Israel ends agreement with UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, accusing Hamas infiltration

A Palestinian man carries an aid box distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) at a school sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, November 4, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel alleges that Hamas has infiltrated UNRWA operations in Gaza, with some staff allegedly involved in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on 7 October. According to a UN investigation, nine UNRWA employees may have been implicated in the attack, leading to their dismissal.

The probe also found that a senior Hamas figure in Lebanon, killed in an Israeli strike last month, had been employed by UNRWA.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon expressed frustration, stating, “Despite the overwhelming evidence we submitted to the UN highlighting how Hamas infiltrated UNRWA, the UN did nothing to address this reality.”

The Israeli law, set to take effect in three months, has raised international concerns. The UN Security Council cautioned against any measures that might dismantle UNRWA.

UNRWA’s operations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, territories regarded under international law as outside Israel’s sovereign borders.(Reuters)

UNRWA’s director of communications, Juliette Touma, said that the new law has not yet disrupted UNRWA’s work in Gaza, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem. She urged UN member states to prevent the law’s implementation, saying it was “a race against time”, according to a report by Reuters.

The law does not directly ban UNRWA’s operations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, territories regarded under international law as outside Israel’s sovereign borders. However, the legislation will likely hinder the agency’s operations in those areas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously called for UNRWA’s shutdown, asserting that it perpetuates the Palestinian refugee issue. Established in 1949, UNRWA provides services such as healthcare, education, and aid to nearly 5.9 million descendants of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, and neighbouring countries.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz directed his ministry to inform the UN of Israel’s decision. Katz stated that, despite providing “countless pieces of evidence” of Hamas personnel within UNRWA, the UN failed to act.

Touma noted that UNRWA had received only one official allegation from Israeli authorities regarding staff ties to Palestinian armed groups and had requested further information and collaboration from Israel, which has yet to respond. She added that UNRWA has consistently condemned the misuse of its facilities by armed groups, including Hamas, and called for accountability from all parties.

(with inputs from Reuters)

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