Whistleblower Accuses UN of Blocking Aid to Gaza

An international aid worker who worked in Gaza in July has accused United Nations agencies of inhibiting the delivery of aid to Gaza, as well as blocking the efforts of the Israel Defense Forces and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to deliver food and aid. He also questioned whether the refusal to coordinate with Israel Defense Forces was at the direction of the UN Secretary General.

The whistleblower’s report to the Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) alleged “gross misconduct and misuse of humanitarian funds by the World Food Programme and other U.N. Agencies,” Fox News Digital reports. The whistleblower also attested that there was “no evidence of ‘starvation’ or ‘famine’ in Gaza. There are pockets of severe hunger, but they are not systematic or pervasive.”

The report delineates “a firsthand eyewitnessing of senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials offering any support necessary, including security protection and coordination, to representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) only to have WFP and OCHA respond that they were not prepared to discuss such coordination.”

“The IDF is actively helping the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation get food into the hands of civilians while U.N. agencies, including WFP and OCHA, through their unwillingness to coordinate with the IDF, are inhibiting the distribution of such aid,” the whistleblower reported, adding, “As has been recently shown through openly available imagery, the IDF has provided clearance for thousands of tons of U.N. humanitarian goods that are now sitting inside of Gaza, awaiting distribution. The U.N. must be held accountable to pick up and distribute such aid. I urge you to launch an independent investigation into this matter to determine the extent to which U.N. agencies, by refusing to coordinate with the IDF on essential issues, including security, are abusing U.S. taxpayer funds rather than using them to deliver the aid the American people are donating – and whether such actions are being taken independently by U.N. officials in Gaza or at the direction of the U.N. Secretary General or other senior U.N. officials in New York.”