UNRWA fires 70 employees after Israeli accusations of Hamas affiliation

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has dismissed 70 employees after Israel and the NGO UN Watch accused them of Hamas affiliation. This action follows earlier announcements by USAID, which referred 101 current or former UNRWA staff members to the US State Department for suspension or disbarment due to their alleged involvement in the October 7 massacre and/or ties to Hamas.

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Our sustained documentation of UNRWA’s deep infiltration by Hamas - including our UNRWA Terror Network map identifying at least 400 culprits - together with the USAID Inspector General, has finally forced the agency’s hand.

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, stated that their "sustained documentation of UNRWA’s deep infiltration by Hamas" had finally compelled the agency to act. He added that while the current firings are a welcome start, they represent only a small beginning, as UN Watch claims to have identified at least 1,500 Hamas members working for UNRWA in Gaza, with thousands more across the agency.

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For years, UN Watch has exposed how UNRWA teachers, school principals, and other employees are intertwined with Hamas, including terror chiefs heading the staff unions. Today’s action, while welcome, is only a small beginning.

UNRWA's official statement indicated the firings were to "mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees the Agency serves." However, the agency also emphasized that Israel had not provided evidence for its accusations and that the dismissals were not an endorsement of those claims. UN Watch countered this, accusing UNRWA of prioritizing self-defense over neutrality.

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to mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees the Agency serves.

The UNRWA staff union criticized the decision, deeming it a "clear violation of the principles of justice" due to the lack of a fair and transparent investigation. The union called for the decision to be reversed and vowed to protect employee rights. Neuer responded by asserting that a union controlled by Hamas operatives would naturally object to removing their colleagues, characterizing this as behavior of an organization captured by a terrorist group rather than a neutral humanitarian agency. He concluded by calling for an end to all funding for UNRWA and its dismantling.

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making such a decision without a fair and transparent investigation constitutes a clear violation of the principles of justice.