Bye, Bye, UNRWA

Photo Credit: Esty Dziubov/TPS

The United Nations flag over the Jerusalem offices of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on June 13, 2019.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) officially concludes its presence in the State of Israel on Thursday; the agency was notified this past weekend that all personnel must be evacuated from all UNRWA sites in Jerusalem no later than Jan. 30.

Two properties in Jerusalem are to be cleared out: one in the neighborhood of Ma’alot Dafna and the other in the northeastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Aqab.

A legislative ban against the agency was passed late last year by Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, terminating the 1967 agreement that outlines the details of the relationship between UNWRA and the Jewish State. The ban takes effect Thursday.

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told reporters at a lengthy briefing on Wednesday that the conclusion of UNWRA’s presence in Israel is long overdue.

“Israel is completely committed to the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza to provide uninterrupted aid to those that need it … Israel has operated and will continue to operate in full compliance with the rule of law,” Mencer said.

Israel is also committed to end UNRWA’s complicity with Hamas, he said: “If providing a better future for Gazans is your priority then let me say this straight: UNRWA equals Hamas.”

Mencer cited “irrefutable evidence” Israel has made public to substantiate the claim:

“UNRWA is riddled with Hamas operatives. Not just the 19 that are being investigated, but hundreds. One even kidnapped an Israeli civilian on October 7th, while on UNRWA’s payroll.

“An UNRWA staff member actively participated in the October 7th terror attack, kidnapping Yonatan Samerano and delivering him into Hamas captivity.

“Other UNRWA staff too. Media have even reported that our hostages were held in UN facilities,” Mencer pointed out. “Phillipe Lazzarini and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres were informed about this. They knew. They did nothing.”

The spokesperson emphasized that any country contributing funding to UNWRA is funding terrorists.

“Your taxpayers paid Hamas salaries. UNRWA employs over 1,200 Hamas members, including terrorists who carried out the October 7th massacre. This isn’t aid — it’s direct financial support for terror,” Mencer said.

He also slammed the so-called “neutrality” UNRWA claims to represent as a UN agency, which he called “a shield for terror.

“The UN’s internal Colonna Report confirmed what we’ve long known; UNRWA is a front.

“Schools built over Hamas tunnels. Teachers moonlighting as terrorists. This isn’t humanitarian aid; it’s institutionalized radicalization,” Mencer said.

Once banned, UNWRA will have no offices, no contact, no operations in the Jewish State.

Mencer emphasized, “UNRWA is a threat to Israel’s national security. A sovereign state cannot be expected to host an agency that bankrolls its enemies. UNRWA is a threat to Gazans. It perpetuates the conflict.”

Voice dripping with contempt, Mencer mocked the media blitz launched by spokespeople for the agency, talking about the loss of aid to Gazans due to Israel’s ban, saying bluntly it is simply “untrue.”

In December 2024, UNRWA contributed a “pathetic” 0.6 percent of Gaza’s humanitarian aid, he pointed out.

“While other agencies stepped up, UNRWA hoarded resources and inflated its role. In the last months UNRWA delayed aid deliveries,” he charged. “But low and behold as we approached January 30 it upped its game. If they cared about Gazans, they would hand the aid to other organizations. More efficient and not tainted by terror.

“Secretary-General Guterres has a choice to make – continue with a failed political dogma or provide a better future for Gazans.

“Israel says clearly to Secretary-General Guterres. What matters is what works: Abandon UNRWA and give Gazans a chance.”

The fact is, the agency is not irreplaceable. Agencies like the World Food Program, UNICEF, and UNOPS already operate in Gaza and provide aid, all of them with proven track records of efficiency and accountability and no connections to terrorists.

‘International aid should go directly to vetted NGOs that focus on education, healthcare, and economic development, not perpetuating dependency,” Mencer said.

“UNRWA has kept Palestinians as refugees for 75 years. It’s time to shift focus to real resettlement solutions, self-reliance programs, and long-term economic development that serve the people—not a political agenda. UNRWA is not the only option; it’s just the worst one. The world must move forward.”

The ban on the agency ultimately “came as a direct response to the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, and the agency’s persistent refusal to address the very grave and material concerns raised by Israel, and to remedy this intolerable situation,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon noted in a letter to Guterres.

The ambassador again laid out the case against UNRWA on Monday at the United Nations, describing the agency’s “infestation” by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.