UN employee accused of holding Israeli hostage

Inquiries into claims that a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) worker held a captive taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel have been made by Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee. Blackburn requested answers and emphasized the need for major changes inside UNRWA in a letter to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Blackburn voiced alarm in the letter that Fox News Digital was able to get regarding the UN’s inaction on allegations that terrorists were using UNRWA cash. She underlined that the US would not condone terrorism and alluded to the potential of cutting off funding to UNRWA while a full investigation was conducted.

On social media, Israeli journalist Almog Boker asserted that a UNRWA teacher had been holding a captive for fifty days. In an interview with the freed prisoner, Boker claimed that the teacher—a father of 10 kids—had shut the girl in, fed her little, and disregarded her medical requirements. UNRWA rejected the allegation as “unsubstantiated” and asked the reporter for further details.

Blackburn has given response time until December 18 and is requesting information about the incident that was reported as well as an explanation of UNRWA’s efforts to keep its facilities from being used as a haven for terrorist activity.

Previous accusations against the UNRWA included corruption and outright support for Hamas. The journalist repeated the gravity of the claims and chastised UNRWA for undermining the abductee’s evidence, despite the agency’s denial and its request for clarification from Boker.

The circumstance exacerbates the concerns surrounding UNRWA, which include a recent video that revealed bombs and rockets concealed beneath UNRWA crates in a residential building. UNRWA was accused by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education of helping to spread terrorist propaganda by using its educational resources.

Senator Blackburn declared that the United States must immediately cease funding UNRWA if the accusations turn out to be accurate. Germany has already stopped funding UNRWA due to a number of issues, and growing worries about the agency’s role in the region are reflected in the U.S. decision to look into the matter.