed through U.S.-funded aid programs as the investigation continues.
This is a developing story. RedState will provide updates as more information becomes available.
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