As Israel continues to pound Hamas following a resumption of hostilities, revelations about how the hostages that were released were treated have begun to emerge. Accusations of starvation, torture, and sexual abuse have been made, and in one stunning bit of testimony, a hostage said they were held by a UNRWA teacher in an attic.
For those who don’t know what the UNRWA is, it’s a supposed humanitarian organization under the United Nations that provides food and schooling to Gazans. In reality, it’s a Hamas-linked outfit that teaches children to hate Jews from a young age and helps supply terrorists with resources.
Naturally, the UNRWA has rushed to deny the allegations despite ample evidence of its malfeasance over the years. Still, you’d think an organization spokesman going on CNN and treating the issue like a joke would be ill-advised. That’s exactly what happened, though.
CNN: A survivor of Hamas captivity said he was held hostage by an UNRWA teacher. What's UNRWA's response?
— Daniel Rubenstein (@paulrubens) December 4, 2023
UNRWA: I can speak about the flour that UNRWA delivers.
CNN: Does it bother you that an UNRWA teacher held somebody hostage?
UNRWA: Every bag of flour is cross-referenced. pic.twitter.com/pN4MlIvJGF
When first challenged, the spokesman acts as if he didn’t even hear the question, saying that he can speak to “our aid.” He then starts rambling about food deliveries, as if that’s at all relevant to the accusations against his organization that were presented to him. After his non-answer, the reporter pushes the issue again, bringing up the testimony of the hostage against the UNRWA teacher. Still, the spokesman changes the subject, this time to talk about bags of flour.
It’s extremely telling that he doesn’t just deny the allegation when given the chance multiple times. At one point, he does pointedly say that their trucks don’t help deliver rockets into Gaza, but he just completely ignores the issue of the hostage being held in an attic by one of the organization’s teachers. That level of obfuscation points to the UNRWA knowing it’s true but not wanting to comment on it.
The United Nations is not just a passive participant in promoting terrorism. It is actively providing aid and comfort to Hamas, including the terrorist government’s hostage-taking. That should be enough for the United States to blow up its affiliation with the organization. Instead, the Biden administration continues to fund it without any condemnation. It’s an insane moral and practical failing.
