A whistleblower who worked at international aid operations in the Gaza Strip submitted a formal complaint to the US Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Office of Inspector General, alleging that United Nations aid agencies operating within the strip obstructed humanitarian aid efforts and refused to coordinate with the IDF, Fox News reported on Friday, after viewing a copy of the complaint.
The individual alleged “gross misconduct and misuse of humanitarian funds” by the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and other agencies.
The whistleblower claimed that, despite offers from the IDF to help secure and deliver humanitarian aid, UN officials refused to coordinate. According to the complaint, this refusal “raises serious questions as to why WFP and OCHA were unprepared to discuss or accept the assistance offered by the IDF, thereby preventing aid from getting to the people of Gaza.”
The complaint reportedly urges US authorities to investigate whether the decisions to block humanitarian access were made locally in Gaza or by higher-level UN leadership. It also calls on the international community to pressure the UN to ensure transparent and effective aid delivery to civilians in the Gaza Strip, Fox News noted.
The whistleblower contended that the actions of UN officials are undercutting efforts by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is supported by the United States and Israel and has reportedly delivered 127 million meals since May.
A senior US State Department official told Fox News that GHF’s operational safeguards pose “a threat to how Hamas functions and enriches itself because GHF provides meals to those in need with safeguards to minimize Hamas from stealing. This is why Hamas continues to attack GHF aid sites."
UN and WFP deny allegations of the complaint
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, told Fox News that the UN had not received the complaint from USAID and dismissed the allegations.
He rejected the claim that UN agencies had refused to coordinate with the IDF, calling it “delusional,” and stated: “Our colleagues in OCHA and WFP maintain daily contact with both the IDF and with COGAT, which is the Israeli government body responsible for these issues, regarding the logistics of aid delivery.”
The World Food Programme also denied the accusations of disrupting aid delivery and impeding IDF help, saying that any such claim is untrue." The agency added that "the UN is 100% transparent with the Israel authorities, for all coordination and if incidents occur."