Last week, a law was passed by the Knesset severing all ties between Israel and UNRWA after employees of the agency were accused of participating in the Oct 7, 2023 attacks and the UN of failing to adequately address it.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the agreement previously allowed UNRWA to operate in Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced, "UNRWA - the organization whose employees participated in the October 7 massacre and many of whose employees are Hamas operatives - is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution. The UN was presented with innumerable evidence about Hamas operatives working at UNRWA and about the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorist purposes, and nothing was done about it. Moreover, UNRWA chose not to apply even the recommendations of the UN itself, written in the Colonna report."
Katz continued, "Don't believe those who tell you that there is no substitute for UNRWA. Already now the vast majority of humanitarian aid is delivered through other organizations, and only 13 percent of it is delivered through UNRWA. The State of Israel is bound by international law and will continue to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip Gaza in a way that will not harm the security of the citizens of Israel.”
Danny Dannon, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, added, "Following the legislation on UNRWA, the State of Israel officially notified the President of the General Assembly of the termination of cooperation with the agency. Despite the overwhelming evidence we submitted to the UN that substantiated Hamas' infiltration of UNRWA, the UN did nothing to rectify the situation. The State of Israel will continue to cooperate with humanitarian organizations but not with organizations that promote terrorism against us."
“As I have emphasized several times, UNRWA is controlled by Hamas in Gaza. The State of Israel will continue to cooperate with humanitarian organizations but not with organizations that promote terrorism against the State of Israel.”
During its ground incursion into Gaza to eliminate Hamas and rescue the hostages taken during the Oct.7 attack, the Israel Defense Forces regularly found Hamas bases, rocket launchers, and tunnels in or under UNRWA facilities. Survivors and the families of the Oct 7 victims have sued the UNRWA for the agency's involvement in the attack.
UN Watch previously revealed the agency's staff had praised the October 7 atrocities during which Palestinians raped, tortured, and murdered over 1,200 civilians and kidnapped another 250. UNRWA staff has also been accused of holding Israel hostages.
UNRWA staff also had leadership roles in the Hamas terrorist organization such as Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin who was a a Hamas commander in Lebanon and a UNRWA employee.
